Vietnam, UAE push for closer cultural and tourism cooperation

Nguyen Phuong Hoa, Director General of the Department of International Cooperation under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, met with UAE Ambassador to Vietnam Bader Almatrooshi to discuss directions for expanding bilateral cooperation in culture and tourism.

Ambassador Almatrooshi said the UAE regards Vietnam as one of its key strategic partners in the region and welcomed the strong development of bilateral relations in recent years.

He noted that the entry into force of the Vietnam-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) had contributed to strong growth in two-way trade in 2025, opening up broad opportunities for cooperation across a wide range of sectors, including culture and tourism.

Amid expanding bilateral ties, the ambassador briefed the Vietnamese side on the UAE's nomination of Wadi Wurayah for UNESCO World Heritage status, which is currently under consideration at the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, and expressed hope for Vietnam's support for the nomination under criterion (ix).

According to the ambassador, Wadi Wurayah has the potential to meet the requirements for Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) through its ophiolite mountain ecosystem and its rare permanent freshwater ecosystems in an extremely arid environment. He added that the site's management and conservation efforts have also received positive assessments from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Acknowledging the information shared by the UAE, Nguyen Phuong Hoa applauded the country's efforts in preparing the nomination dossier.

Drawing on expert recommendations, she encouraged the UAE to further refine the nomination dossier under criterion (ix) by dealing with the recommendations of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), particularly through a more comprehensive global comparative analysis to better demonstrate the representativeness and outstanding value of the nominated ecosystem.

The meeting concluded with both sides looking back on Vietnam's National Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, reaffirming that cultural exchanges continue to serve as an important bridge in forging the Vietnam-UAE Comprehensive Partnership.

Vietnam and UAE sign defence industry cooperation memorandum

VOV.VN - Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on defence industry cooperation, marking a new phase in bilateral defence ties under the framework of the Vietnam–UAE Comprehensive Partnership.

Vietnam, UAE seek to deepen defence cooperation

Vietnamese Government, Ministry of National Defence always attach importance to enhancing friendship and expanding cooperation with their UAE counterparts, for the legitimate interests of the two peoples as well as for peace, stability, cooperation, development in each nation, the region and the world.