At the headquarters of the Macau government, Chief Executive Ho Lat Seng received and discussed with Consul General Pham Binh Dam about the relationship between Macau (China) and Vietnam. Mr. Ha Nhat Thanh highly appreciated the cooperative relationship between Vietnam and Macau in many fields, especially in trade, labor, tourism and investment. He emphasized that Vietnam has many products favored by Macau people, two-way trade turnover reached about 150 million USD in 2022, an increase of 100% compared to the previous year, Vietnamese workers are skilled, hard-working and have made positive contributions to the Macau economy, and also actively participate in local cultural activities.

Mr. Ha Nhat Thanh commented that Vietnam’s economy has maintained spectacular growth in recent years despite the pandemic. Therefore, Macau businesses are very interested and want to expand cooperation and business with Vietnam.

Consul General Pham Binh Dam thanked the special administrative region government for its attention and facilitation of Vietnamese people working and living in Macau, especially during the pandemic. The Consul General also made a series of proposals on expanding the reception of Vietnamese workers, actively exchanging business delegations, participating in trade events organized by both sides, coordinating to handle arising issues related to labor, and removing visa restrictions for Vietnamese tourists.

Mr. Ha Nhat Thanh supported the proposals and happily accepted the invitation to visit Vietnam with a delegation of businesses to strengthen cooperation and realize economic and trade cooperation opportunities.

At the meeting with the Macau Investment and Trade Promotion Institute (IPIM), Mr. Pham Binh Dam said that the potential for cooperation between Macau and Vietnam is huge and has not been fully exploited. He encouraged Macau and Vietnamese businesses to increase their exploration of cooperation opportunities through visits or participation in exhibition events in both Vietnam and Macau. The Consulate General of Vietnam in Hong Kong and Macau is always ready to be the address to connect and support businesses of both sides.

IPIM President Vincent U welcomed the Consul General to visit and work at the institute to discuss ways to expand cooperation as well as seek cooperation opportunities in the field of trade and investment between Vietnam and Macau. Mr. Vincent U said that Vietnam is a favorite tourist destination for Macau people, and the potential for tourism cooperation between the two sides is huge.

During the working trip, Mr. Pham Binh Dam had a meeting with the Macau Construction Mass Alliance. At the meeting, Mr. Pham Binh Dam also hoped that the alliance would continue to provide assistance to Vietnamese workers as well as cooperate more effectively with the Vietnamese Association in Macau. The Vietnamese Association in Macau will be a bridge to disseminate legal documents to workers in Macau. In addition, Mr. Pham Binh Dam also proposed that the alliance have a voice to contribute to the special administrative region government to remove visa barriers for Vietnamese workers.

According to Mr. Duong Trung Duc, Chairman of the Vietnamese Association in Macau, after the epidemic, the work of workers has gradually returned to stability. The Association also regularly exchanges activities with the Macau Construction Mass Alliance to find measures to support workers, thereby gradually increasing the number of workers in Macau back to the level before the epidemic.

During his working visit to Macau, the Consul General met with members of the Executive Committee of the Vietnamese Association in Macau. Sharing and listening to the aspirations of Vietnamese people living and working in Macau, Consul General Pham Binh Dam said that during his meeting with the Macau government on April 13, he also proposed that after Macau’s economic recovery and increased acceptance of Vietnamese workers, Chief Executive Ha Nhat Thanh also supported the increased acceptance of Vietnamese workers in various fields. In addition, Mr. Pham Binh Dam also emphasized the content of the meeting with the Macau government that Vietnamese workers whose visas have expired must return on time. He said that it is necessary to strengthen propaganda and education so that people comply with the law, this is the key to expanding labor to Macau to work, and Vietnamese people in Macau need to continue to promote the image of Vietnam in the host country. The Consul General also affirmed the association’s contributions to the country in general as well as in supporting and promoting the role of the Vietnamese community in Macau.

There are currently about 7,000 Vietnamese people working in Macau, down more than half compared to the pre-pandemic period, with an average income of 500-1,000 USD/month.

During this trip to Macau, the Consul General also had a meeting with the leaders of Galaxy Group and Melco Group. In general, these businesses have good opinions about Vietnamese workers such as quick learning of skills, quick learning of Mandarin, Cantonese, English, good work discipline, and the desire to accept more Vietnamese people.