“Your mind and our hands is a winning combination.” This was announced today by Vietnam’s ambassador to Israel, Lee Duc Trung, at a luncheon he held for about forty Israeli businessmen who are engaged in import or export with Vietnam. The ambassador added: “If we connect 10 million Israelis with 100 million Vietnamese, we will get tremendous potential on a world level.”
The President of the Diplomats Club, Yitzhak Eldan, opened the event and presented Ambassador Truong with a tray of dried fruits in honor of Tu Beshevat.
The meal, which was held at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Herzliya, had traditional Vietnamese flavors and aromas, and also included fish of various types seasoned with a lot of oil, all on the purity of kosher. Most of the salads also had peach slices, which is the traditional fruit that the Vietnamese eat especially on their Tet holiday at this time of year.
At the ambassador’s request, each of those present introduced himself and the business he does or wants to do with Vietnam.
Ambassador Trung opened his speech in Hebrew, and surprised when he said “Thank you very much, and peace to everyone”. Later he added in English that these were all the words he knew in Hebrew. But later in his speech we heard him combine more words in Hebrew, such as “Tu Bashvet” (where the event was held). His assistants from the embassy even showed a video in which he plants a tree this week, next to the flags of Vietnam and Israel.
Ambassador Truong presented selected passages from the history of Vietnam, and also described the stages of his personal career until he came to serve as ambassador to Israel.
The Ambassador: “The government of Vietnam is constantly working to improve the quality of life of its citizens, and I also want to improve the relations between the two countries, Israel and Vietnam. When I was young, we learned that the Asia Pacific would in the future be a world economic center. And here today it is coming true before our eyes. In 1976, we united North Vietnam with South Vietnam. Over the years that have passed since then, the Vietnamese economy has been growing at a very fast pace, and today we are among the 20 countries with the best economies in the world.”
“We have a lot of R&D, so we want cooperation with Israel, which is considered an expert in technologies. We learn as fast as you. With us you will find a sophisticated and technologically superior workforce, which is also very cheap. We at the embassy will help you find alternatives to manufacturing in China.”
The ambassador concluded: “The business opportunities for you in Vietnam are increasing, and I invite you to invest in Vietnam.”
The Commercial Counselor and Head of the Commercial Office at the Embassy, Le-Tai Hua Le Thai Hoa, found that Vietnamese exports amounted to 681 billion dollars in 2023. Most of it in electronics, textiles, and agriculture products. Most of Samsung’s (South Korean) phones are actually manufactured in Vietnam, in factories that in 2023 will export $70 million worth of devices. The volume of mutual trade with Israel reached 2.7 billion dollars in 2023. Vietnam imported almost 2 billion dollars from Israel, mainly technology products and various components for computers. Vietnam’s exports to Israel this year amounted to approximately 631 million dollars.
Last year, negotiations on a free trade agreement between Israel and Vietnam (VIFTA) were concluded, and last July the Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam came to Israel for the signing ceremony of the draft agreement. The Vietnamese government has already approved the free trade agreement, and now they are waiting for approval in the Israeli Knesset, so that Prime Minister The Israeli government will ratify.
Ambassador Truong also referred to the field of tourism, saying that Vietnam is an excellent destination for tourists from all over the world, as well as for Israelis.
According to him, the center of Vietnam is the number one destination in the world to celebrate a honeymoon. Pokok Island is a destination for wedding ceremonies for couples from all over the world, especially from the United States. “Our territory is 16 times larger than the territory of Israel. We have all the types of landscapes that tourists love, as well as wonderful heritage and tourism sites.” The ambassador ended by inviting those present to come and travel in Vietnam, although he knows that most of them have already been to Vietnam several times.
The ambassador also said that nowadays kosher and tradition-observing Jews can get along in Vietnam, more so than before. There are three Chabad houses in the country, in Hanu, Ho-Yan, and Ho Chi Minh City. They offer a catering kitchen and kosher restaurants, as well as kosher food products made in Vietnam or imported. There are options for kosher food delivery to any place and hotel throughout the huge country. Chabad houses also offer prayers in Menin and Torah lessons. These days there is also talk of opening a Jewish school in Vietnam.
And his innovation: a direct flight line between Israel and Vietnam will soon be opened. There is already an airline that will operate the line. Most of the work has already been done, and final arrangements are delayed because of the war in Gaza. The direct flight will last only 10 hours.
