Acting Chairman of the Quang Ninh People’s Committee Cao Tuong Huy (R) welcomes Luxembourg PM Xavier Bettel on May 3. (Source: VNA)

Prime Minister Xavier Bettel and a high-ranking delegation of Luxembourg on May 3 had a tour of Ha Long Bay, a world natural heritage site in the northern province of Quang Ninh, on the occasion of their official visit to Vietnam.

Welcoming the Luxembourg delegation, Acting Chairman of the Quang Ninh People’s Committee Cao Tuong Huy expressed his province’s honour that PM Bettel chose Ha Long Bay as a destination during the official visit to Vietnam, wishing the Luxembourg delegation a good time on the bay.

PM Bettel appreciated the provincial leaders' warm welcome and noted that he was delighted to come here for the first time to enjoy the beauty of Ha Long Bay and feel the hospitality of local people.

The Luxembourg PM is paying an official visit to Vietnam from May 3-5 at the invitation of PM Pham Minh Chinh.

On May 4, PM Bettel is scheduled to attend an official welcome ceremony and hold talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Minh Chinh. The two PMs will witness the signing of some cooperation agreements between their countries’ ministries and sectors and meet with the press to inform about their talks’ outcomes.

Prior to the welcome ceremony, the Luxembourg leader will pay respect to late Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh and visit the monument to Vietnamese heroes and martyrs and the memorial site dedicated to President Ho Chi Minh in Hanoi.

He and PM Chinh will also visit the Temple of Literature and the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum.

In addition, PM Bettel will meet with National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue and take part in some activities in Ho Chi Minh City, including a Vietnam - Luxembourg business forum and a meeting with the city’s leaders.

Vietnam and Luxembourg set up diplomatic ties on November 15, 1973. As of March 2023, Luxembourg had invested 2.6 billion USD in 64 projects in Vietnam, ranking third among 24 EU members and 17th among 139 countries and territories investing in the Southeast Asian nation.

In 2022, bilateral trade stood at 187.1 million USD, rising 69% year on year. The figure included 130.14 million USD worth of Vietnam’s exports and 56.96 million USD worth of imports from Luxembourg.