She said Bangladesh and Vietnam have similarities as both earned independence through war, and have identical efforts and aspects in the development process.

Khaleda expressed the views when Vietnamese Ambassador in Dhaka Ngo Van Hoa made a courtesy call on her at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) yesterday. The prime minister is scheduled to begin her three-day tour of Vietnam on May 17.

The envoy said the government and people of Vietnam are eagerly waiting to welcome Bangladesh prime minister.

Ngo Hoa said the visit of Prime Minister Khaleda is significant for two reasonsfirstly, this is the first time a Bangladesh prime minister is visiting Vietnam and secondly, the visit takes place at such a time when Vietnam is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its independence.

Ngo Hoa said the visit of Vietnamese President Tran Doc Luan to Bangladesh in March 2004 had accelerated the relations in trade and investment between the two countries.

He said a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed on cooperation in agriculture and a action plan has already been taken for two years for expansion of the sector. The prime minister hoped for more cooperation in agriculture sector.

Mentioning that a business delegation is accompanying her to Vietnam, Khaleda hoped that business in private sectors would be expanded. She urged Vietnam to take IT experts, doctors and engineers from Bangladesh.

The ambassador said he will do his best to further promote cooperation and make prime minister's visit fruitful.