Strengthening the good traditional friendship between Vietnam and Finland

At the invitation of President of the Republic of Finland Alexander Stubb, General Secretary To Lam and his wife, along with a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, paid an official visit to the Republic of Finland from October 20 to 22, 2025.

This is the first visit by our Party General Secretary to Finland since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1973, demonstrating the importance of the traditional friendly partnership and multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and Finland; at the same time opening up a new space for strategic cooperation between the two countries.

More than 5 decades of good friendship and development

Finland is a long-standing partner and friend of Vietnam. The two countries established diplomatic relations on January 25, 1973. Over the past half century, Finland has always been a trusted friend, actively supporting Vietnam in the struggle for national independence and reunification in the past, as well as supporting Vietnam in the process of national construction and development today. The traditional friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Finland has always been maintained and actively developed in many fields, especially in politics - diplomacy, trade, development cooperation, education and training. Finland identifies Vietnam as a priority partner in the region to substantially implement the goals stated in the Action Plan for Southeast Asia 2015.

The two sides actively maintain delegation exchanges and bilateral contacts at all levels.

On the Vietnamese side, there were visits to Finland by: Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet (June 1995); Prime Minister Phan Van Khai (September 1999); Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung (September 2006); President Nguyen Minh Triet (May 2010); Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung met with Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb on the sidelines of the 10th ASEM Conference in Milan (Italy) (October 2014); National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan met with Finnish Parliament Speaker Maria Lohela on the sidelines of the 11th World Summit of Women Speakers of Parliament in the UAE (December 2016); Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son met with Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen on the sidelines of the 24th ASEAN-EU Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AEMM-24) and the 3rd Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum (IPMF-3) in Brussels (Belgium) (February 2024); General Secretary and President To Lam met with Finnish President Alexander Stubb on the occasion of attending the Future Summit and the High-level General Debate of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York (USA) (September 24, 2024); Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha paid a working visit to Finland (November 2024); Deputy Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang paid a working visit to Finland (September 2025)...

For more than half a century, Finland has always been a trusted friend, actively supporting Vietnam in the struggle for national independence and reunification in the past, as well as supporting Vietnam in the cause of national construction and development today.

On the Finnish side, there were visits to Vietnam by: President Tarja Halonen (February 2008); Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen attended the ASEM 5 Conference in Vietnam (October 2004), paid an official visit (November 2009); Speaker of the Parliament Sauli Niinistö (January 2010); Finnish Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Antti Kurvinen (October 2022); Speaker of the Parliament Jussi Halla-aho (March 2024); Minister in charge of employment under the Finnish Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment Arto Olavi Satonen visited and worked (January 2025)...

The two countries currently maintain the mechanism of Political Consultation meetings at the Deputy Minister and Director level of the Foreign Affairs Department (the last one held in Hanoi on November 29, 2022, at the Director level).

General Secretary and President To Lam met with Finnish President Alexander Stubb in September 2024. (Photo: Lam Khanh/VNA)

The two sides also cooperate effectively and support each other in regional and international forums, especially at the United Nations and the ASEAN-EU framework. For Finland, Vietnam is a gateway to develop relations in the Southeast Asian region. The two sides share views on many international issues. Finland supports Vietnam's foreign policy, contributes to peace and stability, and supports free trade in the region.

Effective cooperation in many fields

Economy, trade and investment are Finland's top priorities in relations with Vietnam. In 2020, two-way trade turnover reached 337.4 million USD; in 2021, 511.6 million USD; in 2022, 431.7 million USD; in 2023, 375.7 million USD; in 2024, 422 million USD; and in the first 7 months of 2025, 216 million USD.

The main items that Vietnam exports to Finland are iron and steel, footwear, textiles, rubber, means of transport, wooden furniture, bicycles, computers, electronic components, spare parts... The items that Vietnam imports from Finland include: equipment, machinery, spare parts, textile materials, iron and steel of all kinds, wood and wood products, chemical products, paper...

Finland currently has 37 investment projects in Vietnam with a total capital of 50.8 million USD. Vietnam currently has 10 investment projects in Finland with a total investment capital of 1.135 million USD. Many large Finnish enterprises such as Nokia, Vaisala, Valmet, KONE... have been operating effectively in Vietnam, contributing to promoting digital transformation, green development and innovation.

Vietnam is increasingly affirming its position as Finland's leading trade partner in Southeast Asia, demonstrated by being one of four Asian countries that are Finland's priority partners in trade and investment policy.

Vietnam is increasingly affirming its position as Finland's leading trade partner in Southeast Asia, demonstrated by being one of four Asian countries that are Finland's priority partners in trade and investment policy.

Regarding aid, over the past five decades, Finland has always considered Vietnam one of the priority partners in allocating non-refundable aid with a total value of about 340 million USD, focusing on the fields of water supply and drainage, poverty reduction, climate change, and forestry.

In particular, Finland is a country with a prosperous economy. This country chooses a green development path, focusing on people and focusing on protecting nature, the environment, protecting and developing forest resources. Vietnam has advantages in the production and export of agricultural, forestry and fishery products, is a potential market with more than 100 million people and is the gateway to the Southeast Asian market, a very dynamic economy.

The main items Vietnam exports to Finland are iron and steel, footwear, textiles, rubber, means of transport, wooden furniture... (Photo: VNA)

In October 2022, Vietnam and Finland signed a Memorandum of Understanding on agricultural cooperation, contributing to promoting bilateral trade cooperation in agriculture, promoting the strengths of agriculture, forestry and fisheries of both countries.

In addition, Finland has long been known as a world leader in education, science-technology and innovation, with proud achievements in areas such as digital technology, clean energy, artificial intelligence and semiconductors. These are also areas that Vietnam is prioritizing strong development to achieve the goal of transforming the growth model, towards a knowledge-based, green and sustainable economy.

In science and technology cooperation, the two sides signed the Framework Agreement on the Vietnam-Finland Innovation Partnership Program (IPP) in 2008, which is an important foundation for cooperation between the two countries in science, technology and innovation. Recently, there is a cooperation agreement on 5G network technology and smart seaports and airports between VNPT Group and Nokia Group of Finland (August 2022).

Education and training cooperation between the two countries has also developed well, thereby creating favorable conditions for Vietnamese students to study in Finland. The two sides have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of education and 18 Memorandums of Understanding on cooperation between educational institutions of the two countries. Vietnam currently has nearly 20 higher education institutions actively cooperating with Finnish partners and more than 2,500 Vietnamese students studying in Finland in the fields of economics, information technology, tourism, etc.

In 2025, the two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in transferring experts, skilled workers, and seasonal workers to work in Finland with standards and conditions equivalent to those of Finnish citizens.

In addition, about 16,000 Vietnamese people living and working in Finland are also an important bridge, further tightening the friendship between the two countries. The Vietnamese community in Finland has integrated well, actively contributing to the development of both the locality and the relationship between the two countries, always striving to maintain the national cultural identity, and looking towards the homeland.

Highlights of General Secretary To Lam's visit to Finland

Building on the foundation of a well-developed relationship, the official visit to the Republic of Finland by General Secretary To Lam and his wife along with the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation from October 20 to 22, 2025 is an important milestone, demonstrating the importance of the traditional friendly partnership and multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and Finland. The visit demonstrates the depth, strategic nature and comprehensiveness of the relationship between the two countries.

General Secretary To Lam will hold talks and meet with senior Finnish leaders, discuss cooperation orientations in the coming period, and witness the signing of important cooperation documents between the two sides in areas that are new pillars to promote substantive, effective, and sustainable cooperation.

In addition to political and foreign affairs activities, the General Secretary will meet and exchange with representatives of large Finnish enterprises and visit a number of typical economic and educational establishments that are cooperating with Vietnam, aiming to promote economic, scientific - technological, educational and innovation connections between the two countries.
In addition, the visit will also include cultural exchange activities, meetings with the Vietnamese community and Finnish friends, demonstrating the spirit of "cultural diplomacy, people's diplomacy" - a humane, close and meaningful highlight.

The visit is an opportunity for the two countries to promote cooperation in traditional fields, while creating breakthroughs in cooperation in areas where Finland has strengths and Vietnam has needs such as: circular economy; development, capacity building and transfer of information and telecommunications technology, high-tech science; promoting defense-security cooperation, maritime cooperation, marine science-economy, management and sustainable development of resources...

Vietnamese Ambassador to Finland Pham Thi Thanh Binh emphasized that the visit is expected to open a new phase of cooperation between Vietnam and Finland, which is more substantial, effective and sustainable, in line with the era of the Vietnamese people's rise, as well as the spirit of cooperation, innovation and sharing that the two peoples are aiming for./.