VIETNAM, 10 may 2022 (TATOLI) — The authorities of Vietnam praised Timor-Leste for successfully holding a peaceful and democratic presidential election, said Ambassador of Timor-Leste to Vietnam, Maria Olandina Isabel Caeiro Alves.
“We held a number of meetings with Vietnam authorities and they congratulated and praised the people of Timor-Leste for holding both first and second round of the Presidential Election peacefully and democratically,” Alves told TATOLI in Vietnam, on monday.
Vietnam authorities considered Timor-Leste’s presidential election to be a good example for all ASEAN member States.
She said the President of Vietnam, Nguyen Xuan Phuc had expressed his wiliness to strengthen bilateral ties with Timor-Leste: “President Nguyen Xuan Phuc had requested us to receive Vietnamese investors who want to invest in Timor-Leste.”
“I think it’s a good sign of green light for us, and hoping that this year the investors from Vietnam would visit and start investing in Timor-Leste. Because they are happy with the political stability in the country,” he stressed.
Timor-Leste-Vietnam ties grew stronger since the signing of the memorandum of understanding on the rice trade, between the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) of Vietnam and Timor-Leste’s Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Environment in Hanoi on december 21, 2015.
“We want to sign another agreement on agricultural sectors because Vietnam has successfully developed its agricultural sector as the backbone of their economies and the main source of income for its population. It’s a good example for us to follow. You know, Vietnamese farmers harvest their crops four times a year,” she explained.
Alves reiterated that strengthening cooperation with Vietnam in the agricultural and tourism sectors is part of Timor-Leste’s national development policy.
“Vietnam is a country among other ASEAN member States with highly developed home tourism. So, we need to learn from Vietnam to develop our tourism industry. I think we don’t need to build luxury hotels to accommodate tourists. International tourists get used to living in the luxury hotels and of course, they prefer to experience something different, especially visiting those interesting places in the rural areas,” she said.
However, in 2021, the tourism sector in Vietnam contributed approximately two percent to the country’s GDP, indicating a sharp decrease from the previous years. The share of GDP contribution from the tourism sector had been growing annually prior to 2019.
Apart from importing rice from Vietnam, Vietnam’s Viettel Telemor also had been operating in Timor-Leste for more than a decade now.
Journalist: Hortencio Sanchez
Editor: Florencio Miranda Ximenes/ Nelia Borges Rosario
Translation: Filomeno Martins
