COLOMBO : Trinh Thi Tam, Ambassador of Viet Nam to Sri Lanka, paid a courtesy call on Dammika Patabandige, Minister of Environment of Sri Lanka and President of the Sri Lanka–Viet Nam Parliamentary Friendship Association.in the. afternoon on Tuesday, Nov.25
The meeting focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation in the environmental sector and advancing the work of the Sri Lanka – Viet Nam Parliamentary Friendship Association in the coming year.
During the discussion, Ambassador Trinh Thi Tam briefed the Minister on the key follow-ups of the visit to Sri Lanka by Nguyen Duc Hai, Vice President of the National Assembly of Viet Nam, in March 2025. She highlighted the active high-level exchanges between the two countries, including the State visit of the President of Sri Lanka to Viet Nam in May 2025, during which five important cooperation agreements were signed. The Ambassador also noted the positive momentum in bilateral mechanisms, including the upcoming meeting of the Viet Nam–Sri Lanka Trade Sub-Committee scheduled for 9 December 2025.
The Ambassador further shared updates on Viet Nam’s domestic developments, including preparations for the 14th Party Congress to be held in January 2026 and the ongoing government restructuring aimed at enhancing administrative efficiency.
Reviewing recent achievements in bilateral relations, Ambassador Trinh Thi Tam highlighted the Embassy’s initiatives throughout 2025 to commemorate the 55th anniversary of the establishment of Viet Nam-Sri Lanka diplomatic relations (1970-2025). These commemorations were aimed at enhancing cultural, educational, and people-to-people links between the two countries. She also noted that ten Sri Lankan students were awarded scholarships to pursue studies at Cuu Long University and the Post and Telecommunications Institute of Technology (PTIT) in Viet Nam, and an encouraging number of 3000 Vietnamese arrivals to Sri Lanka for the first 10 months, reflecting growing education and tourism cooperation.
Looking ahead, the Ambassador expressed optimism regarding the expected establishment of direct flights between the two countries by 2026. She emphasised that this development would significantly ease travel constraints, reduce transit times in Sri Lanka, and create new opportunities for tourism, trade, and investment.
In the field of environmental cooperation, noting that both Viet Nam and Sri Lanka have been coping with negative impacts, including flooding and landsliding, from climate change, Ambassador Trinh Thi Tam proposed two counties consider setting up a framework to enhance collaboration on shared environmental priorities, not onl at national but regional and international level.
Minister Patabandige briefed the Ambassador on Sri Lanka’s plan to present a resolution on children and youth engagement in environmental activities at the upcoming UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) in Nairobi in December 2025. The Minister sought Viet Nam’s support for this initiative and proposed a bilateral meeting between the two environment ministers on the sidelines of UNEA. He also requested Viet Nam’s proposed workplan for the Sri Lanka–Viet Nam Parliamentary Friendship Association for 2026.
The meeting also included an exchange of views on issues of mutual concern, including the impacts of environmental hazards, the implications of global tariff developments, and broader socio-economic challenges faced by both countries.
The visit reaffirmed the shared commitment of Viet Nam and Sri Lanka to deepen cooperation across key sectors and to further strengthen the enduring friendship between the two nations.
