Vietnamese Ambassador to Israel Nguyễn Kỳ Sơn (left) presents his credentials to Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem on Monday. — VNA/VNS Photo

JERUSALEM — Israeli President Isaac Herzog has described Việt Nam as a dynamic partner with an increasingly important role in Southeast Asia during a ceremony in Jerusalem on Monday to receive the credentials from Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyễn Kỳ Sơn.

President Herzog expressed confidence that the ambassador would make significant contributions to strengthening the friendship and practical cooperation between the two countries.

He praised the positive progress in bilateral relations across a wide range of sectors, including trade, investment, high-tech agriculture, innovation, education and training, and people-to-people exchanges, while affirming that Israel highly values its ties with Việt Nam.

On the occasion, the leader also expressed his respect for late Vietnamese President Hồ Chí Minh and referred to historic milestones in relations between the two countries, including the symbolic connection between the founder of modern Việt Nam and Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion.

For his part, Sơn stated that Việt Nam regards Israel as an important partner in the region and wishes to further deepen bilateral friendship and cooperation across all fields.

The diplomat said he would work to serve as a bridge for bilateral ties by turning potential and opportunities into tangible outcomes through increased high-level exchanges, stronger trade and investment links, and broader cooperation in areas where Israel has recognised strengths and Việt Nam has growing demand, such as science and technology, innovation, start-ups, high-tech agriculture, cybersecurity, water resource management, health care and education. He also highlighted the importance of expanding locality-to-locality cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

The two sides also discussed prospects for economic cooperation, stressing that the effective implementation of the Việt Nam-Israel Free Trade Agreement (VIFTA) would create fresh momentum for bilateral trade and investment in the years to come.

They further discussed plans by Israeli carriers EL AL Airlines and Arkia Israeli Airlines to launch additional direct flights to Hà Nội and HCM City from late 2026, describing the move as a positive signal for boosting trade, tourism, investment and people-to-people connectivity.

President Herzog also expressed interest in further expanding economic cooperation and trade exchanges between the two countries in the near future. — VNA/VNS