(VOVworld) – Austrian President Heinz Fischer has begun an official visit to Vietnam to boost friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries.

Austrian President Heinz Fischer

As one of several events to mark the 40^th anniversary of Vietnam-Austria diplomatic ties, the visit aims to strengthen understanding and trust in politics and deepen cooperation in education and training, science and technology, and trade and investment. In recent years, two-way trade between Vietnam and Austria has grown. Austria now has 19 projects in Vietnam with a total investment of 50.8 million USD, ranking 51 st among 94 countries and territories invested in Vietnam. Austria’s official development assistance (ODA) and preferential credits for Vietnam have been used to implement projects in the fields of railway transport, medical equipment, firefighting, and vocational training. Austria annually provides about 20 post-graduate scholarships to Vietnamese students. The two countries are close to signing a cooperative agreement on science and technology. Austria is currently home to more than 5,000 Vietnamese. While in Vietnam, the Austrian President will meet with President Truong Tan Sang, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, and NA Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung.