Governor-General Sir Patrick Allen received Letters of Credence from the Ambassador-Designate of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to Jamaica, Mr Le Thanh Tung, in a virtual ceremony at King’s House on Friday, 28th January 2022.
Ambassador Ricardo Allicock, Protocol Director, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, presenting the Letters of Credence from the Ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to Sir Patrick Allen, Governor-General.
In the ensuing exchange, Sir Patrick extended warm congratulations to the new Ambassador on his appointment.
Sir Patrick, in wishing Ambassador Le Thanh Tung a successful tour of duty, noted the strong relationship between the two countries as well as the similarities, especially in the area of Tourism. He also expressed confidence that the relationship would be further strengthened during the Ambassador’s tenure.
The Ambassador thanked The Governor-General for his warm welcome and extended greetings on behalf of the President of Vietnam. He also referred to the excellent relationship between the two countries, which he said had ‘great potential for development.’
Ambassador Le Thanh Tung said that several Vietnamese investors were interested in doing business in Jamaica, especially in the area of Tourism. He thanked Jamaica for its support at the multi-lateral and bilateral levels and added that he anticipated there would be further cooperation between the two countries in these areas.
In discussing the current COVID-19 pandemic, Sir Patrick commended the Vietnamese President and people for the way in which they have navigated the pandemic and for being one of the few countries which has vaccinated almost the entire population. Some 80.7% of the population has had at least one dose of a vaccine while 70.95% have been fully inoculated.
Ambassador Le Thanh Tung is resident in Havana, Cuba and Sir Patrick invited him to visit Jamaica as soon as it was possible when he could meet with the Government officials to discuss matters related to the development of the two countries. The Ambassador thanked The Governor-General for the invitation and in turn invited him to visit Vietnam.
Jamaica and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam established Diplomatic Relations on 5th January 1976. The Jamaican Embassy in Beijing has responsibility for Jamaica’s relations with Vietnam.