Earlier on June 6, Mr Triet met with some representatives of the Vietnamese community in Norway.

The 18,000 strong Vietnamese community is the second largest community of Asians in Norway. Most of them have steady jobs and 70 percent own their houses.

At the meeting, Vietnamese nationals expressed their delight at the rapid national development, and appreciation of Vietnam’s visa exemption and the policy that allows overseas Vietnamese to buy houses in Vietnam. This shows that the Party and State always regard overseas Vietnamese as an indispensable part of the nation.

Mai The Nguyen, a Vietnamese expat in Norway said,” I am very proud of being Vietnamese. I have visited Vietnam many times and I am very happy to see the rapid and comprehensive changes there. Particularly, people’s living standards have now improved remarkably.”

Many overseas Vietnamese proposed that the Vietnamese State should open the Vietnam Embassy in Oslo as the number of Vietnamese in Norway is the highest in Northern Europe and they need the Embassy’s help to facilitate their contributions to the home country.

State President Nguyen Minh Triet praised the contributions to national development by overseas Vietnamese in Norway, saying that they serve as a bridge promoting friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Norway.

The Vietnamese Party and State always create the best possible conditions for overseas Vietnamese to stabilise their lives in their countries of residence and bring into full play their national cultural identity.

However, Mr Triet expressed his regret that a segment of the Vietnamese community in Norway still holds their prejudiced views of the past due to their limited knowledge of the real situation in Vietnam today or they are enticed to get involved in extreme activities against the nation.

Mr Triet hoped that the overseas Vietnamese in Norway would help such people have a break with the past and join hands with people from the homeland to contribute to national development.

The same day, President Nguyen Minh Triet attended the Vietnam-Norway business forum at the headquarters of the Telenor Telecom group in Oslo in the presence of Crown Prince Haakon Magnus of Norway.

President Triet and Crown Prince Haakon Magnus witnessed the signing of seven economic cooperation documents between the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Federation of Norwegian Entrepreneurs, between the Maritime College and the Vietnam Shipping Industry Group (VINASHIN) and the Norwegian International Ship Register and the Norwegian University of Technology between the Maritime College and the Norwegian Ship Owners’ Association.

Addressing the forum, President Triet said Norway’s advanced industries, including oil and gas, shipping, fishing, energy and telecommunications, are strategic economic sectors which have the potential to develop in Vietnam.

President Triet called on Norwegian businesses to visit and explore the investment environment and opportunities in Vietnam.

He said the Vietnamese State always creates favourable conditions for foreign businesses to operate effectively in the country.

Vietnam is a lucrative potential market for foreign businesses thanks to its high economic growth rate over the past few years, abundant workforce and socio-political stability. In addition, Vietnam pursues the unswerving policy of being a friend and reliable partner to all nations for the sake of peace, friendship and cooperation for mutual benefit and development.

The same day, President Triet met with the President of the Supreme Court of Norway, Tore Schei. Mr Triet thanked Norway for its support for Vietnam, especially in poverty alleviation and legal and judicial reform. He exchanged views with Tore Schei on shortcomings in the cooperation between the two countries’ tribunal sectors.

Mr Triet said the two sides should discuss concrete measures to boost cooperation with technical assistance and regular exchange of experience, expertise and legal information.

Source: VOV