At noon on January 18 (6:00 p.m. Vietnam time), Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife, along with a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, left Davos (Switzerland) for an official visit to Hungary at the invitation of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

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Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife arrive in Budapest. Photo: Nhat Bac

At the airport to welcome the Prime Minister were Hungarian State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Economic Relations Sztáray Péter András, Hungarian Ambassador to Vietnam Baloghdi Tibor; Director of State Protocol (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) of Hungary Anett Varga; Vietnamese Ambassador to Hungary Nguyen Thi Bich Thao, officials and staff of the Embassy and Vietnamese expatriates in Hungary.

This is the first delegation exchange at the Prime Minister level between Vietnam and Hungary in the past 7 years.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh is expected to attend the welcoming ceremony and hold talks chaired by the Hungarian Prime Minister, witness the signing of cooperation documents and meet the press. The Prime Minister will also meet with a number of Hungarian leaders.

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Leaders of the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the Prime Minister and his delegation at the airport. Photo: Nhat Bac

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will have a number of activities in Hungary; visit the Embassy, ​​meet with officials, staff of the Embassy and representatives of the Vietnamese community in Hungary...

Vietnam and Hungary established diplomatic relations on February 3, 1950. Before the visit, speaking to the press, Deputy Minister and State Secretary for Parliamentary Relations of the Hungarian Ministry of European Affairs Zsigmond Barna Pál affirmed that this is a historic visit. Hungary currently has a very good relationship with Vietnam and wishes to enhance cooperation in all areas.

The upcoming summit between the two Prime Ministers is of historic importance and the bilateral relationship can be further developed by building on the existing cooperation and Comprehensive Partnership between the two countries. The two countries have potential for cooperation in education, parliament, finance and justice...

In addition, opportunities for cooperation in research, science, technology and academia can be realized through expert exchange programs or joint training courses. Economic and trade relations have new opportunities and prospects to deepen and strengthen bilateral cooperation, especially in Hungarian agricultural products.

"The two countries have many things in common as well as ideas that need to be shared, including solutions that Vietnam and Hungary face to the major challenges of the world today. In addition, education also plays a key role in the multifaceted bilateral relationship between Hungary and Vietnam," he said.

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Embassy staff and Vietnamese expatriates in Hungary went to the airport to welcome the Prime Minister. Photo: Nhat Bac

He said that Hungary and Vietnam are planning a number of joint projects. High-level meetings between the two countries could provide a good opportunity to build joint projects that would benefit the people of both countries.

In addition, judicial cooperation and assistance has been one of the priorities that Hungary has given to Vietnam for many years. In the past few months alone, the Hungarian Minister of Justice, the Chief Prosecutor of the Hungarian Supreme Court and the First Vice President of the Hungarian Parliament have all visited Vietnam.

Mr. Zsigmond Barna Pál shared: "Currently, we also have a good friend who is a member of parliament, Chairman of the Hungary-Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Group in the parliament, Mr. Kristóf Szatmáry. He is a person who participates a lot in building relationships between the Vietnamese community and the Hungarian Government".

The Vietnamese community has integrated well into Hungarian society, mainly living and working in the capital Budapest, which has made the capital of Hungary a colorful and culturally vibrant place.

Many members of the community work in the trade and catering sectors. Local Vietnamese are admired for their fluency in Hungarian and some have become famous in the Hungarian music industry.

"And of course, Vietnam is famous for its cuisine. We have experienced great Vietnamese cuisine. The Vietnamese community in Budapest runs many famous family restaurants in the city. And these restaurants are not only the center of the Vietnamese community but also loved by many local Hungarians," he added.

Tran Thuong from Budapest, Hungary

'Precious friendship' between Vietnam and Hungary is not something every country has

'Precious friendship' between Vietnam and Hungary is not something every country has

Vietnam and Hungary have a close, loyal friendship, always helping and supporting each other, sharing common values. This is a common, valuable asset that not every country has.