On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the victory of the August Revolution (August 19, 1945 – August 19, 2025) and the 80th anniversary of the National Day of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam (September 2, 1945 – September 2, 2025), Ambassador of Viet Nam to Kuwait Nguyen Duc Thang published an article in several local newspapers highlighting the significance of the historic milestones in Viet Nam’s struggle for independence, nation-building, and development, as well as the achievements and potential of the Viet Nam–Kuwait bilateral relationship.
September 2, 1945 — a new chapter in the history of Viet Nam
At the beginning of his article, Ambassador Nguyen Duc Thang stated that every nation has a moment of pride and admiration; for Viet Nam it was 80 years ago, on September 2, 1945, when President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence, proclaiming the birth of the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam, opening a new chapter in the history of the nation.
According to Ambassador Nguyen Duc Thang, over the past 80 years since the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam, the Vietnamese people have endured a long journey filled with hardships, sacrifices, and losses in the just struggles for national independence and reunification.
After reunification, Viet Nam embarked on reconstruction and nation-building, facing enormous challenges in security, politics, economy, and diplomacy. Nonetheless, under the leadership of the Communist Party of Viet Nam and through the perseverance and determination of the entire army and people, Viet Nam has achieved remarkable successes in all fields, becoming a model of reform and successful national development.
Affirming that Viet Nam today is a model of reform and successful development, Ambassador Nguyen Duc Thang emphasised that the country now ranks 32nd globally in terms of GDP, and with total trade exceeding 800 billion USD has joined the group of the world’s 20 largest trading nations.
Viet Nam has attracted more than 500 billion USD in foreign direct investment (FDI), with an average annual growth rate of nearly 10%. In the three years since the Covid-19 pandemic, Viet Nam’s economy has grown steadily at an average of 6–7% annually and is forecast to exceed 8% growth in 2025.
Viet Nam has become an important link in regional and global economic chains, increasingly asserting its position in the global supply chain by joining 17 free trade agreements and signing more than 500 bilateral and multilateral trade agreements with partners.
At the same time, Viet Nam has achieved many of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on socio-economic development set by the United Nations, and has made strong commitments to green development, climate change response, and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 (COP26).
Article by Ambassador Nguyen Duc Thang published in Kuwait’s Arab Times Newspaper.
On foreign affairs, Ambassador Nguyen Duc Thang noted that Viet Nam currently has official diplomatic relations with 194 countries, including 13 comprehensive strategic partners (covering all major powers of the world), 10 strategic partners, and 15 comprehensive partners.
At the multilateral level, Viet Nam is an active member of more than 70 key global and regional political, economic, cultural, and social organisations, and is increasingly participating in peacekeeping and humanitarian relief missions in important regions.
According to Ambassador Nguyen Duc Thang, alongside the resilience and sound policies of the Party and state, Viet Nam has also received support from international friends to safeguard independence and realise the aspiration for freedom and development.
Viet Nam and Kuwait still have great potential for strengthening bilateral cooperation
In his article, Ambassador Nguyen Duc Thang also assessed the current state and future prospects of Viet Nam–Kuwait relations. According to him, looking at the Gulf region in particular and the Middle East in general, Viet Nam has always held special affection for Kuwait, appreciating the valuable friendship since Kuwait became the first country in the region to establish diplomatic relations with Viet Nam in January 1976, at a highly significant moment right after Viet Nam had emerged from the war victorious and reunified the nation.
Towards the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Viet Nam–Kuwait diplomatic relations (1976–2026), Ambassador Nguyen Duc Thang expressed his gratitude for the contributions of former leaders and extended thanks to Emir Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Crown Prince Sabah Khaled Al-Sabah, and Prime Minister Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah, as well as ministries, government agencies, and many Kuwaiti friends who have always stood by and supported Viet Nam over the decades, both during the struggles for national independence and in the process of nation-building and development.
Ambassador Nguyen Duc Thang affirmed that Viet Nam–Kuwait relations have developed across various fields and achieved outstanding results compared to many other countries in the region. Senior leaders of the two countries have paid official visits and regularly maintained contacts and exchanges to promote bilateral ties and support each other in international forums.
Regarding economic cooperation, bilateral trade between Viet Nam and Kuwait reached 7.3 billion USD in 2024 — the highest level of Viet Nam’s bilateral trade in the Middle East. The share of non-oil products such as food, seafood, fresh fruit, textiles, machinery, and equipment has been increasingly improving.
Viet Nam and Kuwait recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Bilateral Trade Agreement (May 3, 1995 – May 3, 2025), reaffirming the commitment to further facilitate business connections and expand market access for enterprises from both sides.
In the fields of culture, education, and tourism, Viet Nam and Kuwait share similarities and complementarities in cooperation. Many Vietnamese students attend universities in Kuwait each year, while Kuwaiti students also have opportunities to come to Viet Nam for practical learning and cultural experiences through educational projects.
In addition, localities of the two countries have proactively established cooperative ties, such as between Ahmadi Province and Ho Chi Minh City, and between Farwaniya Province and Thanh Hoa Province, contributing to greater mutual understanding and stronger bonds between the people and businesses of both nations.
Ambassador Nguyen Duc Thang stressed that despite nearly half a century of partnership, Viet Nam and Kuwait still have much room to further develop and deepen their cooperation.
The key areas for future cooperation include trade facilitation, financial investment, extensive collaboration in energy, digital transformation, agriculture, fisheries, food security, and tourism.
The two countries are also actively discussing the possibility of opening a direct flight route. This would be the key to quickly expanding exchanges and connections between the governments, businesses, and peoples of Viet Nam and Kuwait.
“Marking the milestone of 80 years of Independence, Viet Nam once again reaffirms its steadfastness on the chosen path, realising the ‘Era of Rise’ and the socio-economic development goals set. Viet Nam always opens its doors to welcome friends from around the world to share its national story, while listening and learning from the experiences of other civilised nations. Through cooperation and joint development, Viet Nam and Kuwait will bring practical benefits to their peoples, as well as contribute more to the linkage between Southeast Asia and the Gulf and to stability, peace, and prosperity for both nations and regions,” said Ambassador Nguyen Duc Thang.
