Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri received Vietnamese Ambassador Hoang Huy Chung at the Senate on Monday, to discuss ways to improve the strategic partnership between the Philippines and Vietnam, and the upcoming visit of the Vietnamese parliamentary delegation to the Philippines on
Wednesday.

The parliamentary visit will be headed by the President of the National Assembly of Vietnam, Vuong Dinh Hue. During the meeting, Hoang and Zubiri discussed how the Philippines and Vietnam are connected by a strong shared need to protect their respective sovereignties, as two Southeast Asian countries with similar colonial histories and current geopolitical circumstances.

Zubiri also stressed a need to “expand exchanges between our parliaments, and boost tourism and business opportunities.”

He praised Vietnam’s steady economic growth, plans, and programs, and identified their long-term vision as a model for the Philippines.“

Vietnam’s policy on investments is to be emulated. You have the best foreign direct investments in the region,” he told the Ambassador.

Hoang, meanwhile, is eyeing stronger tourist exchanges between the two countries, as Vietnamese people are looking to travel outside their country now that pandemic restrictions are being loosened across the globe. He also expressed how highly valued Filipino teachers of English are in Vietnam, as Vietnamese citizens are looking to improve their capacity for the English language.

The Ambassador also highlighted the agricultural partnership between the Philippines and Vietnam—not just in terms of trade, but also in terms of exchanging research, development, and technology. In fact, he said that their agricultural techniques for rice farming were adapted from the International Rice Research Institute at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB). Zubiri himself is an agribusiness graduate of UPLB.

The meeting ended with commitments of continued partnership, and with great hopes for the success of the upcoming visit of National Assembly President Hoang.

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