Vice Chairman of the National Assembly of Viet Nam Meets with Speaker

A Parliamentary delegation from the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam headed by the Hon. Vice Chairman of the National Assembly of Viet Nam (Deputy Speaker) Nguyen Duc Hai met with Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka on March 20 at the Parliament premises, as part of their four-day official visit to Sri Lanka from March 19-22. 

The delegation included several Parliamentarians and officials from the National Assembly of Viet Nam and the visit aimed to enhance cooperation across various fields.

The Delegation arrived in Sri Lanka on an invitation extended by the Hon. Speaker (Dr.) Jagath Wickramaratne.

During the meeting, both parties reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening the robust bilateral relationship between the two countries, established in 1970. 

Hon. Speaker Wickramaratne emphasized that Sri Lanka and Viet Nam share a longstanding, warm, and close relationship, rooted in mutual respect and shared values. He highlighted that Sri Lanka's Hon. President, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, has accepted an invitation from the President of Viet Nam for an official visit. The State Visit is scheduled to take place in May 2025.

Hon. Speaker Wickramaratne also commended the development achievements of Viet Nam and expressed Sri Lanka’s keen interest in boosting trade, investment, and tourism ties with Viet Nam. He pointed out that Sri Lankan investors have already contributed nearly USD 45 million in investments in Viet Nam, creating over 15,000 jobs. Hon. Speaker invited Vietnamese investors to explore opportunities in Sri Lanka, particularly in the areas of food processing, cold chain development for agriculture, and agro-technology. Furthermore, the Speaker emphasized the importance of collaborating on agricultural development, particularly through providing technical assistance to smallholder farmers, with a focus on mechanization, improving access to affordable machinery, and fostering skills development.

Addressing the meeting, Hon. Nguyen Duc Hai, Chairman of the National Assembly of Viet Nam (Deputy Speaker), congratulated Sri Lanka on its recent economic progress and political stability. He reaffirmed Viet Nam’s commitment to enhancing bilateral relations, emphasizing the importance of expanding trade and investment. He also expressed Viet Nam’s readiness to negotiate a Free Trade Agreement between the two countries.

Both parties agreed to enhance inter-parliamentary cooperation through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), focusing on legislative best practices, particularly in digital transformation. They discussed leveraging technology to build digital parliaments and improve parliamentary efficiency. High-level exchanges between leaders of the two parliaments were also highlighted.

The delegation also met with Hon. Prime Minister (Dr.) Harini Amarasuriya at the Parliament premises, congratulating her on her appointment and reiterating Viet Nam's commitment to strengthening ties. Both sides agreed to enhance political relations, boost economic cooperation, and explore initiatives such as introducing a free visa process and direct flights between the two countries. The importance of establishing mechanisms to implement these initiatives was also emphasized.

During his visit to Parliament, Hon. Nguyen Duc Hai met with his Sri Lankan counterpart, Hon. (Dr.) Rizvie Salih, Deputy Speaker of Parliament, and held bilateral discussions on strengthening relations. Both parties reaffirmed their commitment to further enhancing cooperation.

The delegation also met with Sri Lanka's Hon. Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development, Wasantha Samarasinghe, and Hon. Deputy Minister of Digital Economy, Eranga Weeraratne, to explore opportunities for collaboration in trade and digital economy sectors for mutual benefit.

The delegation also had the opportunity to interact with members of the Sri Lanka-Viet Nam Parliamentary Friendship Association. To mark the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly of Viet Nam planted a tree in the Sri Lankan Parliament premises as a symbol of growing bilateral ties. 

The delegation had the opportunity to witness the proceedings of Parliament from the Speaker’s Gallery and participated in a Parliamentary tour.

The Ambassador of Viet Nam to Sri Lanka H.E Trinh Thi Tam, Secretary General of Parliament Mrs. Kushani Rohanadeera, Chief of Staff and Deputy Secretary General   of Parliament Mr. Chaminda Kularathna and Assistant Secretary General Mr. Hansa Abeyratne were also present on these occasions.