Vietnam and Kazakhstan should step up the sharing of experience in developing culture and cultural industries, viewing them as a source of soft power and a decisive driving force for national development, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra told Aida Balayeva, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture and Information of Kazakhstan.
Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture and Information of Kazakhstan Aida Balayeva, and other delegates. Photo: VNA
At a reception in Hanoi on August 26 for the Kazakh official, who is on a working visit to Vietnam, Tra spoke highly of Kazakhstan’s economic achievements amid global challenges, particularly its efforts to diversify the economy beyond oil and promote the development of industry and services.
She briefed the guest on Vietnam’s strong economic growth in recent years, saying that the country is also actively restructuring its economy toward science and technology, innovation and digital transformation.
Tra highlighted the sound friendship between Vietnam and Kazakhstan over nearly 35 years, particularly since the bilateral ties were elevated to a new level during the visit to Kazakhstan in May 2025 by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee To Lam. She suggested the two sides further tap cooperation potential in investment, transport, logistics, agriculture, technology and digital transformation, noting that bilateral trade has shown positive signs, rising by around 37% year on year.
She called for stronger people-to-people exchanges, local cooperation and tourism, noting that nearly 200,000 Kazakh tourists visited Vietnam in 2025 following the visa exemption policy for ordinary passport holders.
For her part, Balayeva said Kazakhstan’s newly-adopted Constitution, for the first time, incorporates the concept of culture and places particular emphasis on human resources development. She expressed her desire to strengthen cooperation with Vietnam in healthcare, sports, education and training, cinema and particularly tourism.
Vietnam has emerged as a new top-choice travel destination for Kazakh tourists, the Kazakh official noted, expressing her hope that Vietnamese travel companies will visit Kazakhstan and familiarise themselves with its tourism market.
Looking toward the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2027, the two sides agreed to coordinate in organising practical and meaningful activities to mark the occasion.
Referring to the “Kazakhstan Cultural Day” artistic performance programme in Vietnam on the same day evening, Tra expressed her confidence that the event would contribute to promoting Kazakhstan’s cultural values and identity among the Vietnamese people./.