Ambassador Do Minh Hung: General Secretary To Lam's visit elevates Vietnam-UK relations to a new stage

Ambassador Do Minh Hung expressed his belief that General Secretary To Lam's visit to the UK will comprehensively promote the multifaceted cooperation between the two countries to a new height, contributing to realizing the country's development goals in the next period.

General Secretary To Lam and his wife, along with a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, are about to pay an official visit to the UK. (Photo: Nguyen Hong)

On the occasion of General Secretary To Lam and his wife and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation's upcoming official visit to the UK, Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK Do Minh Hung answered The Gioi va Viet Nam Newspaper, emphasizing the importance of the visit as well as the outstanding marks of the Vietnam-UK Strategic Partnership.

How does the Ambassador assess the significance of General Secretary To Lam’s upcoming official visit to the UK, especially when the two countries celebrate 15 years of Strategic Partnership (2010 – 2025)? During the visit, what are the key activities expected to be highlighted by key Vietnamese leaders?

Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK Do Minh Hung.

From October 28-30, General Secretary To Lam and his wife, along with a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, will pay an official visit to the UK at the invitation of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. This is the first visit by a General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam to the UK in 12 years, on the occasion of the two countries celebrating the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Strategic Partnership (2010-2025).

The official visit to the UK by General Secretary To Lam and his wife along with the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation took place in the context of multifaceted cooperation between the two countries through the Strategic Partnership framework having developed very well in recent years.

In terms of diplomacy, the two sides regularly exchange delegations at all levels and effectively implement bilateral cooperation mechanisms, supporting each other at multilateral forums and international organizations.

Economically, trade has maintained a positive growth rate of 18-20% annually for many years, and Vietnam is the UK's leading trade partner in Southeast Asia. Cooperation in the fields of education and training, science and technology, national defense and security, and people-to-people exchange has achieved many positive results.

The visit is of great significance, an opportunity for both sides to discuss and agree on directions to promote and elevate the relationship to a new level in the coming period, increase political trust, improve the effectiveness of cooperation in traditional fields such as trade and investment, education and training, science and technology, and expand cooperation in new fields that are the UK's strengths and are suitable for Vietnam's development requirements such as finance, high technology, strategic infrastructure, green energy, and sustainable development.

The visit affirms Vietnam's foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification, multilateralization, for peace, cooperation and development, contributing to enhancing Vietnam's prestige and foreign position in the region and the world.

During the visit, General Secretary To Lam is expected to hold talks with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, meet with leaders of the National Assembly to discuss and agree on measures to promote the strategic partnership between the two countries, attend and give a speech at a high-level economic conference with many large British enterprises to enhance cooperation in finance - banking, energy, science - technology and green development.

At Oxford University, the UK's leading research and training center, General Secretary To Lam is expected to deliver an important policy speech on the vision for the framework of Vietnam-UK relations and the renovation and development orientation of Vietnam in the era of national development.

During the visit, the General Secretary will also meet with representatives of the Vietnamese community living, studying and working in the UK, as one of the first activities of the visit, affirming the consistent policy of the Party and State towards the Vietnamese community abroad and the General Secretary's attention to the Vietnamese community in the UK.

During the visit, the two sides are expected to sign and approve many important cooperation documents in the fields of politics - diplomacy, economics - trade, science - technology, green transformation, and sustainable development.

Many cooperation agreements between universities and businesses of the two countries will also be signed, opening up huge opportunities in training, research, finance, banking and healthcare – areas of strength in the UK and in line with Vietnam's development orientation.

I firmly believe that the official visit to the UK by General Secretary To Lam and his wife along with the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation will be a great success, comprehensively promoting the multifaceted cooperation between the two countries to a new height, contributing to the realization of the country's development goals in the new period and enhancing Vietnam's prestige and foreign position in the region and the world.

Party Central Committee Secretary and Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung held a phone conversation with British Foreign Office Minister Yvette Cooper on the evening of October 18, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (Photo: Jackie Chan)

What are the key areas of focus in the Vietnam-UK Strategic Partnership, Ambassador? What are your expectations for the momentum of the visit for the future bilateral relationship?

The Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and the UK is currently at a very good stage of development, with many outstanding achievements in the fields of bilateral cooperation as well as effective coordination between the two countries at multilateral forums and international organizations.

In terms of politics and diplomacy, the two countries regularly maintain delegation exchanges at all levels, especially high-level ones, and effectively implement bilateral cooperation mechanisms such as the Deputy Foreign Minister-level Strategic Dialogue and the Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO).

In the field of security and defense, the two sides maintain the Defense Policy Consultation and Migration Dialogue, focusing on cooperation in peacekeeping training, preventing organized crime, cyber security and illegal migration.

Recently, the Strategic Action Plan for the 2024-2026 period is being effectively implemented, focusing on priority areas such as politics, diplomacy, economy, sustainable growth, science and technology, education, human resource development and cooperation in responding to climate change.

In terms of economics and trade, the UK-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA) implemented since 2021 has helped bilateral trade turnover grow strongly in the context of global economic difficulties, reaching a record of 8.4 billion USD in 2024 (up 18% compared to 2023). The two sides aim to soon increase bilateral trade turnover to 10 billion USD in the coming time. The UK is currently Vietnam's third largest trading partner in Europe and Vietnam is the UK's largest trading partner in Southeast Asia.

In terms of investment, by 2024, the UK has 587 investment projects with a total capital of nearly 4.46 billion USD, focusing mainly on the fields of finance - banking, information technology, manufacturing, renewable energy and service industries such as education, healthcare, transportation, and real estate. These are areas in which the UK has strengths and are consistent with Vietnam's economic development orientation, green transformation and innovation.

Education, training and science and technology cooperation between Vietnam and the UK is also a bright spot in the bilateral relationship with many important steps forward in recent years. The two sides signed a Memorandum of Understanding on educational cooperation in 2019, with strong coordination between leading universities in the UK and Vietnam in training, teaching, scientific research and academic exchange. The UK also actively supports improving English training capacity in Vietnam and expanding scholarships for Vietnamese students to study in the UK.

As I mentioned above, the upcoming official visit to the UK by General Secretary To Lam and his wife along with the Vietnamese high-ranking delegation is of utmost importance, especially in promoting and elevating the relationship to a new height in the coming period.

The potential for cooperation between the two countries is assessed to be very large, especially in the areas of the UK's strengths and in line with our development goals such as digital transformation, innovation, financial and banking cooperation, especially the International Financial Center project in Vietnam, sustainable energy, human resource development, and scientific research. The two sides agreed that the above cooperation areas will be new driving forces for the multifaceted cooperation between the two countries in the new development period.

Vietnam and the UK signed an action plan to prevent and combat human trafficking in April 2025. (Source: British Embassy in Vietnam)

Over the years, the UK has always been one of the top choices for Vietnamese students studying abroad. In the coming time, what should the two countries do to promote educational and training cooperation in priority areas such as science and technology, innovation, international finance, semiconductors, etc., while strengthening friendly ties through young ambassadors who are Vietnamese students who studied in the UK?

Over the years, the UK has always been an attractive priority destination for Vietnamese students, with about 15,000 students currently studying at UK universities, colleges and high schools.

Educational cooperation between Vietnam and the UK has been a bright spot in the Strategic Partnership, creating a solid foundation for developing high-quality human resources to meet the challenges and requirements of the era of technology and innovation globally.

Priority areas such as science and technology, innovation, international finance and the semiconductor industry play an important role in the socio-economic development orientation of both countries. Vietnam values ​​innovation and high technology as a new driving force for development, focusing on developing new technology industries such as semiconductor chips, artificial intelligence, green technology, energy conversion, and finance, while the UK is a leading research and innovation center, possessing a developed technology ecosystem and financial market.

To promote cooperation in education and training in these fields, the two sides need to expand academic exchange programs, develop interdisciplinary research projects and organize in-depth seminars to share knowledge and practical experience. At the same time, enhance the training of high-quality human resources through joint training programs, student and expert exchanges between schools and educational institutions.

The role of Vietnamese students in the UK is very important in enhancing people-to-people exchanges and consolidating the friendly relationship between the two countries. This student community is also a cultural ambassador, a bridge to inspire and promote the country's cultural traditions and image.

Building and developing a network of Vietnamese students in the UK, organizing community activities and developing leadership skills will help promote this role, while creating conditions for them to contribute to promoting bilateral relations and contributing to the country's future development.

Thank you very much, Ambassador!

"I firmly believe that the official visit to the UK by General Secretary To Lam and his wife along with the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation will be a great success, comprehensively promoting the multifaceted cooperation between the two countries to a new height, contributing to the realization of the country's development goals in the new period and enhancing Vietnam's prestige and foreign position in the region and the world." (Ambassador Do Minh Hung)

Ambassador Do Minh Hung (front row, 4th from left) and delegates attending the 10th Congress of the Vietnamese Students' Association in the UK (SVUK), term 2024-2026, December 2024.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/dai-su-do-minh-hung-chuyen-tham-cua-tong-bi-thu-to-lam-nang-tam-quan-he-viet-nam-anh-trong-giai-doan-moi-332323.html