Tet holiday in eyes of Norwegian, Swiss Ambassadors

Norwegian Ambassador to Viet Nam Hilde Solbakken said, her family really loves living in Viet Nam and in the capital city of Ha Noi.

"We love the bustling life on the streets, and are very impressed with the very hard-working culture in Viet Nam. We really feel like home here. So for this Tet, I think we're going to enjoy the quiet days in Ha Noi during the beginning of Tet. Just wander around in the old quarter in Ha Noi. We will have our own peach blossom tree and will put the wishes on the tree. Hopefully we can also visit some of the beautiful temples in Ha Noi", she shared.

Regarding her favorite dish and favorite activities during Tet, Solbakken said, for Tet last year, her family had a very nice time visiting Duong Lam Ancient Village in Son Tay District, Ha Noi.

During her visit to Duong Lam Ancient Village, her family had the opportunity to make che lam candy and that's definitely one of her favorite dishes for Tet, she said, adding that it is also very interesting to see the way Vietnamese people pay respect to their ancestors and visit temples during Tet.

Swiss Ambassador to Viet Nam Thomas Gass said, when he arrived two years ago, he was very excited about working in Viet Nam and was very impressed by the Vietnamese society. After two years it's becoming even clearer.

"What impresses me is the resilience, the resourcefulness and the energy of the Vietnamese society and the Vietnamese people. This resilience and this capacity to stand up and to look forward to the future with optimism and with courage has been demonstrated by the way Viet Nam responded to the Typhoon Yagi in September 2024", told the Ambassador.

In 2025, when Viet Nam is celebrating the 80th anniversary of the National Day of Viet Nam (September 2, 1945 -2025) and 50th anniversary of Southern Liberation and National Reunification Day (April 30, 1975 – 2025), it is a moment where we actually celebrate the strength of the Vietnamese community in all its diversity and with all its energy, he said.

This is his third Tet in Viet Nam, shared Gass, adding that he loves Tet festival in Viet Nam.

"I love though the way everyone is excited. The flower markets are beautiful. People carry trees to their relatives and to their friends. It's wonderful. My wife and I look forward to taking some time to go and walk. We hike in the mountains such as Cuc Phuong in the Ninh Binh province or Phu Luong in Thanh Hoa province or Soc Son nearby Ha Noi. We like to go walking and enjoy the fresh air and the birds singing and seeing Vietnamese people doing their stuff", he shared.

The Ambassador said, what he looks forward to enjoy during Tet holiday is to taste banh chung, bamboo shoot soup, crispy ginger chips, fried spring rolls and che lam. Those are some of his favorite dishes around Tet.

Viet Nam, Norway have strong cooperation in 2024

According to the Ambassador, Viet Nam and Norway have had very strong cooperation in 2024. Both sides have shared interests in combating climate change and in keeping their oceans clean and healthy. A lot of bilateral cooperation is linked to these two goals. The two nations are working on green energy transition, for example, shifting away from coal to more renewable energy.

Norway is part of the Just Energy Transition Partnership, where Norway has helped develop framework for marine spatial planning so that offshore wind can get underway in Viet Nam.

The two nations have fostered collaboration in circular economy. Both sides have a number of projects ranging from collecting wastes in the sea to develop material recovery facilities so that the recyclable plastic, and other recyclable goods can be brought into the value chain.

Meanwhile, Viet Nam and Norway have joined hands in enhancing the development of cement industry to replace coal as a fuel and instead using non-recyclable plastics or low-grade waste. This Norwegian technology that Norway has shared with Viet Nam that makes this possible.

"We have tried to connect all these dots for a more circular value chain, particularly when it comes to plastic and managing wastes. We also work very closely on fisheries and marine aquaculture. And I'm very happy to say that in the last year, we had a very good increase in export of seafood from Norway to Viet Nam", she shared.

In the upcoming time, the Ambassador expected that the two nations will continue fostering stronger ties in these key areas of cooperation, adding that there is room to deepen even further the cooperation that both sides have in marine aquaculture.

"I see one new area coming up, which is the maritime sector, and making the shipping greener and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This is also an area where I think there could be a lot of business opportunities", she told.

Solbakken referred to two specific goals for next year. In term of Just Energy Transition Partnership, she expressed her hope that the two sides will get to a point where it's possible to start the investments that Norway has promised.

"The other thing I hope for is that we will finally have a free trade agreement between Viet Nam and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries, of which Norway is a part. I think that would be very good for boosting our trade in both directions", the diplomat noted./.