Various activities within the upcoming Vietnam Days in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are hoped to foster all-embracing cooperation between Vietnam and the two countries as well as to promote the Southeast Asian country’s image in the Middle East.

The event will be jointly held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as part of Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s visit to the countries from December 12-18.

The Days are to be organised in Qatar’s Doha on December 14-15 and in the UAE’s Abu Dhabi and Dubai from December 15-17 with a multitude of political, economic, and cultural activities.

Vietnam will present the quintessence of its traditional culture and cuisine via special performances at galas in the two countries.

Besides, local public will gain an insight into the Southeast Asian nation through photo and stamp exhibitions.

Notably, economic cooperation forums will take place in Doha on December 14 and Dubai on December 16 to help Qatari and Emirati businesses seek investment opportunities and partners in Vietnam.

This will be the first time the Vietnam Days is held at the governmental level in the two countries as well as in the Middle East.

Vietnam’s relations with Qatar and the UAE have been flourishing in various domains over the past two decades.

In 2013, two-way trade between Vietnam and Qatar approximated 264 million USD while that with the UAE topped 4.4 billion USD. The UAE is among the top 10 export markets of Vietnam and also a major investor here.

Meanwhile, direct air routes linking Vietnam and these countries are also serving as an important bridge facilitating people-to-people exchanges.-VNA