Vietnamese Ambassador to the United Kingdom Nguyen Hoang Long (L) and IMO Secretary General Kitack Lim

Meeting with Vietnamese Ambassador to the United Kingdom Nguyen Hoang Long at IMO headquarters in London on Monday, the IMO chief said Vietnam is seen as a country with the world leading economic development potential, in which there is great potential for the development of the maritime industry.

With its geographical position in the Indo-Pacific region, Vietnam also has favorable conditions to cooperate with countries with advantages in maritime such as Japan, India, the Republic of Korea, and China, he said.

Lim added his organization is ready to support Vietnam and the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK in promoting maritime capacity building as well as the country's role in IMO.

With 174 member states, IMO is the global standard-setting authority for the safety, security and environmental performance of international shipping.

Vietnam became the 126th member of IMO in June 1984. The nation has so far become involved in 24 important IMO conventions and protocols.