Vietnam-Norway: 40 Years of Firm Cooperation

Vietnam is today one of the world’s fastest growing economies. Such fast development is greatly impacting Vietnam-Norway cooperation relations. In the past, Norway was a strong supporter of Vietnam’s struggle for national independence, and now the country has been supporting Vietnam in the process of renewal, poverty reduction and economic development. For the last 40 years, Vietnam-Norway cooperation has been based on respect for human rights, solidarity, equitable distribution and sustainable development.

 

In the last 40 years, Vietnam and Norway have exchanged many high-level visits. Three Vietnamese Prime Ministers have visited Norway including the visit of Prime Minister Pham Van Dong in June 1997, Vo Van Kiet in June 1995, and Phan Van Khai in September 1999. High-profile Norwegian guests to Vietnam included Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brunntland (October 1996), Princess Martha Louis (December 1999) and King Harald V and Queen Sonja (November 2004). The visit of President Nguyen Minh Triet to Norway in June 2008 was the first State visit by a Vietnamese President since the countries established diplomatic ties in 1971.

At the same time, both countries have also effectively cooperated in international forums such as the United Nations, the World Trade Organizations (WTO) and the World Bank.

 

In 1996, Vietnam and Norway signed a Framework Agreement on Development cooperation. Cooperation agreements in environmental protection, education and training, and other areas were signed by Vietnam and Norway during the visit of President Nguyen Minh Triet in 2008.

 

Vietnam – Norway’s development cooperation dates back 40 years, mainly focusing on energy, governance issues, fisheries, environment and climate change. Norway’s total ODA for Vietnam is around US$200 million. In the last 40 years, Norway has always made Vietnam a priority in its ODA provision in the Southeast Asia region. Norway-funded projects are effective, with a high rate of capital disbursement at about 90 percent. Successful projects implemented in Vietnam include rural development in Quang Tri province, construction of primary schools in flood-prone Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue and Quang Nam provinces, and a boarding school for poor children in Lai Chau province.

 

During Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai’s visit to Norway the last year, both sides made a pledge that Norway would continue to give priority for Vietnam in terms of ODA in the future and strengthen cooperation with Vietnam in dealing with climate change, forest protection and clean renewable energy.

 

 

 

One of the key areas of Vietnam-Norway bilateral cooperation is the private sector, in which oil and gas, shipbuilding, fisheries and aquaculture are sectors of most interest for Norwegian investment in Vietnam. In terms of aquaculture, Norway has a famous aquaculture industry – at the forefront of global development. Norway’s aquaculture outfitters have developed and are producing a wide array of fish farming equipment, including breeding, caging and feeding systems, monitoring equipment and fish processing technology. There is a huge potential for Norwegian companies in delivering equipment, fish feed, etc. in Vietnam because aquaculture is a Vietnamese Government priority and a key economic sector of the country. Norway has provided Vietnam with assistance in fisheries for a long time, mainly in the form of cooperation between Norwegian and Vietnamese fishing authorities and research institutions. Norwegian expertise in fisheries management and aquaculture is of particular interest to Vietnam, and technical cooperation in this area will continue in the future.

 

In 1999, Norway and Vietnam cooperated on the project to establish and implement the Vietnamese Fisheries Law. This is one of the most effective and enthusiastic cooperation projects between Vietnam and Norway. The first phase of this project named “establishment of Vietnam Fisheries Law and Regulations” focused on the formulation of fisheries sector law. Five years later, the new Vietnamese Law on Fisheries was adopted by the National Assembly in 2003 and entered into force on 1 July 2004. The year 2011 marks the last year for the 2^nd and last phase of the project named “bringing law to life”.

 

At the same time, a new signed agreement on cooperation between the countries at the end of 2010 is a memorable event in Vietnam-Norway cooperation. The project, named “Enhancing the Capacity to Control and Manage Bio-safety and Bio-security in Vietnam” aims to improve bio-safety management standards and increase management capacity in laboratories. And Norway will contribute with financial support for this 2 year project.

 

The proposal to establish a UN Carbon Neutral House in Vietnam has two key purposes: to help the UN in Vietnam to ‘Deliver as One’ and ‘Deliver as Green’.  The process of “Delivering as one” (Dao) is part of the country level UN reform where Vietnam is a pilot country. The Norwegian government has pledged US$1.8 million toward the building of the Green One UN House in Vietnam. The agreement was signed in Hanoi on April 15, 2009 by the Norwegian State Secretary for International Development, Håkon Gulbrandsen, and Setsuko Yamazaki, Country Director of the UN Development Programme in Vietnam. According to the UN Organizations in Vietnam, this early work and grant agreement between UNEP and the Government of Norway was extremely valuable in establishing the feasibility of the site, identifying the ‘green’ performance objectives and attracting stakeholder support.

 

One of the historic cooperation programs in terms of human rights between Vietnam and Norway is the Master program on Human Rights launched in 2010. This is the first master program to celebrate the Vietnamese-Norwegian academic partnership on human rights education in Vietnam.

 

The program was launched at the School of Law of Vietnam National University in Hanoi and developed by the School of Law in cooperation with the Vietnam Programme at the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law at the University of Oslo. This is the first comprehensive postgraduate program in Vietnam with a focus on human rights.

 

In addition, Vietnam and Norway are currently cooperating on other projects related to education and research on human rights under the umbrella of the annual bilateral Human Rights Dialogue.

The cooperation between Vietnam and Norway on human rights is considered a key to a full understanding and protection of human rights.