The Special Issue covers the areas of economics, history, diplomacy, investment, agriculture, and tourism, focusing on bilateral relations and regional and international dynamics, with contributions from distinguished scholars from both countries.
The launch was conducted virtually in Ha Noi and Colombo, with the participation of Foreign Secretary Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage, Vice-President of VASS Prof. (Dr.) Dang Nguyen Anh (ඩං නුයෙන් අයින්), Standing Deputy Director-General of VIISAS Dr. Pham Cao Cuong (ෆම් කාඕ කුඔන්ග්), Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Viet Nam Prasanna Gamage, Ambassador of Viet Nam to Sri Lanka Ho Thi Thanh Truc and all contributors from Sri Lanka, academics and researchers of VASS, and senior officials of the Foreign Ministry of Sri Lanka. The special issue also coincides with the 51st anniversary of diplomatic relations between Viet Nam and Sri Lanka and the 10th anniversary of the VASS.
Prof. Emeritus, High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to Bangladesh Sudharshan Seneviratne, Senior Fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies of the National University of Singapore Dr. Ganeshan Wignaraja, Dr. Chandranath Amarasekara and Poongothai Ratnavadivel of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, George I H Cooke of the University of Colombo and Nimesha Dissanayaka of the Institute of Policy Studies and the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau provided valuable contributions under the themes: Redefining Region, Identity & Ideology: perspectives on historic South Central Asia, A Post-COVID World: How Sri Lanka Could Become South Asia’s Dubai, Comparative Review of the Socioeconomic Development Journeys of Vietnam and Sri Lanka, Asian Allies: Revisiting Bandung to realize the Asian Century (60th anniversary of the Non-Aligned Movement), Evaluating Profitability and Competitiveness of Vegetable Farming systems of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka as a Cultural Diversity Destination, respectively. Tran Ngoc Diem (MA), Nguyen Duc Trung (MA), and Pham Thuy Nguyen (MA) spoke from Viet Nam on Sri Lanka's Foreign Policy and prospects of Sri Lanka - Viet Nam Relations, Covid 19’s impact on export activities: A case study of Sri Lanka, and Competition between India and China on FDI in Sri Lanka, respectively.
This is the first instance that an academic journal has been published in Vietnamese language on Sri Lanka-Viet Nam relations, showcasing broader perspectives, with contributions from scholars from both countries.
Prof. (Dr) Dang Nguyen Anh, in his opening remarks, praised the longstanding, warm and cordial bilateral relations between Viet Nam and Sri Lanka and noted the increasing cooperation between the VASS and Sri Lanka over the last two years.
Foreign Secretary Colombage also highlighted the outstanding aspects of Sri Lanka and Viet Nam’s multifaceted relations and deep-rooted bond nurtured by generations of leaders of the two countries. He also emphasized the three main pillars of Sri Lanka’s governance under President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa: national security, economic development, and foreign relations. Contributors from both countries and the academics and researchers of the VASS engaged in a lively interactive session, moderated by Dr. Cuong, in which perspectives and opinions were shared on their respective thematic areas as contributed to by themselves.
On his remarks, Ambassador Gamage underscored the need to further broaden and deepen the bilateral partnership between Sri Lanka and Viet Nam.
Embassy of Sri Lanka
Ha Noi
26 October, 2021
