While Israeli diplomacy undoubtedly has become more complex since the October 7 massacre, the relationship between Jerusalem and Hanoi has flourished, according to Israeli Ambassador to Vietnam Yaron Mayer.
“The conflict has naturally raised concerns but did not dominate bilateral engagement,” he told The Jerusalem Post in a recent interview. “Diplomatic dialogue remained professional, respectful, and focused on cooperation. Long-term partnerships were not disrupted.”
“Vietnam maintains a balanced stance, supporting a two-state solution while continuing to value Israel as a top-tier technological partner,” he added.
Mayer, who is also Israel’s ambassador to Laos, has worked for more than a decade in Israeli diplomacy. He previously served as ambassador to Myanmar and Nepal.
Mayer said he has devoted much of his time to developing bonds on a local level. Celebrating his first Vietnamese New Year, which fell on his seventh month in the country, he joined a kindergarten class to learn how to make traditional Vietnamese Trung, a square cake made of sticky rice, green beans, and meat.
Mayer, 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. 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.
Vietnam boosts Israel ties with tech cooperation, tourism push
The relationship between the two countries is at an all-time high, he said, citing 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 added.
Israelis might be able to travel to Vietnam without a visa in the not-too-distant future, Mayer hinted, adding that it would be a natural next step following Hanoi’s 2023 decision to extend e-visas to 90 days.
The new direct Arkia flight from Tel Aviv to Vietnam indicates that Hanoi is investing heavily in attracting Israeli tourists, he said. Last year, at least 50,000 visitors entered Vietnam with their Israeli passports, and the Vietnamese Tourism Ministry hopes to attract 300,000 Israeli travelers by 2030, he added.
Mayer said a plan was in place to increase cooperation in technology transfer, smart agriculture, climate resilience, and digital innovation within the next five years.
Much of Israel’s environmental and agricultural technology is already being employed by Vietnam, he said. The gold standard of Israeli drip irrigation is now being scaled to address water shortages and efficient irrigation in various regions, he added, and it was being used successfully in many rural parts of the country.
Perhaps because Vietnam only recognized Israel in 1993, Mayer said 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, he said, but also from provincial governments and universities.
Vietnam is eager for the opportunity to benefit from Israeli technology, and there are many opportunities for Israelis, Mayer said.
He cited strong interest from Israeli start-ups and said the embassy has begun hosting “matchmaker” events, such as the Israel Technology Connection, to link Israeli start-ups with Vietnamese provincial leaders.
FPT, one of Vietnam’s largest hi-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, Yoram Noar, the head of FPT’s Israel branch, told the Post.
The new office will focus on furthering the company’s interests in the fields of artificial intelligence, cyber, and education, he said.
“I urged the ambassador to focus on the hi-tech industry to see if we could bring the Israeli companies from the hi-tech industry into Vietnam to see if we could do joint ventures,” Noar said. “We focused on hi-tech because Vietnam has great potential, and Vietnam wants to show a growth of about 10% a year, so [Hanoi] thought Israel could be a good model of how to promote [economic and hi-tech] activities.”
Last month, the Hai Phong Center for Innovation and Application of Science and Technology hosted an event that focused on Israeli technology in agriculture and water resources.
More efforts are now being made to help Israel navigate the Vietnamese paperwork, and this would remain an ongoing focus, Mayer said.