Norway and Vietnam established diplomatic relations on 25 November 1971, making Norway one of the first Western countries to establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam.
Norway opened an Embassy in Hanoi in 1996. Before, the Norwegian Ambassador to China, and later the Norwegian Ambassador to Thailand, was accredited to Hanoi. However, the Norwegian Agency for Development Co-operation (NORAD) had a representative office in Hanoi in 1975-1982. NORAD is now integrated in the Embassy.
Vietnam had an Embassy in Norway in the latter part of the 1970s, later the Vietnamese Ambassador to Sweden was accredited to Norway. When Vietnam opened an Embassy in Copenhagen in 2001, Vietnam's Ambassador to Denmark became accredited to Norway.
Over the last three decades our two countries have established a close co-operation both in the political, commercial and cultural fields as well as in development co-operation. The visit to Norway by Vietnam's Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet in 1995, and the visit to Vietnam by Norway's former Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland in 1996, founded the basis for a strengthened bilateral co-operation between our two countries. Our Prime Minister officially opened the Norwegian Embassy in Hanoi during her visit to Vietnam in 1996, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding on bilateral development co-operation. The year after, in 1997, we signed an agreement on bilateral trade and economic co-operation during the visit to Vietnam by our former Minister for Development Co-operation. The visit to Norway by Vietnam's Prime Minister Phan Van Khai in 1999 is another example of the growing relations between Norway and Vietnam. Furthermore in 2001 Norway and Vietnam estalbished a Dialogue on the Rule of Law. During the last two years there has been several visits between our Parliament (Storting) and Vietnam's National Assembly.
No other activity is better equipped in bringing people closer together than cultural activities and, in fact, there seems to be an especially strong mutural attraction between the performers of contemporary arts in our two countries. A string of Vietnamese - Norwegian art exhibitions have been arranged both in Vietnam and Norway the last few years and a Norwegian - Vietnamese sculpture center was opened in Da Nang in 2003. Vietnam Dramatic Theatre has taken an interest in staging plays by our famous play writer Henrik Ibsen, and several Norwegian jazz musicians have visited Viet Nam during the last few years giving concerts as well as workshop at Hanoi Conservatory of Music.
The bilateral trade between Norway and Vietnam is still modest. Even though several of the larger Norwegian companies have already invested in Vietnam, Norwegian investments have not yet reached its full potnetial. Vietnam is an interesting partner for Norwegian companies, and there is a great potential of increased trade between Norway and Vietnam, in particular within fisheries, aquaculture, shipping and shipbuilding, ship's gear, oil and gas, hydropower and environmental technology.