Hanoi seeks stronger ties with Qatar in various fields

A delegation of Hanoi officials visited Qatar this week to promote decentralized relations between the Vietnamese capital and Qatari localities and organizations.

The Hanoi delegations present a gift to the Vietnamese Embassy in Qatar. Photo: The Hanoi Times

The main discussions focused on innovation and technological development, healthcare, high-tech agriculture, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges, thus fostering relations between Vietnam and Hanoi and their partners in the Middle East, including Qatar.

During the trip, which took place from November 12 to 15, the Hanoi delegation paid a visit to the Vietnamese Embassy in Qatar on November 13.

Deputy Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Nguyen Thi Tuyen, as head of the delegation, praised Vietnamese Ambassador to Qatar Tran Duc Hung and the embassy staff for their accomplishments.

She hoped that the embassy would fulfill its tasks and strengthen diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Qatar, especially through exchanging delegations' visits and organizing cultural and promotional events to enhance mutual understanding.

Tuyen expected the embassy to help Hanoi and Qatari businesses build and strengthen their cooperation and presence in each other's country, promote the capital's tourism sector to the Qataris, and improve decentralized relations between Hanoi and Qatari localities in agriculture and education and training.

Hanoi's Deputy Party Chief and Ambassador Hung shared the view that Vietnam-Qatar relations have grown significantly over the past 30 years. Qatar is now one of Vietnam's most important trade partners in the Middle East, and the two nations have made great joint efforts in global discussions.

The two officials agreed that the 30th anniversary of Vietnam-Qatar diplomatic relations in 2023 is an opportunity for the people and businesses of both countries to enhance mutual understanding and cooperation in economic activities, trade, and investment.

The Hanoi delegation's visit will create new momentum to promote decentralized cooperation between Hanoi and Qatari localities, thus strengthening the relations between the two nations, the two officials said.

After the meeting, the Hanoi delegates attended the opening of the Vietnam Pavilion at Expo Doha 2023, which will run for six months until March 2024, showcasing solutions for sustainability and anti-desertification.

Urban design, high-tech agriculture, and healthcare

On November 14, the Hanoi delegation met with the Qatar Ministry of Transport to explore practices and experiences in urban design and development.

Hanoi officials visit the cattle farm of Qatar's largest dairy producer Baladna, north of the capital Doha. Photo: The Hanoi Times

Qatari Deputy Minister of Transport Fahad Mohammed Fehaid Al-Qahtani welcomed Hanoi officials and their ideas to promote bilateral relations between the two countries in infrastructure, agriculture, urban security, and human resources development.

The deputy Party chief of Hanoi appreciated that Qatar and its capital, Doha, have made remarkable efforts to build modern and creative metropolises and provide people with a high-quality standard of living.

Tuyen said the achievements of Doha and Qatar are valuable lessons for Hanoi to study and explore to improve the city's urban development plans in the future.

The Hanoi official expected the Hanoi-Qatar relations to flourish in all fields, contributing to the prosperity of the two countries.

As part of the visit, the Hanoi delegation visited Qatar's largest dairy producer, Baladna, which supplies 95% of the country's dairy products. The company's cattle farm is located in the north of Doha and covers 2.4 million square meters with 25,000 cows.

The farm is equipped with modern technologies to maximize productivity, conserve natural resources, and optimize energy efficiency.

The delegation also visited Sidra Medicine, Qatar's state-of-the-art facility providing world-class tertiary healthcare services. During the trip, the delegation learned from CEO Iyabo Tinubu Karch about the facility's operations and the use of digital solutions in patient management.

During the meeting, Tuyen suggested that the Qatari facility and Hanoi set up an information exchange channel to share practices and experiences and organize workshops and conferences to discuss developments in the healthcare sector.

She said that the activities are aimed at improving the competence of doctors from both sides, thus bringing about the best benefits for the two peoples.