Vietnam Deputy PM on Tour to Norway, Belgium
Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai left Hanoi June 12 for an eight-day tour to Norway and Belgium to boost economic, investment and trade ties, the Vietnamese government said.
Hai is being accompanied by Deputy Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Planning and Investment, Vice Chairman of the Government Office and Mayor of the northern province of Son La.
The Vietnamese leader will meet with economic officials of Norway and attend a forum between Vietnamese businesses and Norwegian and Swish partners while in Oslo between June 12 and 16.
Vietnam is among priority recipients of official development assistance (ODA) sources from the Norwegian government. The two-way trade reached nearly $120 million last year. The European nation has invested $66 million in 19 projects in Vietnam so far.
Vietnam and Belgium set up diplomatic tie in March 1973. The bilateral trade dropped 19.71% from a year earlier to $1.1 billion in 2009. Belgium has now 31 investment projects in Vietnam with total capitals of over $100 million, ranking 34th among 81 nations and territories.
Deputy PM Hai will take the occasion to visit the European Commission (EC) headquarter in Brussels. (www.chinhphu.vn)
Vietnamese
