The Ambassador of Vietnam in Colombo Ho Thi Thanh Truc paid a courtesy call on State Minister of Regional Cooperation Tharaka Balasuriya at the Foreign Ministry premises on 13 July, 2021.
While reiterating on the long-standing bilateral relations between the two countries, State Minister Balasuriya noted that the main focus of the Government of Sri Lanka is on economic development, tourism and building trade ties with countries in the Southeast Asia region.
Considering the close religious ties between the two countries, State Minister Balasuriya underscored the importance of rejuvenating cooperation between temple-to-temple connections and expressed the willingness to connect with the Viet Nam Buddhist temples to share the religious and cultural interests between the two countries.
During the meeting, Ambassador Truc explained the steps taken by the Viet Nam Government to introduce the organic farming in Viet Nam and expressed willingness to share those experiences with Sri Lanka. Currently, MoU on Agricultural Development Cooperation between two countries are in full swing.
Further, State Minister Balasuriya explored the possibility of furthering ties in the IT sector of Sri Lanka and Viet Nam and agreed to give a road show in Colombo Port City where Viet Nam investors would get the opportunity to invest in areas such as IT and Software.
Explaining the possibility of increasing the tourist arrivals from Viet Nam, State Minister Balasuriya highlighted that programmes on Sri Lanka tourism in Viet Nam language, to be aired in social media can be facilitated to attract tourists from Viet Nam. As a response, the Viet Nam Ambassador Truc highlighted the importance of establishing direct air connectivity between Sri Lanka and Viet Nam to encourage the tourism.
The Meeting was associated by officials from the Foreign Ministry and Vietnam Embassy in Colombo.