Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc (R) receives Hungarian Ambassador to Việt Nam, Ory Csaba, in Hà Nội yesterday. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc said the upcoming visit to Việt Nam by Hungarian PM Viktor Orban is an important event that will open up many cooperation opportunities for the two countries with a range of agreements due to be signed. 

At his reception for Hungarian Ambassador to Việt Nam, Ory Csaba, in Hà Nội yesterday, he stressed the need for the two sides to coordinate in preparing for the success of the trip. 
He applauded Hungary for continuously considering Việt Nam a priority partner in its development cooperation policies. 
Hungary is Việt Nam’s largest official development assistance (ODA) provider in Central Eastern Europe, he said, thanking the Hungarian Government for its support in the construction of Cần Thơ Oncology Hospital, which can meet the health care demands of 20 million people in Việt Nam’s Mekong region. 
He called on Hungary to urge the EU to soon sign the free trade agreement with Việt Nam. 
In reply, Ambassador Ory Csaba expressed his hope that he would make significant contributions to bilateral ties. 
He said following suggestions of PM Orban, Hungary would double the number of scholarships to Vietnamese students from the present 100. The ambassador called on the two countries to further their partnership in health care, water treatment and supply, computing, e-public administration, agriculture and food safety.

Meeting with Japanese ambassador
At a meeting on the same day with Japanese Ambassador Kuinio Umeda, PM Phúc expressed his appreciation at the growing extensive strategic partnership between the two countries. The PM noted that the number of Japanese investors in Việt Nam had been rising, especially in the fields of banking, infrastructure and hi-tech agriculture. 
He told the diplomat that earlier in the day, he had a working session with the Hanoi National University to which the Việt Nam-Japan University is a member. He said he had directed relevant agencies to speed up the implementation of the university project, which he described as a symbol of the sound relations between the two countries. 
Ambassador Kuinio Umeda held that the Việt Nam-Japan University would contribute to fostering the partnership between the two countries. 
Many Japanese investors wish to invest in Việt Nam, especially in areas such as thermal power development, support industry, hi-tech agriculture, and climate change response, according to the ambassador. — VNS