Vietnam's Top Leader Meets Bangladesh Ambassador, Agrees to Enhance Economic and Infrastructure Cooperation

On September 5, in Hanoi, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President To Lam received Ambassador of Bangladesh to Vietnam Mohammad Lutfor Rahman, who paid a farewell call on the occasion of the end of his tenure. At the reception, General Secretary and President To Lam congratulated Ambassador Lutfor Rahman on the successful completion of his term in Vietnam, highly appreciating his significant contributions to deepening the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Bangladesh, making it more effective and bringing practical benefits to the people of both countries. General Secretary and President To Lam once again congratulated Bangladesh on the successful organization of the general election in February 2026 and the election of a new President in August 2026, thereby completing the leadership positions and forming a new government. He expressed his belief that under the leadership of the new government, Bangladesh will maintain stability and gradually achieve prosperity. Recalling some of the important achievements in the relationship between the two countries during Ambassador Lutfor Rahman's tenure, General Secretary and President To Lam noted that after more than 50 years of establishing diplomatic relations, the Vietnam-Bangladesh relationship continues to develop steadily with high political trust and mutual support at regional and international forums. General Secretary and President To Lam proposed that in the coming time, the two countries should increase exchanges of delegations at high and all levels, maintain bilateral dialogue mechanisms, and further promote economic and trade cooperation based on the potential and strengths of the two economies, aiming to negotiate and sign cooperation agreements in trade and investment, striving to increase bilateral trade turnover to $2 billion. Cooperation in the Halal industry, information technology, digital transformation, green transformation, education-training, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges should also be expanded. Emphasizing the importance of connectivity for trade and people-to-people exchanges, General Secretary and President To Lam proposed that the two sides expand road and rail infrastructure connections, as well as maritime transport routes between the two countries, and promote the establishment of direct flights connecting Vietnam and Bangladesh in the near future. Ambassador Lutfor Rahman thanked General Secretary and President To Lam for the reception, as well as for the sentiments, attention, and support of the General Secretary and President towards him personally, the government and people of Bangladesh, and the Vietnam-Bangladesh relationship in general. The Ambassador once again congratulated and conveyed the congratulations of the Government of Bangladesh to the General Secretary and President on being trusted and elected to his new position, as well as on the impressive achievements that Vietnam has made in socio-economic development. The Ambassador expressed his emotion and appreciation for the friendly sentiments of the Vietnamese people and the long-standing traditional friendship between the two peoples, emphasizing that Vietnam and Bangladesh are two close nations with many commonalities, both bilaterally and at regional and international forums. The Ambassador affirmed that in any position, he will always pay attention to and continue to strive to nurture the relationship between the two countries for further development. Thanking the directives and orientations of General Secretary and President To Lam on bilateral relations, the Ambassador agreed to coordinate and promote the arrangement of high-level visits and bilateral cooperation mechanisms, connecting relevant agencies to exchange practical content on economic, trade, cultural, tourism, educational-training, and labor cooperation, and to sign new cooperation agreements. The Ambassador also highlighted Bangladesh's desire to further strengthen relations with ASEAN, become an ASEAN Dialogue Partner, and promote accession to RCEP, requesting Vietnam's support. The Ambassador affirmed that Bangladesh always shares the views of ASEAN and Vietnam on regional issues and wishes to contribute to building a peaceful, stable, secure region with maritime safety, upholding international law and the UN Charter. On this occasion, Ambassador Lutfor Rahman respectfully conveyed an invitation from the Government of Bangladesh to General Secretary and President To Lam to visit Bangladesh at an early date in the near future. Source: Nhan Dan