"General Secretary To Lam's visit to the UK is a historic event"

According to British Ambassador to Vietnam Iain Frew, General Secretary To Lam's visit is very important, consolidating and clearly demonstrating the practical cooperation between the two sides.

According to the announcement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the invitation of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Keir Starmer, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam To Lam and his wife, along with a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, will pay an official visit to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from October 28-30.

On this occasion, British Ambassador to Vietnam Iain Frew gave an interview to VNA reporters.

- General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam To Lam is about to pay an official visit to the UK. What is the Ambassador's assessment of this visit and what are his expectations for it?

Ambassador Iain Frew: This is a very important visit, marking a new development in the relationship between the two countries to a higher level. This is also the first visit by a Vietnamese General Secretary to the UK in 13 years - a historic and very important event.

I believe that the highlight of the visit will be the high-level political dialogue between the leaders of the two countries. Maintaining trust and dialogue at the highest level will help both countries promote common interests, from free trade, global security to responding to international challenges in the context of a world full of uncertainties.

General Secretary To Lam received British Ambassador to Vietnam Iain Frew on the afternoon of October 17, 2025. (Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA)

This visit will consolidate and demonstrate the practical cooperation between the two sides. Specifically, we expect the following areas:

First, on economic and technological cooperation, we will continue to promote economic cooperation, especially in the fields of technology, artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, and emerging technologies - key factors for Vietnam's next stage of development.

UK-Vietnam Summit on International Financial Centre on September 15, 2025. (Photo: Tran Viet/VNA)

Second, in the financial sector, Vietnam is aiming to build an international financial centre in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang. The UK is working closely to share experiences and support the development of professional financial and legal services. The development of the financial sector will create capital for the sustainable development of the entire economy.

Third, on education and skills training, this will continue to be a focus of the new agreements. We want to ensure that the young generation of Vietnam is fully equipped with the skills needed for the economy of the future.

Fourth, in the field of green transition, cooperation in energy and green transition will be accelerated. I believe that the discussions in London will materialize ambitions into practical cooperation programs that will benefit both countries.

Finally, on global cooperation, in a changing global context, we have many common interests - from protecting the rules-based international system, to ensuring free trade, secure and stable supply chains. The visit will guide the two countries to cooperate more deeply in the future.

- General Secretary To Lam's upcoming visit to the UK takes place in the context of the two countries celebrating the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Strategic Partnership. Could the Ambassador share some important milestones in the recent partnership between Vietnam and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?

Ambassador Iain Frew: This year we are celebrating 15 years of the UK-Vietnam Strategic Partnership. This means that over the past 15 years we have continued to deepen our relationship across a wide range of areas.

I am truly pleased and impressed with the progress made in trade, education, finance, security and climate cooperation.

In terms of trade and investment, what has impressed me most is probably the strong growth rate. Over the past decade, two-way trade has almost tripled, now reaching more than £9 billion a year. This growth is underpinned by the free trade agreement between the two countries. With Vietnam’s support, the UK also joined the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) last year.

In education, we have seen impressive cooperation. Over the past 15 years, there have been more than 75,000 Vietnamese students studying in the UK, and now around 12,000 Vietnamese students are studying here each year. More importantly, this helps build bridges between the two countries, between people who have studied and lived in the UK, now contributing to society and helping to bring the two countries closer together.

Not only are Vietnamese students coming to the UK, but UK education is also becoming an important part of Vietnam’s future development. Many UK organisations are supporting the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training to implement English as a second language in the national education system.

At the same time, we are also witnessing the strong growth of joint university education programs, allowing students in Vietnam to access high-quality UK courses, such as those from the University of London and many other leading universities, taught right at Vietnamese educational institutions.

In addition, cooperation on Climate and Green Transition is growing strongly. Following Vietnam’s historic commitment at COP26 in 2021 to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, the two countries are working closely through the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP). Recently, a UK energy delegation visited and worked in Vietnam to support the development of the offshore wind industry, an area in which the UK has a lot of practical experience.

Finally, in defence and security cooperation, the UK has supported Vietnam on its path to international integration, for example in UN peacekeeping operations. This is a very dynamic area of ​​cooperation today, contributing to regional and global security.

- It can be seen that the Vietnam-UK bilateral cooperation has contributed to Vietnam's development journey. What is your assessment of Vietnam's economic achievements in recent years?

Ambassador Iain Frew: I am delighted to be able to talk about this, because Vietnam’s development story is truly one of the most remarkable in the world. If you look back over the past three decades, Vietnam has transformed itself dramatically – from a low-income country to a middle-income country, lifting millions of people out of poverty. That achievement is the result of the persistent efforts and long-term investment of the Vietnamese people and the Government.

Today, Vietnam is in a very strong position with important foundations for the next stage of development: a young, well-educated population, a favorable geostrategic location, a developed manufacturing sector, and deep integration into the global supply chain as well as a wide network of free trade agreements.

However, Vietnam also faces the challenge of how to move up the value chain and attract investment in high-tech industries. I find Vietnam’s recent orientations very encouraging, such as Resolution 57 emphasizing innovation as the center of economic development, and Resolution 68 identifying the private sector as the main driving force of the economy. These are very good steps in the right direction for Vietnam to achieve its goal of becoming a developed, high-income country by 2045.

I believe that with partners like the UK, together with seizing opportunities and overcoming global challenges, Vietnam is fully capable of continuing to succeed and realizing its great aspirations and potential in this new stage of development.

- Thank you very much Ambassador Iain Frew!

(TTXVN/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/chuyen-tham-vuong-quoc-anh-cua-tong-bi-thu-to-lam-la-su-kien-mang-tinh-lich-su-post1072970.vnp