Vietnam, Kuwait look to deepen all‑round cooperation through PM Chinh’s visit
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, accompanied by his spouse and a senior Vietnamese delegation, departed Hanoi on the morning of November 16 for an official visit to Kuwait from November 16-18, at the invitation of his Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al Sabah.
Over nearly 50 years since the two countries established diplomatic relations, Vietnam–Kuwait ties have been continuously preserved and diligently nurtured by successive generations of leaders and peoples of both nations. Kuwait was the first Gulf country to establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam and has consistently taken the lead in boosting comprehensive cooperation with Vietnam.
Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s visit to Vietnam in May 2007 marked a significant breakthrough in bilateral relations. It was also the first visit to Vietnam by a senior Gulf leader.
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| Vietnam and Kuwait look toward 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations (January 10, 1976 - January 10, 2026) |
Determined to bolster cooperation between the two countries, Kuwait opened both an embassy and a consulate in Vietnam within just three months after the visit. On the Vietnamese side, during his visit to Kuwait in March 2009, former Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung affirmed that Vietnam always values the development of cooperative and friendly relations with Gulf countries, with Kuwait emerging as an important partner for Vietnam in the Middle East.
Building on previous successes, Kuwaiti PM Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah’s visit to Vietnam in May 2016 brought bilateral cooperation into a new phase of development. The two sides signed several cooperation documents, including a cultural and artistic cooperation agreement, a memorandum of understanding on sports cooperation, and an agreement to continue cooperation within the Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical complex between Vietnam Oil and Gas Group and Kuwait Petroleum International (KPI).
Economic cooperation between the two countries has also seen notable progress. Bilateral trade in 2024 reached approximately US$7.3 billion, mainly driven by crude oil imports. Vietnam exports products to Kuwait such as seafood, fruit and vegetables, cashew nuts, pepper, wood, and spare parts and components, according to VOV.
In the investment sector, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC), together with Japan, is participating in the Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical complex project with a total investment of US$9 billion and a long-term commitment to supply crude oil to the plant. The project, which began operations at the end of 2018, is one of the largest foreign investment ventures in Vietnam, annually supplying about 5-7 million tons of petrol and oil to the domestic market. It contributes actively to ensuring Vietnam’s energy security and provides raw materials for numerous domestic manufacturing industries.
In development cooperation, Kuwait is the first Gulf country to consistently provide concessional ODA for infrastructure projects in Vietnam’s remote and mountainous areas. To date, the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) has provided ODA funding for 15 projects in localities across Vietnam, totaling more than US$190 million.
The Kuwaiti government also provided US$3,225,000 in non-refundable aid to central Vietnamese provinces to address damages from natural disasters in 2013 and 2017. Kuwait was also among 192 countries that supported Vietnam’s election as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2020-2021 term.
In 2020, amid unprecedented difficulties and challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the friendship between Vietnam and Kuwait was once again clearly demonstrated. Vietnam donated medical masks to Kuwait, contributing modestly to the Kuwaiti people’s pandemic response. Kuwait provided Vietnam with 600,000 vaccine doses in October 2021. The support offered by the governments and people of both countries during these difficult times vividly demonstrated the spirit of the Arab proverb: “Human love is the most precious asset.”
With a long-standing tradition of cooperative and friendly relations tested over time, the determination of leaders and people of both countries, and abundant resources that can complement each other, Vietnam-Kuwait ties will continue to see positive development for the benefit of the two nations, as well as for peace and stability in the region and the world.
New social-commerce model targets 50 billion USD in Vietnam–US trade
VIPTAM Technology Group JSC (VIPTAM Group) has officially established long-term strategic trade partnerships with major international brands, introducing a new model to promote bilateral trade between Vietnam and the US through VDONE Network, a multimedia social platform developed by the group.
At the signing ceremony held in Washington D.C. on November 14, VIPTAM Group and its comprehensive logistics partner, InLog Corporation, announced a 10-year cooperation strategy (2025–2035) with the goal of achieving 50 billion USD in two-way trade. Notably, for the 2025–2026 period, the parties aim for a total two-way trade value of 1 billion USD, including 500 million USD worth of Vietnamese exports to the US and 500 million USD worth of US products imported into Vietnam.
The event marked a significant milestone as the two sides signed their first order worth 100 million USD, laying the foundation for the overall plan for 2025–2026 and opening a new bilateral trade strategy based on fairness, balance, and transparency.
Also at the event, VDONE Network formally received cooperation agreements from well-known US and international brands to integrate their products and services into the VDONE ecosystem.
Under this strategy, VDONE Network plays a central bridging role, creating a channel for direct people-to-people cultural and commercial exchange between the two countries, strongly boosting the export of Vietnamese goods and services to the US and vice versa. Over the next 10 years, VDONE aims to reach one billion users worldwide.
The cooperation framework is built on three pillars - retail, logistics, and digital platforms. VDONE Network links consumers, enterprises, and investors; InLog ensures a full cross-border supply chain between Vietnam and the US, from transportation and warehousing to domestic delivery; and commercial partners supply products, including authentic U.S. goods for the VDONE marketplace, reported VNA.
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| At a ceremony to announce the cooperation agreement between VIPTAM Group, Inlog and partners (Photo: VNA) |
According to Nguyen Thanh Tuan, Chairman and CEO of VIPTAM Group, the social-network-based commercial activities on VDONE will enable Vietnamese consumers to purchase US products and US consumers to purchase Vietnamese goods. This, he noted, is the model and solution that the company offers to contribute to a fair and balanced trade relationship between the two countries.
He expressed his hope that, once the two countries reach agreements on tariffs, businesses in both Vietnam and the US will have greater opportunities to cooperate through the network established by VIPTAM Group and InLog.
Jeffrey Griffis, Founder and CEO of InLog, said integrating social networking and e-commerce through VDONE creates competitive opportunities in the Vietnamese market. Once the model proves successful, InLog plans to expand it to US consumers as well.
17 Vietnamese films to be screened at the world's largest cinema in Paris
Representative Vietnamese cinematic works will be introduced to the French public during the Vietnam Film Week, taking place from December 5 to 12 at Le Grand Rex, the world's largest cinema and one of Paris's iconic cultural landmarks.
The film week is co-organized by the Vietnam Film Development Association (VFDA) and AVSE Global, under the patronage of the Embassy of Vietnam in France.
The event celebrates the 80th anniversary of Vietnam's National Day and the 120th anniversary of world commercial cinema, counted from the first ticketed film screenings presented by the Lumière brothers in Paris.
Dinh Toan Thang, Ambassador of Vietnam to France, said: "Vietnam cinema has long evolved alongside French cinema. Vietnam Film Week in Paris is an opportunity to engage in deeper discussions about the development of Vietnamese cinema and expand new connections with the French film community."
"This will pave the way for stronger cooperation projects in the future, contributing to new milestones in Vietnam-France cultural relations and to a better shared future."
The theme Vietnamese Cinema – A Journey of Light and 17 films screened in the film week was personally selected by Ngo Phuong Lan, Chairwoman of VFDA.
She explained: "The idea behind the title stems from the fact that cinema vividly mirrors the nation’s progress, tracing the journey of Vietnamese film from wartime to peace, from the Reform Era to the contemporary period."
She highlighted that the word 'Lumière', meaning 'Light' in French, holds deep symbolic meaning: it not only evokes the image of Paris, city of light but also recalls the Lumière brothers.
These pioneers laid the foundations of world cinema with their invention of cinema in 1895.
"I believe that this film screening program will be worthy of the name we have chosen, she remarked.
Seventeen notable Vietnamese films have been selected, including works recognised at major international film festivals, winners of Vietnam’s top national awards and new films that have become cultural and social phenomena in the country.
Classic Vietnamese films from the Doi Moi (Renewal) period selected for screening include Canh Dong Hoang (The Abandoned Field: Free Fire Zone) by People’s Artist Nguyen Hong Sen, Bao Gio Cho Den Thang Muoi (When the Tenth Month Comes) by People’s Artist Dang Nhat Minh and Tuong Ve Huu (The Retired General) by People’s Artist Nguyen Khac Loi.
Films by young independent filmmakers, expressing their individual and distinctive voices with a contemporary touch, include Bi, Dung So (Bi, Don’t Be Afraid), Cu Li Không Bao Gio Khoc (Cu Li Never Cries) and Mua Tren Canh Buom (Don’t Cry, Butterfly).
The lineup, spanning feature films, documentaries and short films, from mainstream to arthouse cinema, offers audiences a journey into Vietnam’s culture, history and people through the diverse languages of film, VNA reported.
Nguyen Duc Khuong, President of AVSE Global, said: "Through Vietnam Film Week in Paris, we hope to introduce to international audiences a dynamic, humanistic and authentic portrait of Vietnam – where past and present intersect, moving toward a prosperous and sustainable future."
It marks the opening activity of the cultural program titled 'Vietnam – The Symphony of Love,' initiated by AVSE Global to promote Vietnamese culture to the world through distinctive artistic approaches.
He added: "Cinema, with its power to transcend borders, is a gateway for the world to understand more about Vietnam. This is just the starting point – we aim to bring Vietnamese cinema to many more countries and expand global networks of cultural and artistic cooperation."
In addition to film screenings, the program features a panoramic photography exhibition on Vietnam cinema, meetings with Vietnamese film crews, meetings between young French and Vietnamese filmmakers and a Vietnam-France film cooperation seminar.
Lan said: "Even though this is only a film week, we have made every effort to shape it like a small film festival. Our goal is not only to showcase the journey of Vietnamese cinema but also to help audiences recognise the promising and trustworthy signs of its growth."
"If French filmmakers are now seeking pathways for film co-production with Vietnam cinema industry, I firmly believe this is the golden moment," she added.
The opening ceremony will be held at Le Grand Rex, Paris, on December 5, featuring the world premiere of Tu Chien Tren Khong (Hijacked) with live performance of film soundtracks.
Vietnam’s low-altitude economy to hit US$10 billion by 2035
Vietnam’s low-altitude economy could reach US$10 billion and create 1 million jobs by 2035.
The above figures were highlighted at the international forum on Vietnam's low-altitude economy which took place in Ha Noi on November 14.
The low-altitude economy includes economic activities that take place below 1,000 meters, and can be extended to below 5,000 meters depending on each country's practical needs. It leverages both manned and unmanned aerial technologies, as well as low-altitude smart networks, to develop infrastructure, produce aerial vehicles, provide services, and ensure aviation safety.
With advantages in geopolitics, innovation-friendly policies, and a young, dynamic workforce, Vietnam has a huge opportunity to become a regional and global hub for the low-altitude industry, cited VGP.
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| Photo: VGP |
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been used in Vietnam in all fields of agriculture, e-commerce logistics, smart cities, national defense and security, as well as search and rescue operations.
At the forum, delegates proposed building policies in developing a regulatory sandbox framework, expanding low-altitude airspace management infrastructure, and promoting research and production of UAV to serve socio-economic sectors. These efforts aim to open a new pathway for the country in the era of low-altitude aviation, creating a foundation for connecting resources, sharing knowledge, and accelerating the application of advanced technologies.
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