While Israeli diplomacy became undoubtedly more complex in the two years that followed Hamas’s October 7 attacks, the relationship between Jerusalem and Hanoi has continued to flourish, Israeli Ambassador Yaron Mayer told The Jerusalem Post.
“The conflict has naturally raised concerns, but did not dominate bilateral engagement. Diplomatic dialogue remained professional, respectful, and focused on cooperation. Long-term partnerships were not disrupted,” the Post was told. “Vietnam maintains a balanced stance, supporting a two-state solution while continuing to value Israel as a top-tier technological partner.”
Mayer, who is also Israel’s representative to Laos, has spent over a decade working in Israeli diplomacy, previously serving as Israel’s ambassador to Myanmar and Nepal.
Much of his time thus far has been spent representing Israel and building local-level bonds. Celebrating his first Vietnamese New Year, which fell on his 7th month in the country, he joined a Kindergarten class to learn how to make the traditional Vietnamese Trung cake, a square cake made of sticky rice, green beans, and meat.
The ambassador, whose mother was a famed artist born in London, also reflected on both the challenge and the beauty of learning to write a traditional word under the guidance of a calligrapher in Hanoi.
Vietnam boosts Israel ties with tech cooperation, tourism push
The Chinese script, commonly hung on the walls of Vietnamese homes to bring good luck, was demonstrated by a local man who taught him how to write the word “AN,” meaning peace.
The relationship between the two countries is at an all-time high, he said, noting the recent accomplishments, such as the signing of the free trade agreement in 2023. Trade is projected to exceed $4 billion by the end of 2026, he confirmed.
During an earlier discussion, the ambassador hinted at pushing towards Visa-free travel for Israelis. He had little more to say on the issue but suggested it was the natural next step after Hanoi’s 2023 decision to extend e-visas to 90 days.
Combined with the new direct Arkia flight from Tel Aviv, this made it clear that Vietnam was investing heavily in attracting Israeli tourists. Last year, at least 50,000 visitors entered Vietnam with Israeli passports, and the tourism ministry aims to reach 300,000 Israeli travelers by 2030.
Beyond tourism, Mayer said there was a plan to increase cooperation on technology transfer, smart agriculture, climate resilience, and digital innovation over the next five years.
Much of Israel’s environmental and agricultural technology is already being employed by Vietnam, he continued. The gold standard of Israeli drip irrigation is now being scaled to address water shortages and improve irrigation efficiency across various regions, he explained, adding that it is being used successfully in many rural parts of the country.
Perhaps because Vietnam only recognized Israel in 1993, the ambassador shared he was pleasantly surprised by the depth of interest in Israeli innovation across Vietnamese institutions. There is strong demand not only from the private sector, but also from provincial governments and universities, he said.
While Vietnam is eager to benefit from Israeli technology, Mayer shared that there is also much opportunity for Israelis.
Noting the strong interest from Israeli startups, Mayer said the embassy has begun hosting “matchmaker” events, such as the Israel Technology Connection, to connect Israeli startups with Vietnamese provincial leaders.
FPT, one of Vietnam’s largest high-tech and pharmaceutical companies, was one of several to benefit from the work of the embassy and opened the doors to its first Israel office a few weeks ago, the head of FPT’s Israel branch told the Post.
Yoram Noar shared that the new office will focus on advancing the company’s interests in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and education.
“I urged the ambassador to focus on the high-tech industry to see if we could bring the Israeli companies from the high-tech industry into Vietnam to see if we could do joint ventures,” Noar shared. “We focused on high-tech because Vietnam has great potential and Vietnam wants to show a growth of about 10% a year, so they (Hanoi) thought Israel could be a good model of how to promote [economic and high-tech] activities.]”
Only last month, the Hai Phong Center for Innovation and Application of Science and Technology hosted an Israel technology connection event in the fields of agriculture and water resources.
Mayer added that more work was underway to help Israel navigate the paperwork-heavy landscape of Vietnam, and that this would remain a focus.