During the course of the trip, which also took place as part of activities to mark 70 years of bilateral diplomatic ties, Ambassador Phong held a working session on October 15 with Prefect of Neamt George Lazar, Vice President of the county’s council Laurentiu Dulama, along with many other local officials.

They met in order discuss the mutual friendship and co-operation ties, in addition to plans relating to economic partnership and cultural exchanges between both sides, including the prospect of Neamt county being twinned with the Vietnamese province of Thai Nguyen.

Ambassador Phong also attended the opening ceremony of a photo exhibition that displayed the latest landmarks in relations, as well as Vietnamese socio-economic achievements, landscapes, people, and culture.

To mark the occasion, the Vietnamese diplomat also presented Neamt  county’s library with an array of books, including famous literature works such as “Truyen Kieu”, “Tale of Kieu” in English, by Nguyen Du, and “Nhat ky trong tu”, “Prison Diary” in English, by Ho Chi Minh translated into Romanian. This was in addition to love poems by Mihai Eminescu translated into Vietnamese, as well as books in English and audio visual products that serve to introduce the land, people, and culture of Vietnam.

Furthermore, the Vietnamese Embassy and the Neamt Chamber of Commerce and Industry held a roundtable workshop on October 16, with over 20 businesses taking part, all of whom represented outstanding industries from Neamt county, such as textile, wood, steel, chemical, fertiliser, agriculture, and tourism.

Participants also explored the traditional friendship and co-operation ties that exist between both sides, whilst also discussing new prospects for economic, trade, investment, tourism, and labour relations moving forward. Connections in manufacturing and the prospect of selling products in each other’s markets was also brought up, as well as selling items to each nation’s respective region following the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) taking effect.

Firms from Neamt county expressed their hope that they are able visit the country for the Vietnam Expo 2020, along with a trip to Thai Nguyen province to set up co-operative ties between the two localities and the enterprises from both nations.