Relaxed visa policy opens new period of Vietnam-Hong Kong partnership: Diplomat

The relaxed visa policy by Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (China) for Vietnamese citizens will open a new period of bilateral partnership, stated Vietnamese Consul General in Hong Kong Pham Binh Dam.

The diplomat held that the policy will allow Vietnamese businesses and people to start up and seek employment opportunities in Hong Kong, while exploring the capital market to exploit Hong Kong's financial services for the development of the Vietnamese economy in general and Vietnamese businesses in particular.

On October 25, Hong Kong officially granted working visa to Vietnamese workers and loosened its multiple-entry visa policy for Vietnamese visitors. Earlier in 2021, Hong Kong started granting visa for Vietnamese students.

According to the Consul General, in terms of economy and trade, Vietnam and Hong Kong are the 10th biggest partner of each other. Hong Kong was one of the first to invest in Vietnam after the country opened its door, he noted, holding that the two economies can supplement each other.

Therefore, Hong Kong’s opening of its labour market to Vietnam amid its shortage of human resources in various areas will create many employment opportunities for Vietnamese labourers and businesses, he said.

Meanwhile, Associate Prof. Nguyen Tuan Anh from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) said that one of the priorities of Vietnamese students when choosing Hong Kong as their place for studying is to seek jobs after graduation. Thus, the limited visa policy that Hong Kong applied previously caused difficulties for them.

Anh held that Hong Kong’s issuance of visas to Vietnamese people will help promote cooperation and academic and research exchange between the two sides, contributing to promoting science-technology partnership between Vietnam and Hong Kong.

In early 2024, the HKUST will invite a number of graduates from the University of Natural Sciences – Vietnam National University Ha Noi to conduct joint short-term researches in the KHUST, he said.

Dr. Nguyen Phuong Anh, a researcher at Zeta Motion Hong Kong company, said that Hong Kong is facing a serious shortage of computer programmers, expressing his hope that the relaxed policy will enable Vietnamese workers to access an open international working environment.

Experts are optimistic that along with the sound relations between Vietnam and Hong Kong in recent years, the new visa policy for Vietnamese workers and travelers will open up abundant employment and business chances for Vietnamese workers and enterprises, contributing to further promoting the bilateral partnership.

VNA