Israeli President Reuven Rivlin (front, second from right) and Defense Minister of Vietnam Ngô Xuân Lịch (front, right) visit an Israeli-Vietnamese defense export exhibition in Hanoi, Vietnam, March 21, 2017. Photo: Kobi Gideon/GPO.

JNS.org– Israeli President Reuven Rivlin this week visited the Southeast Asian nation of Vietnam, where the countries signed an agreement on collaboration in the fields of industrial research and development.

“When the state of Israel was very young, we, the Israelis, called ourselves ‘sabras.’ Sabra is the fruit from the cactus plant and only grows in the desert. Like the sabra, we managed to provide water and food to make us flourish even when we didn’t have enough water. We did it by becoming experts in making the most out of every drop. We have a shared vision, and we must let this vision grow together. Only together can we face global challenges,” Rivlin said at an Israeli-Vietnamese business conference.

The Israeli leader made a stop Thursday in the bustling metropolis of Ho Chi Minh City. Rivlin and his wife, Nechama, visited the Dairy Demonstration and Experimental Farm, a joint project established in 2013 between the city’s Agriculture and Rural Development Department, the Israeli Embassy in Vietnam and MASHAV, Israel’s international development cooperation agency. The farm, which holds around 200 cows, was modeled after Israeli dairy farms and utilizes advanced dairy technology developed in Israel.

The Rivlins also visited Nguyen Van Troi Elementary School, which uses Israeli technology to educate more than 1,000 students in the fields of science and technology.

Rivlin’s visit comes amid what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently described as Israel’s diplomatic strategy of “pivoting toward Asia in a very clear and purposeful way.” Netanyahu recently visited China and Singapore.