Agustaviano Sofjan, Consul General of Indonesia in Ho Chi Minh City, paid a visit to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper’s head office on Monday. 

The close relationship between Vietnam and Indonesia has a long history, Sofjan said during a meeting with Le The Chu, Tuoi Tre’s Editor-in-Chief.

Bali's recorded history shows that a Bronze Age people of Vietnamese descent from the Dong Son area of Vietnam arrived there in the third century B.C., bringing along bronze, copper, and iron. 

In the 20th century, the friendly relations between Vietnam and Indonesia was laid on a solid foundation built by President Ho Chi Minh and President Sukarno.

Indonesia was the fourth country in the world and the first in Southeast Asia to establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam on December 30, 1955.

The Vietnam-Indonesia diplomatic relations have been fostered by generations of leaders of the two countries, which is a strong driving force to promote bilateral rapport development in all fields of politics, economy, socio-culture, and people-to-people exchange.

Consul General Sofjan said that he was really happy to see that direct flights between Ho Chi Minh City and Bali -- the most famous island for tourism in Indonesia -- finally resumed in late April this year.

Now there are many full flights to and from Bali, showing that there is high demand for travel from both sides as Vietnam and Indonesia have dropped all COVID-19 requirements for fully vaccinated travelers. 

Consul General Sofjan and his family moved to Ho Chi Minh City for his mission in September 2021.

He has visited many provinces among 23 provinces in the scope of duty of the Indonesian Consulate General, such as Dong Nai, Binh Duong, and An Giang.

The Indonesian Consulate General has organized activities to encourage Indonesian and Vietnamese entrepreneurs, a conference for young scientists from the two countries, the promotion of batik art to the public in Ho Chi Minh City, and many other events.

Batik is an Indonesian traditional art that has been officially recognized as a living expression of the culture of Indonesia since 2009 when the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated the art as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

Chief editor Chu welcomed Sofjan’s visit, saying that Tuoi Tre is more than happy to report news about the Vietnam-Indonesia relationship and activities and events organized by the Embassy and Consulate General of Indonesia in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, such as scholarship information, tourism, and other political, social-economic events.

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