The event was attended by Phan Van Mai, deputy secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee and chairman of the People’s Committee; Malaysian Ambassador to Vietnam Dato’ Tan Yang Thai; and Malaysian Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Wong Chia Chiann.
Speaking at the ceremony, the chairman of Ho Chi Minh City said that Vietnam and Malaysia are close neighbors. The two nations have cemented their multifaceted partnership over the past 50 years. Such a long-lasting relationship has become stronger since Vietnam and Malaysia upgraded their ties to a strategic partnership in 2015, said the top Ho Chi Minh City official.
“Malaysia was the first nation in Southeast Asia to recognize the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam in late March 1973. In 1976, Vietnam and Malaysia opened an embassy in the capitals of the two nations,” Mai said.
“Since 1991, the Vietnam-Malaysia relations have entered a new chapter, with deeper cooperation in various fields.”
Tourism has made great contributions to bilateral ties. Vietnam welcomed over 700,000 Malaysian visitors in 2022, up 10 percent against 2021. Meanwhile, Malaysia became one of Vietnamese travelers’ favored destinations, receiving 400,000 tourists coming from Vietnam.
Addressing the event, Malaysian Ambassador to Vietnam Dato’ Tan said that among Southeast Asian countries, Malaysia is Vietnam’s third-biggest investor. As of the end of 2022, Malaysia had poured a pledged capital of US$13.06 billion into 702 projects in Vietnam.
Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Phan Van Mai delivers a speech at the ceremony to mark the 50th anniversary of Vietnam-Malaysia diplomatic ties in Ho Chi Minh City, June 13, 2023. Photo: Huu Hanh / Tuoi Tre
Big cooperation opportunities
Some major Malaysian firms and banks, including Petronas, Gamuda, Berjaya Corporation, Maybank, and Public Bank, have been doing business in Vietnam. Malaysia sees a lot of potential and big opportunities to make investments in Vietnam, so the country will further advance trade cooperation with the latter, said the ambassador. “The two nations can enhance the partnership in the real estate, food and beverage, tourism, health, financial service, and energy fields,” Dato’ Tan noted.
Vietnam has its advantages of a population with some 100 million people in 2023 and abundant skilled labor resources, making the nation more attractive to foreign investors, Malaysian Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Wong told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.
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