By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, June 28: Malaysia and Vietnam are set to deepen tourism cooperation, with both countries identifying strong untapped potential in medical tourism and halal tourism following high-level talks at the 13th Tourism Ministers’ Meeting (TMM13) in Macau, China.
Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Dato Seri Tiong King Sing said discussions with Vietnam’s Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Lam Thi Phuong Thanh focused on strengthening collaboration and expanding tourism-driven growth between the two countries.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 13th Tourism Ministers’ Meeting (TMM13), where both sides acknowledged that while visitor arrivals between Malaysia and Vietnam continue to rise, there remains significant room to further unlock potential.
Lam said both countries share strong tourism and cultural foundations, but stressed that niche sectors offer clear opportunities for expansion.
“Malaysia and Vietnam have many common strengths in tourism, culture and the arts,” she said, noting growing interest in medical tourism and halal tourism as key areas for future collaboration.
She also invited Malaysia to participate in several upcoming major events in Vietnam, including APEC-related programmes, the Vietnam International Travel Mart (VITM) in Hanoi, a high-level dialogue on culture and creative industries, and an international cultural festival.
She extended an invitation for Malaysia to lead a delegation on an official visit, signalling stronger institutional engagement moving forward.
Tiong welcomed the invitation, saying Malaysia remains committed to strengthening long-standing tourism ties with Vietnam.
“Tourism has always been one of the strongest bridges connecting our people,” he said, adding that Malaysia sees strong potential to further expand cooperation through joint promotion and industry collaboration.
He said both sides agreed that stronger coordination in tourism promotion, cultural exchange and business events is needed to convert rising travel demand into greater economic returns.
Tiong added that Vietnam remains an important ASEAN partner, expressing confidence that closer cooperation would generate new opportunities and strengthen people-to-people ties between the two countries. — DayakDaily
