New ambassador hopes to boost trade between Seychelles and Vietnam |28 April 2023

Ambassador Hoang Kim presents his credentials to President Ramkalawan (Photo: Joena Meme)

The newly accredited Vietnamese ambassador to Seychelles, Pham Hoang Kim, presented his credentials to President Wavel Ramkalawan yesterday morning in a ceremony at State House.

Speaking to the local media Mr Hoang Kim said that during his discussion with President Ramkalawan they addressed how to promote the relation between the two countries in several areas namely political, economic, cultural and tourism.

They also talked about trade capacity between the two nations and how he hopes this will increase in due time.

“Until now the trade volume is still moderate and in the future we hope to see more Seychellois businessmen visiting Vietnam to explore the new market, and in return to also have Vietnamese businessmen visit Seychelles to explore the market here,” he said.

Both Seychelles and Vietnam are renowned tourism destinations and Mr Hoang Kim said that he and the president also talked about how to attract more visitors from each other’s country.

“We discussed the agreement on a visa waiver programme so that more Vietnamese tourists could visit Seychelles,” he said. 

Lastly, the two addressed matters related to climate change and methods to combat the issue, as well as digital transformation to better the services and experience of both countries and their people.

It should be noted that Seychelles and Vietnam would next year commemorate 45 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, which Mr Hoang Kim said would be a great accomplishment and cause for celebration, as it was a symbol of the “long friendship and relation between the two countries”.

The newly accredited Vietnamese ambassador will be based in Maputo, Mozambique. He is the fifth Vietnamese ambassador to Seychelles and replaces Le Huy Hoang.

Diane Larame

Photo by Joena Meme