The first time a Vietnamese General Secretary visited Finland

Deputy Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang answers questions before General Secretary To Lam's visit to Finland - Photo: Provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

At the invitation of Finnish President Alexander Stubb, General Secretary To Lam and his wife, along with a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, will pay an official visit to Finland from October 20 to 22.

Responding to the press, Deputy Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang said this was the first visit by a General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam to Finland since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1973.

"The visit carries a message of sincere affection and respect from the Party, State and people of Vietnam towards Finland, a country that has actively helped Vietnam in the past struggle to defend the Fatherland and in the current cause of national construction and development," Ms. Hang shared.

Looking back at history, Finland was one of the first Nordic countries to recognize and establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam.

For decades, Finland has been an important development aid partner of Vietnam, focusing on areas such as water supply and drainage, poverty reduction, climate change, forestry, etc., making an important contribution to the economic and social development process in Vietnam.

Until now, "clean Finnish water" is still mentioned by Vietnamese people as a symbol of friendship and effective and lasting assistance from Finnish friends. Many projects in remote areas have contributed to improving and enhancing the lives of Vietnamese people.

In addition to the above meaning, according to Ms. Hang, the visit is also an important opportunity for the two sides to jointly set out major orientations, renew relations, create momentum, and bring traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation to new heights.

Besides enhancing political trust between Vietnam and Finland, the General Secretary's visit will create opportunities for deeper and more comprehensive cooperation in many fields.

Especially in potential fields such as digital economy, green economy, circular economy, science and technology, maritime, renewable energy, high-tech agriculture - fields that Vietnam prioritizes and Finland has strengths and experience.

In a broader view, the visit is also an important opportunity for Vietnam to promote cooperation with the Nordic region, while promoting Vietnam's bridging role in connecting Finland with ASEAN, and the EU with ASEAN.

Thereby contributing to strengthening regional connectivity in the context of a rapidly changing world with many challenges that need to be jointly resolved and responded to as present.

With the foundation of good traditional relations, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs believes that General Secretary To Lam's visit will open a new phase, creating a strong and breakthrough change in cooperation with Finland.

Many opportunities to expand Vietnam - Finland cooperation

After more than 50 years of establishing diplomatic relations, Finland continues to be an important partner of Vietnam in the Nordic region. Vietnam-Finland relations have shifted from development cooperation to mutually beneficial cooperation.

Two-way trade turnover has grown continuously in recent years, reaching 422.5 million USD in 2024, and more than 279 million USD in the first 9 months of 2025.

Cooperation in the field of education and training has been expanded, currently there are nearly 20 Vietnamese higher education institutions cooperating effectively with Finnish partners. More than 2,500 Vietnamese students are studying in the Nordic country in the fields of economics, information technology, tourism...

Cooperation in other fields such as science - technology, culture - sports, tourism, labor... has developed positively. Cooperation in new fields such as circular economy, high-tech agriculture, green transformation, renewable energy... promises to bring new cooperation frameworks suitable to the potential and needs of each side.

Tuoitre.vn

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/lan-dau-tien-mot-tong-bi-thu-viet-nam-den-phan-lan-20251019194740209.htm