Jordan's King's visit to Vietnam: A milestone opening the way to the future.

The presence of Jordanian King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein in Hanoi in mid-November marked a historic milestone for Vietnam-Jordan relations, opening up a future of stronger, more substantive, and more effective cooperation between the two countries.

General Secretary To Lam receives King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein of Jordan.

Making history

Taking place on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations (August 9, 1980 - August 9, 2025), the visit of King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein of Jordan to Vietnam is of great significance. This is the first visit by the King of Jordan and also the first visit at the head of state level between the two countries, and marks the first time in nine years that a Middle Eastern head of state has visited Vietnam.

The presence of the head of state of the Kingdom of Jordan in Hanoi during a significant year for bilateral relations demonstrates Jordan's appreciation and desire to promote and deepen cooperation with Vietnam. At the same time, the visit affirms Vietnam's consistent policy of valuing friendly relations and cooperation with Arab countries in general and Jordan in particular.

During his time in Hanoi, the King of Jordan attended the official welcoming ceremony and held talks with President Luong Cuong; met with General Secretary To Lam, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man; visited the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and laid wreaths at the Monument to the Martyrs. In addition, the head of the Kingdom of Jordan also participated in two events that fostered bilateral cooperation: the Vietnam-Jordan Business Forum and the Textile and Garment Business Roundtable.

Vietnamese President Luong Cuong and King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein of Jordan held talks on November 12. (Source: VNA)

Sharing his joy at visiting Vietnam for the first time, during the meetings, King Abdullah II Ibn Al expressed his admiration for Vietnam's development achievements and affirmed his desire to promote comprehensive cooperation with Vietnam.

Emphasizing that the first head-of-state visit between Vietnam and Jordan took place at a crucial time for both countries, General Secretary To Lam stated that Vietnam and Jordan have great potential to further promote effective cooperation not only for the benefit of the people of both countries but also for the benefit of ASEAN and the Middle East. According to General Secretary To Lam, with similarities in policies of peace, independence, self-reliance, and cooperation for mutual development, Vietnam and Jordan will become reliable partners in their respective regions, leveraging each other's strengths to achieve breakthroughs in development for the benefit of their people.

Assessing that Vietnam and Jordan share many similarities in their indomitable spirit and persistent struggle for independence and national liberation, President Luong Cuong affirmed that Vietnam values ​​and wishes to strongly, substantively, and effectively promote multifaceted cooperation with Jordan.

Expressing his pleasure at meeting the King of Jordan again after five months since attending the Third United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed his desire to promote more substantive and effective economic cooperation between the two countries. The Prime Minister affirmed that Vietnam is ready to create favorable conditions for large Jordanian corporations to invest in Vietnam and suggested that businesses from both countries explore the possibility of cooperation and joint investment; as well as seek new models of agricultural cooperation to improve efficiency and reduce production costs…

Meanwhile, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man emphasized that the Vietnamese National Assembly is ready to create favorable legal conditions and promote policies supporting bilateral cooperation; coordinate the monitoring of the implementation of cooperation agreements between the two countries, thereby promoting comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.

Both sides acknowledged that Vietnam-Jordan cooperation in recent years has been modest, not commensurate with the potential and expectations of the leaders and people of the two countries, and agreed to move bilateral relations into a new phase of development.

Based on that, both sides agreed on the need to strengthen political trust through exchange visits, especially high-level delegations. They agreed to effectively implement the Memorandum of Cooperation between the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs signed during the visit, to explore the possibility of early signing of agreements to establish other cooperation mechanisms, and to appoint honorary consuls in each country to promote cooperation. The two Ministries of Foreign Affairs will act as focal points for exchanging measures to promote bilateral cooperation, including harmonizing the regulations of both sides to create a favorable legal framework for cooperation in various fields.

Direct exchanges between key leaders of the two countries have further deepened political trust, supported the implementation of each country's independent and self-reliant foreign policy, and laid the foundation for the substantive development of bilateral relations in the coming period.

Future vision

King Abdullah II Ibn Al's visit takes place at a time when both Vietnam and Jordan are looking forward to a significant year in 2026, as Jordan celebrates its 80th National Day, while the Communist Party of Vietnam holds its 14th National Congress – a congress of paramount importance, setting out directions for Vietnam to enter a new era of development.

The two nations share many similarities in their indomitable spirit, their persistent struggle for independence and national liberation, and their aspirations for sustainable development in the future. Similar to Vietnam, Jordan has achieved many successes in the nearly 80 years since gaining independence, particularly in the effective implementation of its "Vision for Economic Modernization," which focuses on economic reform towards sustainability, efficiency, and social equity. With shared strengths such as the diligence and creativity of their people, high-quality education, and efforts in developing science, technology, and digital transformation, Vietnam and Jordan can become reliable partners in the future.

To realize the potential for cooperation, the visit of the King of Jordan clarified the direction of bilateral relations. Focusing on the economy, with the goal of achieving trade turnover of US$500 million by 2030 and US$1 billion by 2035, both sides agreed to facilitate market access for key products, while encouraging businesses from both countries to cooperate and invest in infrastructure, green economy, digital economy, telecommunications, agricultural production and processing, as well as promoting connectivity in the startup and innovation ecosystem. Both sides also considered studying the possibility of opening a direct flight route and facilitating visa procedures for citizens.

Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung welcomes Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and Jordanian expatriate Ayman Al Safadi. (Photo: Thanh Long)

Vietnam expressed its readiness to boost exports of its key agricultural products to Jordan, while Jordan committed to supporting Vietnam's development of the Halal industry through information sharing, experience exchange, certification guidance, and market access for Vietnamese Halal products.

In addition, the two sides exchanged views on measures to promote cooperation in healthcare, a strength of Jordan, particularly in areas such as telemedicine and the application of technology in medicine.

To nurture a shared future, both sides agreed to strengthen student exchanges and academic exchanges, especially in emerging fields such as science, technology, artificial intelligence, and semiconductors.

Against the backdrop of complex developments in the world and the region, Vietnam and Jordan support promoting cooperation to address new challenges. At the multilateral level, both sides agreed on the need to continue consultations and support each other's candidacies, as well as to act as a bridge to promote cooperation between the Arab League and ASEAN.

On this occasion, Party Central Committee Secretary and Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Jordan signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs and a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam and the Diplomatic Academy of Jordan.

Against the backdrop of both countries promoting socio-economic development policies, the vision of substantive cooperation between Vietnam and Jordan is clearly demonstrated through activities aimed at strengthening connections and promoting cooperation between the business communities of both sides within the framework of King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein's visit.

As the first state-level visit to Vietnam at a significant time for both countries, the visit of the King of Jordan laid a solid foundation for bilateral relations to enter a new, more substantive and effective phase, for the benefit of the development and prosperity of both nations.

Source: TGVN newspaper  

Source: https://ngoaivu.nghean.gov.vn/tin-trong-tinh/quoc-vuong-jordan-tham-viet-nam-moc-son-mo-tuong-lai-982936