Hong Kong – The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s (China) relaxed visa policy for Vietnamese citizens will open a new period of bilateral partnership, according to Vietnam’s Consul General in Hong Kong, Pham Binh Dam.
The diplomat said the policy will allow Vietnamese businesses and people to set up businesses and seek employment opportunities in Hong Kong, while exploring the capital market to take advantage of Hong Kong’s financial services for the development of the Vietnamese economy in general and Vietnamese businesses in particular.
On 25 October, Hong Kong officially granted work visas to Vietnamese workers and relaxed its multiple-entry visa policy for Vietnamese visitors. Earlier in 2021, Hong Kong started issuing visas to Vietnamese students.
According to the Consul General, Vietnam and Hong Kong are the 10th largest partners in terms of economy and trade. Hong Kong was one of the first to invest in Vietnam after the country opened its doors, he noted, believing that the two economies can complement each other.
Therefore, Hong Kong’s opening of its labour market to Vietnam amid its shortage of human resources in various fields will create many job opportunities for Vietnamese workers and enterprises, he said.
Meanwhile, Associate Prof Nguyen Tuan Anh of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) said that one of the priorities of Vietnamese students in choosing Hong Kong as a place to study is to find jobs after graduation. Therefore, Hong Kong’s restrictive visa policy has created difficulties for them.
Anh believed that Hong Kong’s issuance of visas to Vietnamese will help promote cooperation and academic and research exchanges between the two sides, thus contributing to the promotion of the science and technology partnership between Vietnam and Hong Kong.
In early 2024, HKUST will invite a number of graduates from the University of Natural Sciences – Vietnam National University Hanoi to conduct joint short-term research at KHUST, he said.
Dr Nguyen Phuong Anh, a researcher with Zeta Motion Hong Kong, said Hong Kong is facing a serious shortage of computer programmers, and expressed hope that the relaxed policy will allow Vietnamese workers to access an open international work environment.
Experts are optimistic that the new visa policy for Vietnamese workers and travellers, together with the good relations between Vietnam and Hong Kong in recent years, will open up abundant employment and business opportunities for Vietnamese workers and enterprises, and contribute to further promoting the bilateral partnership.
