On 14 November 2019 Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Viet Nam Prasanna Gamage met with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam Nguyễn Quốc Dũng, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam.
Ambassador Gamage was received by the Deputy Minister, who conveyed his greetings and best wishes to the newly appointed Ambassador for a successful tenure in Ha Noi. Initiating the discussion, the Deputy Minister reminisced his cordial relationship with the predecessors of Ambassador Gamage and expressed his expectation of the continuity and enhancement of relations between Sri Lanka and Viet Nam. He emphasized upon the fact that the three visits paid by Sri Lankan Prime Minster to Viet Nam from 2017 - 2018 indicate the strong bilateral political relationship between the two countries. Though Viet Nam will be profoundly occupied with the Chairmanship of ASEAN for the year 2020, and as a non- permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2020-2021, the Deputy Minister assured that the Prime Minister of Viet Nam would be able to materialize the pending bilateral visit to Sri Lanka next year, along with the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Viet Nam. The Deputy Minister also commended Sri Lanka for its leading role in multilateral diplomacy over the years and stated that Viet Nam has been a beneficiary of Sri Lanka’s contributions at various multilateral forums. Deputy Minister Dung mentioned that bilateral cooperation mechanisms, such as Political Consultations and the Joint Commission, which are long overdue, should be held next year at the Ministerial level.
Ambassador Gamage expressed his gratitude to the government of Viet Nam government for recognizing the importance of the continuation of the Viet Nam – Sri Lanka bond. He emphasized that the 04th Session of the Joint Commission should be held in Sri Lanka next year. Ambassador Gamage stated that both countries should pursue action to improve bilateral trade, which is very modest at present. He also spoke of the successful Sri Lankan investments in Viet Nam and requested that the Deputy Minister explore the possibilities of establishing direct air travel links between the two countries, which is currently under discussion. Responding to a comment made by the Deputy Minister on the increasing interest of the Vietnamese in travelling abroad to visit Buddhist religious and historical sites, Ambassador Gamage said that Sri Lanka is the best destination for this purpose and highlighted the importance of promoting Sri Lanka as a religious and cultural destination among Vietnamese visitors. The Ambassador stated that the Embassy of Sri Lanka has already initiated action on this with Voice of Vietnam Television. He also requested the assistance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam in enrolling Vietnamese students to Study in Sri Lanka, under the scholarships being offered by Sri Lanka.
