President Tran Dai Quang and his spouse will pay a State visit to Bangladesh from March 4-6 at the invitation of his counterpart Mohammad Abdul Hamid to mark the 45th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties (February 11). 


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President Tran Dai Quang (R) and Bangladeshi Ambassador 



The visit affirms Vietnam’s consistent external policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation and diversification of international ties, including attaching importance to strengthening relations with Bangladesh. 

In recent years, the two sides have exchanged delegations, including the Vietnamese National Assembly delegation’s trip to Dhaka to attend the 136th General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentarian Union in April 2017, Deputy Foreign Minister Dang Dinh Quy’s visit to co-chair the first political consultation between the two foreign ministries in August 2017 and the Vietnam visit by Speaker of the Bangladesh Parliament Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in July 2017. 

Bangladesh recently sent high-level delegations to Vietnam to promote cooperation in administration management, agriculture, rural development, tourism and climate change. 

On national defence-security ties, the two sides shared experience in joining United Nations (UN) peacekeeping missions and trans-national crime prevention. Vietnam welcomed several delegations of leaders and staff of the Bangladesh Military Academy to the country. 

The two countries have worked closely together in regional and global forums, particularly the UN, the Non-Aligned Movement, the South-South Cooperation, the ASEAN Regional Forum, the Asia-Europe Meeting and regional and sub-regional cooperation frameworks. In the UN, Vietnam and Bangladesh regularly agree on issues such as human rights, gender equality and sustainable development. 

Vietnam noted Bangladesh’s proposal to support its bid to become a dialogue partner of ASEAN and encouraged its collaboration with the bloc. 

On the East Sea issue, they underscored the importance of maintaining peace and stability in respect for recognised basic principles of international law to peacefully settle disputes to ensure maritime safety and freedom. 

Two-way trade soared from 14 million USD in 2002 to 388.1 million USD in 2012 and more than 900 million USD in 2017. From 2010-2014, exports-imports between the two countries surged to nearly 800 million USD from 288 million USD. 

Vietnam mainly exports clinker and cement (nearly 26 percent of its total exports to Bangladesh), rice, fibre, apparel, accessories and machinery while importing leather and footwear materials, pharmaceuticals, sesame, seafood and fibre. In May 2017, the two nations signed a memorandum of understanding on rice trade which has been extended till 2022. 

As of the end of December 2017, Bangladesh had invested in four projects worth 615,000 USD in Vietnam, ranking 99th out of 125 countries and territories investing in the country. Vietnam recorded one project worth 27,900 USD in Bangladesh. 

The South Asian country hopes Vietnamese firms will invest in electricity, information technology, footwear, infrastructure and arboriculture. 

Bangladesh is a promising market with a 160 million-strong population. The Vietnamese ministries of Industry and Trade, and Planning and Investment are helping firms enhance cooperation with Bangladesh in agro-fishery, industry, handicraft, finance, banking, culture, education-training and health care. 

Speaking at an investment and trade promotion seminar in Dhaka in August 2017, Vietnamese Ambassador Tran Van Khoa called on Vietnamese and Bangladeshi enterprises to strive to lift two-way trade to 1 billion USD in the future. 

A number of activities to popularise the two countries’ culture have been promoted, including the Dhaka international film festival and the Vietnam cuisine day in the Bangladeshi capital. 

In collaboration with the Bangladeshi Ministry of Public Administration and the Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre, the Vietnam National Academy of Public Administration held 16 training courses on public administration for nearly 500 officials of the Bangladeshi government in Vietnam.

Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang’s three-day state visit to Bangladesh looks to intensify trade and investment promotion, and create favourable conditions for businesses between the two countries to achieve a two-way trade goal of 1 billion USD, according to the newspaper "Daily Star".


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The Bangladeshi newspaper quoted a high official at the foreign ministry as saying that the bilateral trade volume between Bangladesh and Vietnam was increasing.

On its article published on February 28 ahead of President Tran Dai Quang’s visit, which will start on March 4, the paper said “Bangladesh and Vietnam are enjoying economic cooperation, with trade reaching 609 million USD in 2016 from only 93 million USD in 2009. Bangladesh exports pharmaceuticals, raw materials for garments and machinery to Vietnam, while Vietnam's major exports to Bangladesh include iron, steel, fibre, textiles, plastics, rubber and electronics.”

It went on that “Dhaka is eager to connect itself with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, whose members are Vietnam, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines. It will seek support from Hanoi for its regional integration.”

According to the paper, the diplomatic circle in Dhaka consider the upcoming visit significant as it will be able to avail the opportunity to seek support from Vietnam for a durable solution to the Rohingya crisis.

“The two countries are likely to sign about half a dozen agreements and memorandums of understanding for promotion of trade, investment, connectivity and cooperation during the visit,” it said.

President Quang will visit Dhaka at the invitation of his Bangladeshi counterpart Abdul Hamid. He will fly in Dhaka from New Delhi after a three-day visit to India.

President Hamid visited Vietnam in August 2015, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in November 2015 and Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in July 2017.

The paper quoted diplomatic sources as saying that ahead of Quang's visit, both the sides reached a consensus that Bangladesh and Vietnam should intensify experience sharing, help each other in gender equality and poverty reduction, and cooperate in the fields of defence, aquaculture, education-training, culture and tourism.

Some 100 business representatives from top Vietnam companies will accompany the Vietnamese president and interact with their Bangladesh counterparts and explore trade and investment potentials in Bangladesh.

A business forum will be held at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel on March 6.

Bangladesh and Vietnam established diplomatic relations on February 17, 1973. Since then, the friendship and cooperation between the two states have been enhanced in a wide range of areas, especially economy and trade.


VNA