Sri Lankan President's Trip Kicks Off Fresh Period of Collaboration with Vietnam: Embassy Affirms
Rewritten Article:
Sri Lanka's President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's Visit to Vietnam: A Fresh Chapter Ahead
HÀ NỘI – The upcoming state visit of Sri Lanka's President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to Vietnam, scheduled from May 4-6, 2025, promises a new era in bilateral cooperation, bringing positive impacts for both countries while contributing to regional and global peace, cooperation, development, and prosperity. According to our Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Trinh Thi Tam, this visit will not only strengthen traditional friendship but also establish new directions for collaboration in the evolving geopolitical scenario.
In an exclusive interview with our News Agency, Ambassador Trinh Thi Tam shared that the visit, extended at the invitation of Vietnam's President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, will mark the first visit by a Sri Lankan head of state to Vietnam in 16 years. This will also be the inaugural trip to Vietnam for President Dissanayake since he took office in September, 2024, signifying the high priority the Sri Lankan leadership places on its partnership with Southeast Asia.
From Vietnam's perspective, the visit represents a reaffirmation of respect for Sri Lanka as a traditional friend and an important partner in South Asia, Trinh Thi Tam explained. As the two countries celebrate their 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations, this visit offers an opportune moment to review the partnership and chart a course for the future. The trip will feature an array of activities spanning politics, economy, and culture, with the highlight being strategic talks and the signing of significant cooperation documents.
During his sojourn in Vietnam, President Dissanayake will also grace the opening ceremony of the 20th United Nations Day of Vesak Celebrations in Ho Chi Minh City from May 6-8, underscoring the deep Buddhist and cultural ties between the two countries.
The diplomat expressed optimism about the trajectory of bilateral ties, detailing that both Vietnam and Sri Lanka have enjoyed a robust traditional friendship, with Sri Lankan governments across different periods having consistently prioritized strengthening and developing relations with Vietnam.
The two countries aim to boost collaboration in areas of their strengths, such as agriculture, fisheries, culture, education, tourism, and Buddhism, based on existing cooperation documents and established mechanisms to achieve tangible and substantial results.
Vietnam and Sri Lanka will intensify cooperation in essential areas recently impacted by external factors, including trade, investment, defense, security, people-to-people exchanges, manufacturing, heritage conservation, and information technology. Furthermore, they will explore expanding cooperation in emerging fields like customs, pharmaceuticals, logistics, renewable energy, electronics, electric vehicles, archaeology, artificial intelligence, e-commerce, digital economy, digital transformation, innovation, local cooperation, and air and maritime connectivity to extend their cooperation space and adapt to regional and international situations.
The two countries will coordinate more closely and effectively at multilateral forums, especially the UN, Non-Aligned Movement, and ASEAN Regional Forum, acting as responsible partners, thereby enhancing each nation's role and position.
Historical Milestones and Opportunities for Growth
Reminiscing on the diplomatic journey thus far, Ambassador Trinh Thi Tam traced the bilateral relations back to their consular ties established in 1964 and the formal establishment of diplomatic relations in 1970. Despite historical disruptions, including periods when Vietnam had to temporarily close its embassy in Colombo, both countries have managed to maintain continuous exchanges of high-level visits and have established institutional frameworks for cooperation.
Despite facing challenges, bilateral cooperation has thrived through regular high-level exchanges and institutional frameworks. Late President Ho Chi Minh visited Sri Lanka three times between 1911 and 1946, and today remains one of the few foreign leaders honored with a statue in Colombo, Trinh Thi Tam noted.
Vietnam and Sri Lanka have set up three key mechanisms at ministerial and deputy ministerial levels and signed over 30 cooperation agreements spanning trade, defense, agriculture, culture, and education. Despite remaining modest, two-way trade has been relatively stable at around $300 million per year. Currently, Sri Lanka has approximately 30 projects in Vietnam with an investment capital of over $40 million. Cultural, Buddhist, and people-to-people exchanges have emerged as strengths and potentials in bilateral cooperation. Besides, the Sri Lankan community in Vietnam is growing, currently numbering around 150, playing a role in contributing to Vietnam's socio-economic development.
Ambassador Trinh Thi Tam highlighted several priority areas for strengthening bilateral cooperation. She recommended capitalizing on the coastal positions of both countries to develop agriculture, fisheries, and ocean resources. Tourism, representing another promising sector, should be boosted through direct flights and streamlined visa processes to enhance cultural and spiritual tourism exchanges.
For trade advancement, she suggested joint ventures focused on third-country exports to reduce production costs, transport time, and tariffs, while recommending free trade negotiations and improved connectivity to facilitate trade.
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. XINHUA/VNA Photo
The ambassador also emphasized education and technology cooperation as crucial in addressing shared challenges through research and innovation.
Renewable energy collaboration represents a potential area, she said, adding that solar and wind projects would not only strengthen the bilateral relationship but also contribute to addressing global challenges like climate change. - VNS
Enrichment Data:
- Key Areas of Cooperation:
- Economic Partnerships
- Trade and Investment: The two nations aim to boost annual trade from $300 million toward $500 million, supported by agreements such as a MoU between Sri Lanka’s Export Development Board (EDB) and Vietnam’s Trade Promotion Agency (VIETRADE)[3].
- Agriculture and Fisheries: Strengthening collaboration in farming techniques, seafood processing, and technology transfer [1][5].
- Renewable Energy: Expanding joint initiatives in solar, wind, and other clean energy sectors [4][5].
- Cultural and Religious Ties
- Buddhist Cooperation: Participation in the UN Vesak Day celebrations in Ho Chi Minh City, emphasizing shared spiritual heritage [4].
- Education and Tourism: Enhancing student exchanges and promoting cultural tourism through heritage site preservation projects [5].
- New and Emerging Sectors
- Digital Economy: Collaboration on e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation [5].
- Logistics and Aviation: Improving maritime and air connectivity to facilitate trade and tourism [5].
- Pharmaceuticals and Electronics: Joint ventures in medical research and high-tech manufacturing [5].
- The state visit of Sri Lanka's President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to Vietnam from May 4-6, 2025, will focus on establishing new directions for collaboration in the evolving geopolitical scenario.
- This visit, at the invitation of Vietnam's President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, will mark the first visit by a Sri Lankan head of state to Vietnam in 16 years.
- President Dissanayake's trip to Vietnam, also his inaugural one since he took office in September 2024, signifies the high priority the Sri Lankan leadership places on its partnership with Southeast Asia.
- Vietnam's President Nguyen Xuan Phuc's invitation to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake reaffirms Vietnam's respect for Sri Lanka as a traditional friend and an important partner in South Asia.
- The visit offers an opportune moment to review the partnership and chart a course for the future, with strategic talks and the signing of significant cooperation documents as key features.
- During his sojourn in Vietnam, President Dissanayake will grace the opening ceremony of the 20th United Nations Day of Vesak Celebrations in Ho Chi Minh City, underscoring the deep Buddhist and cultural ties between the two countries.
- The two countries aim to boost collaboration in areas of their strengths, such as agriculture, fisheries, culture, education, tourism, and Buddhism.
- Vietnam and Sri Lanka will intensify cooperation in essential areas recently impacted by external factors, including trade, investment, defense, security, people-to-people exchanges, manufacturing, heritage conservation, and information technology.
- The two countries will coordinate more closely and effectively at multilateral forums, especially the UN, Non-Aligned Movement, and ASEAN Regional Forum, acting as responsible partners to enhance each nation's role and position.
- Ambassador Trinh Thi Tam highlighted several priority areas for strengthening bilateral cooperation, including capitalizing on coastal positions to develop agriculture, fisheries, and ocean resources, and promoting cultural and spiritual tourism exchanges through direct flights and streamlined visa processes.
