Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh meets with Vietnamese community representatives in Kuwait
WVR - On the evening of November 16 (local time), on the first day of his visit to Kuwait City, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his spouse Le Thi Bich Tran, along with a high-level Vietnamese delegation, met with staff from the Vietnamese Embassy and the Vietnamese community in Kuwait.
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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his spouse Le Thi Bich Tran meet with staff from the Vietnamese Embassy and the Vietnamese community in Kuwait. (Photo: Hoang Hong) |
Every expatriate is an ambassador of Vietnam's image
During the meeting, Vietnamese Ambassador to Kuwait Nguyen Duc Thang reported on the activities of the Embassy, bilateral relations, as well as the activities and life of the Vietnamese community in the area.
Expressing excitement and joy at welcoming the Head of Government and ministry leaders to visit the Middle Eastern country, Ambassador Thang assessed that the visit holds significant importance for Vietnam-Kuwait relations. This is not only a long-awaited visit by both sides but also the first visit by a high-level Vietnamese leader to Kuwait in 16 years.
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| Vietnamese Ambassador to Kuwait Nguyen Duc Thang reports to the Prime Minister on the activities of the Embassy, bilateral relations, and the life and employment of the Vietnamese community in the area. (Photo: Hoang Hong) |
Regarding the situation of the local Vietnamese expatriates, although their number is not large, according to the Vietnamese Ambassador to Kuwait, they have made positive contributions to Kuwait's economic development and social life. This includes many Vietnamese experts who have worked for years in the core oil and gas sector of the Middle East and several international oil and gas corporations in Kuwait.
The community also maintains their cultural identity, building an image of dynamic, friendly Vietnamese people who abide by local laws and take pride in Vietnam's development achievements and the country's position in recent years. The Embassy regularly organizes activities to connect, care for, and protect citizens and the community.
During the meeting, the community expressed their joy and pride in welcoming the Prime Minister and his spouse to Kuwait. They affirmed that the visit demonstrates the deep concern of the Government and the Prime Minister for overseas Vietnamese communities, especially in Kuwait.
The community also emphasized that every Vietnamese in the host country is an "ambassador" of the national image — not only in work and living but also in serving as a cultural and economic bridge between Vietnam and Kuwait.
Nguyen Kim Long, a senior expert at Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC), reported on the significant potential for oil and gas cooperation between the two countries. He noted that bilateral trade is increasing sharply, and Vietnamese goods are appearing more frequently on store shelves in Kuwait — a clear highlight in the relations between the two countries.
Emphasizing the potential for oil and gas cooperation between the two countries, Nguyen Kim Long suggested that Vietnam could contribute in two areas. First, Vietnam can provide high-quality human resources for both upstream and downstream sectors. Second, Vietnamese enterprises are fully capable of providing oil and gas services — from drilling rigs and pipelines to technical equipment. This is particularly relevant as the Kuwait National Petroleum Company is expanding its offshore oil and gas exploration activities.
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| The community also emphasized that every Vietnamese in the host country is an "ambassador" of the national image. (Photo: Hoang Hong) |
Vuong Thi Van Anh, a flight attendant with Kuwait Airways, shared that the Kuwaiti people have a lot of affection and admiration for Vietnam, which serves as an important foundation for Vietnam to become a favored tourist destination.
She proposed opening a direct flight route between Kuwait and Vietnam and piloting visa exemptions for Kuwaiti citizens. According to her, a direct flight from Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi would create a significant shift, greatly increasing the number of tourists. Easing visa policies would also encourage more Kuwaiti citizens to visit Vietnam.
Community representatives also expressed several wishes, requesting the State to provide more support in areas such as facilitating access to online public services for expatriates; opening direct flight routes soon; implementing more open visa policies; promoting cultural and tourism advertising; and developing products suitable for the Middle Eastern market, such as high-end beach tourism, family resorts, shopping, health care, beauty services, and especially Halal cuisine to serve Muslim tourists.
Actions showing care for expatriates by the Party and State
During the meeting, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed his pleasure in meeting the community. On behalf of General Secretary To Lam and the Party and State leaders, the Prime Minister conveyed warm greetings, heartfelt inquiries, and sincere sentiments from the homeland to the community.
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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the meeting. (Photo: Hoang Hong) |
The Prime Minister emphasized that this visit holds special significance in the context of Vietnam-Kuwait relations, which have always maintained friendly and effective cooperation. Kuwait was the first country in the Gulf Cooperation Council and one of the first Middle Eastern nations to establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam immediately after the country's reunification in 1975.
Both sides have always valued and supported each other, sharing views on many international and regional issues. During this visit, the two countries will discuss upgrading the relationship framework and signing several important cooperation agreements.
The Prime Minister noted that Kuwait is investing in the Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical Complex with a total capital of USD 9 billion and has committed to providing long-term crude oil supply for the project. The plant has been operational since late 2018, becoming one of the largest FDI projects in Vietnam, supplying 5–7 million tons of petroleum annually to the domestic market, significantly contributing to energy security and raw material supply for various production sectors.
Regarding the proposal to open a direct flight route between Vietnam and Kuwait, the Prime Minister affirmed that the Government is encouraging airlines to open more routes to the Middle East region.
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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed his pleasure in meeting the community, conveying warm greetings, heartfelt inquiries, and sincere sentiments from the homeland on behalf of the Party and State leaders, General Secretary To Lam. (Photo: Hoang Hong) |
Informing the community about the domestic situation, especially the achievements since the Renovation, the Prime Minister stated that Vietnam has transformed significantly from a war-torn, embargoed nation into the world's 32nd largest economy, with a per capita income exceeding USD 5,000. The material and spiritual lives of the people have improved markedly; the happiness index has risen by 37 places, from 83rd in 2020 to 46th in 2025. In this term alone, the State has allocated approximately VND 1.1 million billion for social welfare, equivalent to 17% of GDP.
In 2025, despite complex and unpredictable global and regional developments, natural disasters, and severe storms causing significant damage, Vietnam's socio-economic situation has achieved very positive results. All major targets have been met and exceeded (15/15); GDP growth exceeds 8%; macroeconomic stability is maintained; socio-economic infrastructure has made significant breakthroughs; administrative reform and investment environment improvement continue to be promoted. The people's living standards have improved; political and social stability is maintained; national defense and security are strengthened; territorial sovereignty is upheld; foreign relations and international integration are increasingly deep, substantive, and a bright spot.
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| The Prime Minister emphasized that the Party, State, and Government always care for the community, considering it an inseparable part, a vital resource of the nation. (Photo: Hoang Hong) |
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said hat Vietnam aims for double-digit growth in the coming years, striving to achieve the two strategic goals for the 100th anniversary and ushering the country into a period of prosperity, wealth, and happiness. The common spirit is stability for development, development for stability, with two highest priorities: maintaining independence — sovereignty — territorial integrity and improving the material and spiritual lives of the people. Recently, the Politburo has issued seven major resolutions and will continue to issue more resolutions on important, breakthrough areas.
The Prime Minister affirmed that the country's achievements, both past and present, have the significant contribution and support of approximately 6 million overseas Vietnamese, including the Vietnamese community in Kuwait.
According to the Head of Government, one of important pillars in building and defending the country is the spirit of great national unity, unity within the Party, unity among the people, unity domestically, and international unity — "Unity, unity, great unity/Success, success, great success".
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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh presents gifts from the homeland to the community in Kuwait. (Photo: Hoang Hong) |
Appreciating the community's solidarity, mutual support, stable life, and good integration into the host society, the Prime Minister emphasized that the Party, State, and Government always care for the community, considering it an inseparable part, a vital resource of the nation. The Party and State's policies have been concretized with many laws, decrees, and policies to support, care for, and create favorable conditions for the community, such as nationality, housing...
The Head of the Vietnamese Government stated that he would ask the Kuwaiti leadership to continue to pay attention and create favorable conditions for the Vietnamese community here to live, work stably, integrate well, and play a role as a bridge to promote bilateral relations. The Prime Minister acknowledged and shared the community's aspirations, while also asking domestic agencies to implement more robust measures to meet the legitimate needs of the community.
In this regard, the Prime Minister suggested that connecting direct flights would not only facilitate expatriates returning home but also contribute to promoting tourism, attracting Kuwaiti and international tourists to Vietnam.
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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh presents a souvenir to the Vietnamese Embassy in Kuwait. (Photo: Hoang Hong) |
The Prime Minister requested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy to continue listening to and receiving the community's opinions in the most convenient way, especially in times of difficulty and need for support. The Prime Minister also hoped that the community would maintain the tradition of solidarity, sharing, building a strong community with an increasingly high position in the host society; preserve and promote cultural identity and the Vietnamese language; strive to study, work, and accumulate experience to contribute to the country's development. Associations are encouraged to continue playing a role in connecting expatriates and building a network of Vietnamese businesses in Kuwait.
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| Prime Minister converses with a "Vietnamese son-in-law" at the meeting. (Photo: Hoang Hong) |
The Prime Minister expressed his desire for expatriates to always look towards their homeland, affirming that the country also always cares for overseas Vietnamese communities. The Party and State will make every effort to ensure the legitimate rights and interests of expatriates, building the most favorable policies for them.
On this occasion, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh presented the community in Kuwait with gifts from the homeland.
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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his spouse take a photo with the Vietnamese community in Kuwait. (Photo: Hoang Hong) |
