Also present were leaders from the International Cooperation Department - Director Nguyen Phuong Hoa; and Deputy Director of the Vietnam Sports Department Nguyen Hong Minh.
During the meeting, representatives from both sides exchanged views on strategies and methods to further strengthen and promote cooperation between Vietnam and Ireland.
Deputy Minister Hoang Dao Cuong held a meeting with a delegation from Irish Ministry delegation
At the beginning of the meeting, the Irish Secretary of State, Mr. Charlie McConalogue, expressed his gratitude to Deputy Minister Hoang Dao Cuong for arranging and receiving the delegation. According to him, today's meeting is also very significant as the two countries are looking forward to the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. On this occasion, the Secretary of State also mentioned the event where Ireland had the honor of welcoming General Secretary To Lam on a visit in 2024 and expressed his pleasure that Vietnam officially opened its embassy in Ireland afterwards.
Emphasizing areas of cooperation, the Secretary of State affirmed that after this meeting, the two sides will have deeper cooperation in the fields of culture, sports, and tourism. In the immediate future, this will involve strengthening exchanges, coordination, and inviting participation in cultural, artistic, and sports events to commemorate the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations. The Irish side also hopes that Vietnam will share initiatives for sports development and work together to achieve the goal of connecting the communities of the two countries through sports activities. Currently, traditional Irish football is regularly organized by the Embassy, and many young Vietnamese people are very enthusiastic about this sport, Mr. Charlie McConalogue emphasized.
Deputy Director of the Vietnam Sports Department Nguyen Hong Minh (center) attended the reception.
Representing Vietnam, Deputy Minister Hoang Dao Cuong fully agreed with the objectives proposed by the Irish side. The Deputy Minister also shared the practical situation of cultural, sports, and tourism activities in Vietnam, affirming that Vietnam is very interested in the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and will announce and invite Ireland to participate in some cultural and sports events organized by Vietnam.
Regarding the field of sports, Deputy Minister Hoang Dao Cuong informed that cooperation in sports between Vietnam and Ireland is currently mainly limited to small, short-term projects. Bilateral exchanges over the years have been restricted due to differences in systems (Ireland focuses on professional sports and commercialization). Therefore, expanding cooperation in high-performance sports between the two countries remains difficult due to differences in strong sports disciplines and limited resources...
Based on this reality, Vietnam hopes to receive assistance and support from Ireland in the field of developing sports for all (developing sports clubs in localities; physical education and sports in schools); training sports management personnel; applying science and technology, sports medicine, and especially, the Irish Embassy could provide information on some outstanding coaches in the women's boxing weight classes (a strong sport of Ireland) so that Vietnam can improve its competitive performance.
The two sides took commemorative photos.
On this occasion, Deputy Minister Hoang Dao Cuong also informed the Irish delegation about the 80th anniversary celebration of the traditional day of the Vietnamese sports sector. At this event, Vietnam will organize many meaningful activities, including the Sports Economic Forum. From this forum, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will propose to the Government mechanisms to innovate some policies to attract participation in the development of sports in the future, especially regarding infrastructure in the field of physical education and sports. According to Deputy Minister Hoang Dao Cuong, Vietnam is currently building a stadium at the PVF Youth Football Training Center in Hung Yen province with a capacity of 60,000 seats, of Asian standard, expected to be put into use in 2027; or the Trong Dong Stadium project - a facility with a capacity of up to 135,000 seats, expected to be completed in 2028...
With the proposals from the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the representatives of the Irish Ministry of Culture, Communication and Sport fully agreed and are in the spirit of cooperating and supporting to the best of their ability, because Ireland always values the relationship between the two nations…
Besides sports, issues related to cultural activities were also discussed. Culture and tourism were also discussed by both sides at the meeting. The Deputy Minister expressed his gratitude to the visiting delegation and affirmed that, following the meeting, Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism would coordinate with the Embassy to strengthen cooperation in these areas…
Ha Phuong