Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh arrives in Doha to begin official visit to the State of Qatar

On the evening of October 30, local time, the plane carrying Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation landed at Doha International Airport, beginning an official visit to the State of Qatar.

On the evening of October 30, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife, along with a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, arrived in Doha, starting an official visit to the State of Qatar at the invitation of Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jasim Al-Thani. (Photo: NHAT BAC/VGP)

Welcoming Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife along with the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation at the airport on the Qatari side were Minister of State Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Sayed; Director of Protocol, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ibrahim Yousuf Abdullah Fakhro.

On the Vietnamese side, there were Vietnamese Ambassador to Qatar Nguyen Huy Hiep, officers and staff of the Embassy.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife arrive in Doha. (Photo: NHAT BAC/VGP)

During the 2019-2023 period, the average two-way trade exchange will reach 400 million USD per year. The two-way trade turnover between Vietnam and Qatar in 2023 will reach 497 million USD (an increase of 32% compared to 2022), of which Vietnam will export 211.6 million USD to Qatar.

Vietnam mainly imports from Qatar liquefied petroleum gas products, raw plastics, chemicals, urea fertilizers, etc. and mainly exports seafood, electric wires and cables, wood products, rattan and bamboo products, ceramics, vegetables, fruits, electronics, etc.

Regarding investment, Qatar currently has one investment project in Vietnam in the field of processing and manufacturing industry with a total registered capital of 3.23 million USD. According to information from Qatar, the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) is participating in indirect investment (through Development Banks, Third Party Investment Funds) in a number of real estate and industrial projects in Vietnam with a total capital of about 500 million USD.

Petroleum Technical Services Corporation (PTSC) is implementing a number of contracts to supply equipment, design services and human resources to Qatar's North Oil Company for the period 2019-2025.

The Vietnamese community in Qatar was mainly formed in 2008 after the Government implemented a policy of exporting labor to countries in the region. However, due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic, the number of Vietnamese people in Qatar has decreased compared to before.

There are currently about 300 Vietnamese people in Qatar, mostly temporary workers working for a number of projects, the remaining few are families of engineers working for Qatari companies, foreign companies in Qatar and women married to foreigners working in the local area. Every year, 3-4 students study Arabic for 9 months on scholarships provided by Qatar.

Due to the community's characteristics, which mainly consist of temporary workers, the longest Vietnamese person living in Qatar has only been around 10 years, and no one has yet acquired Qatari citizenship (because local law requires that one must reside in Qatar for 25 years or more to obtain citizenship). The community is scattered, but is most concentrated in the capital city of Doha.

With strong potential in energy and finance, Qatar is a potential economic and investment partner for Vietnam. Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) has been researching and promoting investment projects, especially in the real estate and industrial sectors in Vietnam. Other areas of cooperation such as education and labor have also seen many improvements in recent times ...

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