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Charlot Salwai, an official from the Vanuatu Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and External Trade and a parliamentarian, speaking at the ceremony.
(Photo: VNA)
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Speaking at the event, Charlot Salwai, an official from the Vanuatu Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and External Trade and a parliamentarian, said that the official launch of the Consulate General in HCMC would help strengthen diplomatic ties and cooperation between the two countries.
He said that Vanuatu considers Vietnam as an important partner who shares many similarities in history and national development, and it wishes to strengthen cooperation in the fields of common concern.
Salwai emphasized that the opening of the Consulate General holds particular importance since Vanuatu is working to tighten links with the administration and people of Vietnam. It is a demonstration of the commitment to promoting development and mutual understanding between the two countries so as to further facilitate their win-win cooperation.
Tran Phuoc Anh, Director of the HCMC Department of Foreign Affairs, stressed that the relations between Vietnam and Vanuatu started in the early 20th century, when workers from Vietnam arrived in plantations of the archipelago nation. The Vietnamese community in Vanuatu plays a crucial role in strengthening the countries’ bonds in terms of economy, culture, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.
The Vanuatu Consulate General will serve as a bridge helping encourage Vietnamese businesses and people to come to explore new opportunities for experience tourism in Vanuatu and introduce economic chances that HCM City can bring to the country, he added.
The Vietnamese community is one of the largest foreigner communities in Vanuatu. Many of overseas Vietnamese in Vanuatu are businesspeople and influential people, making significant contributions to Vanuatu’s political, social and economic development.
Vanuatu is an island country in the South Pacific region. In the early 20th century, tens of thousands of Vietnamese, mostly from Northern provinces, traveled to Vanuatu to work at plantations. By 1960, most of them had returned home, and about 500 people of Vietnamese origin are still living in Vanuatu.
Vanuatu established diplomatic relations with Vietnam in 1982./.