Officials of the Vietnamese Embassy in Oslo and representatives of the Vietnamese community in Norway welcome Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan at the airport on November 22 evening. (Photo: VNA)

Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan arrived in Oslo on November 22 evening (local time), beginning an official three-day visit to the Kingdom of Norway at the invitation of Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store.

The visit takes place at a time when the five decade long relations between Vietnam and Norway are developing positively.

Both countries maintain high-level delegation exchanges, and coordinate effectively at international forums to deal with burning issues, especially climate change and ocean economic development. Two-way trade turnover reached US$609.6 million last year, an increase of 25% compared to 2021. Norway currently has 52 investment projects in Vietnam with a total registered capital of US$192.5 million.

According to Vietnamese Ambassador to Norway Dinh Nho Hung, Norway is Vietnam’s important partner that has supported the Southeast Asian country in implementing the formerly known Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and the current Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the United Nations (UN).

Norway has so far provided Vietnam with ODA worth nearly US$400 million, mainly in the fields of environment, renewable energy, education, economic management, administrative reform, mine clearance, and aquaculture, bringing about practical effects on socio-economic development in the country.

During her stay in Oslo, the Vice President is scheduled to meet with Norwegian leaders and business executives to examine ways to strengthen and seize opportunities for cooperation between the two countries in the fields the circular economy, marine economic development, green agriculture, sustainable aquaculture technology, plastic waste treatment.

As both Vietnam and Norway are members of the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) agreement, meetings and discussions will be also focused on Norway’s assistance to Vietnam to develop offshore wind power, solar power, and other sources of clean energy, as well as solutions for economical and efficient use of energy, contributing to achieving the goal of net zero emissions by 2050.

The two sides will also discuss ongoing negotiations on a free trade agreement between Vietnam and the European Free Trade Area (EFTA), of which Norway is a member.