Hong Kong (VNA) – Vietnamese Consul General in China’s Hong Kong and Macau Le Duc Hanh paid a courtesy visit to Chief Executive of the Macau Special Administrative Region Ho Iat Seng on August 13 as part of her first working trip to the region.

At the event, Ho held that there are rosy signals in the ties between Vietnam and Macau, with positive figures in trade, investment, tourism, labour and student exchanges, and expressed his belief that the two sides could strengthen collaboration, given that daily direct flights will continue making contributions to the exchanges between them in the coming time.

Hanh said she hopes to work closely with the Macau administration, and resolves to renew the relations between Vietnam and Macau.

Both sides have enjoyed positive post-pandemic recovery, she said, highlighting this is the right time to promote relations across the potential areas of trade, investment, tourism, labour and people-to-people exchange.

Regarding the visa issue, Hanh said though bilateral relations are recovering, they have yet to reach pre-COVID-19 levels or fully live up to potential.

After the pandemic, Vietnamese people’s tourism and job demands have bounced back, but Vietnam is still one of the six countries whose citizens haven’t been granted visas upon arrival in Macau, which has considerably limited the number of its visitors to this special administrative region. Given this, she suggested promoting package tours and the pilot permission of Vietnamese tourists, especially those already gaining Hong Kong visas, to be granted visas upon arrival in Macau.

Welcoming the proposal, Ho said he will actively consider it, which is a good measure for encouraging Vietnamese tourists and workers to come to Macau.

Hanh also suggested the Macau administration receive more Vietnamese workers and simplify reception procedures, particularly for those previously working in Macau and already finishing their labour contracts.

The Vietnamese Consulate General is ready to coordinate with the Macau administration to properly resolve labour-related issues, she affirmed, considering Vietnamese workers a trustworthy supplement to help address the labour shortage in Macau.

Host and guest concurred on the need to increase the exchange of delegations at various levels.

As many Vietnamese products, such as rice and pork, are highly favoured by Macau residents, Ho welcomed Vietnam's attendance at upcoming major trade events in Macau, such as the Macao International Trade and Investment Fair (MIF), to popularise Vietnamese quality products.

He also invited Vietnamese art troupes to art exhibitions in Macau and welcomed Vietnamese students to study there.

In response, Hanh extended an invitation to the host and a Macau business delegation to visit Vietnam at the earliest to foster bilateral cooperation across various fields.

𝐆 As part of their visit, the Vietnamese delegation met with leaders of Macau's Labour Affairs Bureau to explore the situation of Vietnamese workers living there. They discussed solutions to challenges faced by the workers and proposed mechanisms for future cooperation./.