Opening a new and promising chapter of cooperation between Vietnam and Finland.

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General Secretary To Lam and President of the Republic of Finland Alexander Stubb after the signing ceremony of cooperation documents. Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA.

This is an important opportunity for the two countries to review the positive achievements of past cooperation, as well as to set major directions, renew the relationship, create momentum, and elevate the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation to a new level.

The Vietnam-Finland strategic partnership is built on 52 years of friendship and cooperation in many fields, based on mutual trust, equality, and respect, with the aim of deepening bilateral and multilateral relations for the benefit of the people of both countries, contributing to promoting peace , stability, and prosperity in the region and the world.

Finland was one of the first Nordic countries to recognize and establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam, on January 25, 1973. The Finnish Embassy in Hanoi was established in 1974, and Vietnam opened its Embassy in Helsinki at the end of 2005. The traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries have been maintained and developed successfully.

For decades, Finland has been a key development aid partner of Vietnam, focusing on areas such as water supply and sanitation, poverty reduction, climate change, and forestry, making significant contributions to Vietnam's socio-economic development. To this day, "clean Finnish water" is still remembered by Vietnamese people as a symbol of friendship and the effective and enduring assistance from their Finnish friends. Many projects in remote areas have contributed to improving and enhancing the lives of Vietnamese people. The two sides regularly exchange delegations at all levels and engage in multilateral activities. Bilateral trade volume remains stable.

Helsinki, the capital of Finland, is a beautiful city with many unique architectural structures and green spaces. In Helsinki, everything from streets and houses to public transportation is designed for maximum efficiency. Here, a solemn welcoming ceremony for General Secretary To Lam and his wife Ngo Phuong Ly, along with the high-level Vietnamese delegation, was held at the Presidential Palace, presided over by Finnish President Alexander Stubb and his wife. This was the highest-level visit by a Vietnamese leader to Finland, demonstrating Vietnam's deep appreciation for its traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Finland.

During the meetings, both sides agreed that the visit was a significant milestone in the history of bilateral relations and emphasized that, in the context of a volatile world, bilateral relations continue to develop strongly.

During the talks, President Alexander Stubb affirmed that Finland always values the development of relations with Vietnam and emphasized that Vietnam is Finland's most important trading partner in Southeast Asia; he expressed his hope that through this visit, the two countries will make significant progress in cooperation in many potential areas.

Highly appreciating Finland's foreign policy and international cooperation aimed at sustainable development and common prosperity, General Secretary To Lam affirmed that Vietnam always values its traditional friendship with Finland; remembering Finland's support for Vietnam in the reconstruction and development of the country, and expressing the hope that Finland will continue to be a reliable partner and companion in Vietnam's new era of development.

On this occasion, the two sides issued a Joint Statement on officially upgrading Vietnam-Finland relations to a Strategic Partnership. Both sides highly appreciated the significant achievements of bilateral relations, affirmed the principles, and set out major directions to promote and strengthen cooperation and develop the traditional friendship and Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and Finland, for the long-term benefit of the people of both countries, and for peace, stability, cooperation, and sustainable development in each region and the world.

Both sides committed to strengthening high-level exchanges at all levels to consolidate political trust and mutual understanding; agreed that economic cooperation is a key pillar in the Strategic Partnership; promoted cooperation programs in the fields of e-government, online public services, circular economy, artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductor technology, 5G/6G telecommunications networks, and green technologies; and expressed their desire to promote academic exchanges, scholarships, and the implementation of programs.

In particular, both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in the fields of agriculture, forestry and aquaculture, and the circular economy, focusing on digital transformation, resource management, and climate change response; they also agreed to promote partnerships and cooperation between businesses, cultural exchanges, and people-to-people exchanges.

To welcome General Secretary To Lam and his wife, along with the high-level Vietnamese delegation on their official visit to Finland, the Vietnamese Embassy in Finland and the city of Helsinki (Finland) jointly organized a special concert program with the participation of numerous Finnish friends and the Vietnamese community in Finland. This contributed to marking a new stage in the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries, geographically distant but close in their aspirations for peace, innovation, and sustainable development.

In an evening filled with emotion, music, friendship, and faith in a bright future for bilateral relations, the concert was not only a welcome but also a special cultural event celebrating a new stage in Vietnam-Finland bilateral relations, opening a new and promising chapter of cooperation.

Ambassador Pham Thi Thanh Binh, Vietnam's Ambassador to Finland, shared that over 50 years of diplomatic relations, Vietnam and Finland have together written a very special story of cooperation – from development aid relations, the two countries have transformed into equal partners, jointly striving towards a green, innovative, and creative future. In particular, following the talks, the leaders of Vietnam and Finland issued a Joint Statement upgrading the Vietnam-Finland relationship to a Strategic Partnership. This is a groundbreaking development, opening up a framework for deeper, more trustworthy, and comprehensive cooperation than ever before, demonstrating firm political trust and a shared vision towards peace, prosperity, and sustainable development.

Particularly impressed by the cooperative, open, and substantive spirit of Finnish businesses – leading global partners in innovation, green technology, and effective governance – at the meeting with exemplary Finnish businesses, the General Secretary expressed confidence that the future holds vast potential, and that the two sides can together build a model of exemplary cooperation between an advanced Nordic economy and a dynamic Southeast Asian nation. This is not only cooperation between the two governments, but also cooperation between the business communities, based on trust, respect, and mutual development.

On this occasion, General Secretary To Lam and the high-level delegations from Vietnam and Finland witnessed the signing ceremony of cooperation documents: Memorandum of Understanding between the Military Telecommunications and Industry Corporation (Viettel) and ICEYE Corporation (in Finland); Memorandum of Understanding between Viettel and Nokia Corporation (in Finland); Memorandum of Understanding between Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) and Nokia Corporation (in Finland); Memorandum of Understanding between VNPT and F-Secure Corporation (in Finland); and Memorandum of Understanding between Vietjet Aviation Joint Stock Company and Airways Aviation Group (in Finland).

During the visit, General Secretary To Lam and the President of Finland witnessed the signing ceremony of cooperation documents: a Memorandum of Understanding on bilateral cooperation in the fields of environment, biodiversity and climate change between the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment of Vietnam and the Ministry of Environment of Finland; a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Finance of Vietnam and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland on supporting and promoting the preparation and implementation of projects funded under the Finnish Public Investment Program; and a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Finance of Vietnam and the Finnish Export Credit Agency.

With a foundation of traditionally good relations and vast potential and room for cooperation, General Secretary To Lam's official visit to the Republic of Finland will open a new phase, creating strong and breakthrough changes in cooperation with Finland; bringing many positive results for the benefit of the people of both countries, and making a positive contribution to peace, stability, cooperation and sustainable development in each region and the world.

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