Qatar and Kuwait have built on their traditional friendship with Vietnam. The Qatari Emir joined demonstrations against the Vietnam War while Kuwait was the first Gulf nation to establish diplomatic ties with Vietnam in 1976. During meetings with Mr Dung, the Emirs and PMs of Qatar and Kuwait expressed their admiration for the late President Ho Chi Minh, legendary General Vo Nguyen Giap and the Vietnamese people in general during their past struggle for national liberation.

Besides diplomatic formalities for the head of State, Qatari and Kuwaiti leaders welcomed Mr Dung as a close friend. The Qatari PM himself drove Mr Dung to a welcoming party while the Kuwaiti Emir invited his Vietnamese guest to review a military parade to mark his country’s 48^th National Day.

The Qatari and Kuwaiti Governments agreed to establish partnerships with Vietnam to ensure energy and food security in their respective countries. In response, Vietnam signed agreements on agricultural cooperation with Qatar and Kuwait in hopes of meeting these countries’ demand for food production.

Qatar and Kuwait also agreed to promote cooperation with Vietnam in the petrochemical industry, especially oil and gas exploration and exploitation.   

The two Gulf nations expressed their desire to boost investment and trade ties with Vietnam by signing with the Southeast Asian nation agreements on double tax avoidance and investment encouragement and protection.

Their PMs pledged to strictly implement the agreement and deals reached during Mr Dung’s visits, including the Nghi Son petrochemical refinery in Thanh Hoa province into which Kuwait will pour more than US$6 billion.

The Qatari PM agreed to allot a piece of land in the capital for the building of a trade centre to showcase Vietnamese products in the country. He also announced the start of the joint Qatar-Vietnam investment fund with an initial capitalisation of US$1 billion.

The Vietnam State Capital Investment Corporation (SCIC) also signed a cooperation agreement with the Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA). SCIC director general Tran Van Ta affirmed that the signing of the agreement will empower Qatari and Kuwaiti businesses to invest in Vietnam as both SCIC and KIA are government-level financial institutions.

Labour cooperation also took centre stage during Mr Dung’s trip. Both Qatar and Kuwait expressed their desire to increase cooperation in this field with Vietnam as both are in great need of overseas labour.

PM Dung asked the Vietnamese embassies in Qatar and Kuwait to work closely with labour export companies towards training Vietnamese workers to ensure that they get steady jobs and earn high incomes.

Together with a trip to the United Arab Emirates last month, the visits to Qatar and Kuwait are expected to offer prospects for long-term cooperation between Vietnam and countries in the Gulf region.