Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnamese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Trinh Thi Tam and a working delegation from the embassy visited Sri Lanka’s Northern Province from November 17-19 to promote economic–trade cooperation, explore investment potential and enhance locality-to-locality ties between the two countries.
On November 17, during a courtesy call on Northern Province Governor Nagalingam Vethanayahan and meetings with departmental leaders, Tam commended the province’s socio-economic recovery efforts.
She expressed her desire to advance cooperation between Vietnam and the Northern Province in fields where the locality has strengths, including agriculture, fisheries, livestock, tourism, trade and investment, while learning more about its specific cooperation needs. The ambassador stressed that the positive trajectory of Vietnam–Sri Lanka relations provides an opportunity for both sides to broaden local-level linkages and tap existing potential.
Vethanayahan noted that Northern Province holds a strategic position connecting South Asia and Southeast Asia, with abundant natural resources, fertile land, an extensive coastline and advantages in agriculture, livestock, fisheries, aquaculture and tourism. It is also Sri Lanka’s leading hub for dairy production.
The province is prioritising the development of industrial zones, economic enclaves and transport–logistics infrastructure to attract foreign investment. Provincial leaders welcomed Vietnamese businesses seeking opportunities in agricultural and aquatic product processing, infrastructure development, education, healthcare and renewable energy.
On November 18, the Vietnamese Embassy and the Jaffna Chamber of Commerce held a business dialogue to introduce Vietnam’s investment climate and discuss cooperation opportunities in high-tech agriculture, food processing, construction, logistics, energy and tourism.
Speaking at the event, Tam highlighted Vietnam’s stable investment environment, modern infrastructure, high-quality human resources and extensive network of free trade agreements, making it an attractive destination for international businesses, including those from Sri Lanka.
The diplomat reiterated the commitment made by the two countries’ leaders during President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s visit to Vietnam in May 2025 to work towards raising bilateral trade to 1 billion USD, which requires proactive engagement from business communities of both nations. The ambassador affirmed the embassy’s readiness to support business connectivity and cooperation.
Local enterprises welcomed Vietnam’s market potential and sought further information on investment policies and opportunities. They expressed optimism about expanding ties, noting that Sri Lanka currently has 30 investment projects in Vietnam worth over 43 million USD, while business and tourist exchanges remain frequent, with around 1,000 Sri Lankans and 300 Vietnamese travelling between the two countries each month.
Given Sri Lanka’s ongoing economic–financial challenges, particularly in Northern Province, local businesses called for stronger Vietnamese involvement in surveying and pursuing investment. They suggested focusing on practical cooperation in areas where Vietnam has expertise and local demand is high, such as high-tech agriculture, agro–aquatic product processing and aquaculture, and proposed greater experience-sharing, technology transfer and human resource training from Vietnam.
The working trip concluded successfully, contributing to stronger cooperation between Vietnam and Sri Lanka’s Northern Province and opening new opportunities for local-level engagement as the two countries are celebrating 55 years of diplomatic ties (1970–2025).
Northern Province is Sri Lanka’s closest locality to Southeast Asia. It once contributed nearly 50% of national GDP, but prolonged conflict severely damaged its economy. The province is recovering, though it still lacks supporting industries needed to increase the value of export-oriented products./.
