(VOVworld) – Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani is on an official visit to Vietnam from October 5-6 at the invitation of Vietnam’s President Tran Dai Quang, to improve their bilateral relationship and multi-faceted cooperation.

President Tran Dai Quang received Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani in Hanoi on Oct 6, 2016

After Iran signed a nuclear deal last year that took effect on January 16, 2016, many countries lifted economic sanctions on Iran and its economy has begun to recover.

Good traditional relationship

Vietnam and Iran established diplomatic relations in 1973. In 1991 Iran opened an embassy in Hanoi and in 1997 Vietnam opened an embassy in Tehran. The relationship was strengthened with the establishment of the Vietnam-Iran Friendship Association in September, 2009. The two countries support each other in the Non-Aligned Movement and other international forums.

Vietnam and Iran have organized regular high-level visits and implemented cooperative mechanisms at different levels. Vietnam’s former President Truong Tan Sang visited Iran in March, 2016, and Iran’s President Mahmoud Amadinejad visited Vietnam in 2012. The two countries organized six political consultation meetings and eight meetings of the Inter-governmental Committee. Bilateral cooperation was enhanced with the signing of several agreements in trade, industry, agriculture, culture, education, agriculture, fisheries, banking, customs, and aviation. These are legal foundations for organizations and enterprises to expand their business.

Opportunities to expand bilateral cooperation

Despite considerable potential, the countries’ shared economic achievements have been modest. Bilateral trade reached 106.7 million USD in 2015, including 77 million USD of Vietnamese exports. The figure was 54 million USD in the first half of 2016.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Iran Nguyen Hong Thach said: “Vietnam can export to Iran agricultural products, fruits, and footwear. Vietnam’s footwear is favored in Iran. Iran can export to Vietnam oil and gas, chemicals, and petrochemical products.”

Vietnam and Iran will also focus on tourism development in the future. Ambassador Thach said Iranian people think of Vietnam not as a tourist destination but as a war-torn country. The Vietnamese Embassy has organized seminars, exhibitions, and art performances to promote the image of Vietnam to the Iranian people. In January an Iranian film crew was invited to Vietnam to make a film about Vietnamese tourism. About 700,000 Iranians visit Thailand annually, but only about 2,000 Iranians visit Vietnam. Ambassador Thach said: “Tourism development will spearhead Vietnam-Iran cooperation. Iranians visit Thailand, a neighbor country of Vietnam. We have countless scenic spots and beautiful beaches. If they come to Vietnam, they can explore other things besides tourism.”

During President Rouhani’s visit, Vietnamese and Iranian leaders will explore ways to boost bilateral collaboration in trade, investment, tourism, and agriculture. After Vietnam, Mr. Rouhani will visit Malaysia and Thailand.