Within the framework of the official visit to the Czech Republic, on the evening of January 18 local time, in the capital Prague, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh , his wife Le Thi Bich Tran and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation met with officials, staff of the Embassy and the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic.
At the meeting, Vietnamese Ambassador to the Czech Republic Duong Hoai Nam reported that the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and the Czech Republic have developed positively in recent times. The Czech Republic currently considers Vietnam a priority partner and gateway to the Asia -Pacific region.
Bilateral trade has increased rapidly, doubling on average every 5 years, reaching 2.9 billion USD in 2023 and 3.8 billion USD in 2024, of which Vietnam exported 3.3 billion USD to the Czech Republic. The Czech Republic is the first country in the EU to ratify the Vietnam-EU Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA).
Education is a very potential field of cooperation. More and more Vietnamese students are studying in the Czech Republic with European education standards but the university study time is only 3 years and the cost is affordable.
The two sides also have great opportunities to promote cooperation in tourism, culture, and labor. In particular, the Vietnamese Government's decision to exempt visas for Czech citizens entering the country for group tourism purposes regardless of passport type will be a big boost.
The Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic currently has about 100,000 people, the third largest ethnic minority community in the Czech Republic, and also the third largest Vietnamese community in Europe, always united and looking towards their homeland and country.
Mr. Hoang Dinh Thang, member of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, President of the Union of Vietnamese Associations in Europe, said that the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic is considered to be industrious, hard-working, and diligent, contributing positively to the development of the host country and bilateral relations, and is one of the Vietnamese communities in the world with a very unified and well-organized association.
Mr. Hoang Dinh Thang and the people attending the meeting made a number of recommendations and proposals related to participating in and organizing the National Great Unity Day far from home; returning to Vietnamese nationality; opening a direct flight from Prague to Hanoi.
Sharing with the staff of the Embassy and overseas Vietnamese, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed his joy at the continuous growth and maturity of the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic, affirming its position and role in the host country, proving the capacity and intelligence of Vietnamese people, living and working in accordance with the law, many people have become rich and the Vietnamese intellectual community has also developed.
Notably, the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic is the first Vietnamese community in the world to be legally recognized as an ethnic minority by other countries. This is thanks to the efforts of the political system under the leadership of the Party, diplomatic agencies and the community.
The Prime Minister said that this visit aims to elevate the bilateral relationship to a new height and kick off the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries (1950-2025), with traditional friendship and many core values; promote cooperation in the fields of politics-diplomacy, trade, investment, culture, education, defense, security, and people-to-people exchange.
The Prime Minister emphasized that the world has changed a lot, but the relationship between Vietnam and the Czech Republic has not been affected. The long-standing tradition has been increasingly consolidated and enhanced, and is developing better and better.
“The past years have been good, but the coming years must be even better. This is the law of development and also the desire of both the Czech Republic and Vietnam, especially the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic,” the Prime Minister emphasized.
During the visit, the Prime Minister is expected to ask authorities at all levels of the Czech Republic to continue creating more favorable conditions for the Vietnamese community to live, study, work, and further integrate into the host society, maximize their abilities, and contribute to the development of the Czech Republic and to the friendly relations between the two countries.
The Prime Minister affirmed that our Party and State always care about and identify the Vietnamese community abroad as an inseparable part of the great national unity bloc.
Institutionalizing the Party's guidelines, we have continued to amend, supplement, and perfect laws and regulations related to nationality, identity, land, housing, etc. to ensure the legitimate rights and interests of Vietnamese people abroad.
At the same time, in the new context, the Prime Minister said it is necessary to change the way of doing things to maximize the room for development, potential differences, outstanding opportunities, and competitive advantages in the relationship between the two countries.
Along with promoting the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), we need to promote the ratification of the EVIPA Agreement, have appropriate visa policies, labor policies and nationality regulations, and promote transport connectivity...
Responding to the people's proposals and recommendations, the Prime Minister said that the Government will report and propose to competent authorities to amend and supplement the Law on Vietnamese Nationality; discuss with the Vietnam Fatherland Front about the content of the proposal related to organizing the National Great Unity Day; and direct agencies and units to promote aviation connections between Vietnam and the Czech Republic, including studying the form of connecting flights.
The Prime Minister said that he will assign sectors and agencies according to their authority to carry out specific tasks with the spirit of "what is said must be done, what is committed must be done, what is done must have specific results."
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh requested the Embassy to closely follow and grasp the situation accurately, accurately and promptly to advise the Party and State, propose clear people, clear work, clear time, clear responsibility, clear products; contribute to promoting the relationship between the two countries, which has a 75-year tradition with core values, to develop increasingly well.
Along with that, continue to do a good job with overseas Vietnamese, build a system and community network, and especially find the fastest way to approach people when they encounter difficulties, misfortunes, and crises, consider people as family members, put yourself in their shoes to solve problems with all your heart, absolutely no negativity or harassment.
Prime Minister receives Chairman of the Czech-Vietnam Friendship Association, Chairman of the Czech Communist Party-Movara
On the afternoon of January 18 local time, in Prague, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had a meeting with President of the Czech-Vietnam Friendship Association Milos Kusy.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh was pleased to meet with President of the Czech-Vietnam Friendship Association Milos Kusy and close friends of Vietnam; affirming that the Vietnamese people always appreciate the sentiments, valuable support and wholehearted assistance of the Czech people for Vietnam in the past struggle for national independence and reunification and in the current national construction and development.
Appreciating the activities of the Czech-Vietnam Friendship Association and its President, who has always supported the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic, as well as actively participated in exchange and connection activities between the people of the two countries, the Prime Minister affirmed that the Vietnamese State always supports and creates favorable conditions for the Association to continue operating and stand side by side with the Vietnamese people.
Informing the President of the Czech-Vietnam Friendship Association and Czech friends about the socio-economic situation of Vietnam, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said that his visit to the Czech Republic this time aims to further strengthen the traditional friendship between Vietnam and the Czech Republic in all fields and further tighten the friendship between the two peoples; he requested the Friendship Association to continue to support and promote the Vietnam-Czech relationship to become increasingly deeper, more substantive and effective.
Thanking Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh for taking the time to meet him, the President of the Czech-Vietnam Friendship Association recalled Prime Minister Pham Van Dong's visit to the Czech Republic in 1957 with many important marks; he believed that Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's visit to the Czech Republic this time would open a new phase in the relationship between the two countries.
Expressing his admiration for Vietnam's remarkable development, President of the Czech-Vietnam Friendship Association Milos Kusy said that the Association has closely coordinated with the Vietnamese Embassy in the Czech Republic, associations of Vietnamese people in the Czech Republic and the Vietnam-Czech Friendship Association, contributing to promoting Vietnam-Czech relations in general and between ministries, branches and localities of the two countries.
Mr. Milos Kusy suggested that Vietnam coordinate with the Czech Republic to promote people-to-people exchange, creating conditions for people of the two countries to better understand each other's country, people and culture, including the construction of a Vietnamese Cultural Center in the Czech Republic; affirming that the Czech-Vietnam Friendship Association will do its utmost to stand side by side with Vietnam in the process of developing and nurturing the relationship between the two countries.
Agreeing with the proposal of the Chairman of the Czech-Vietnam Friendship Association, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said he would assign the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant ministries and agencies to study the construction of a Vietnamese Cultural Center in the Czech Republic, in line with Vietnam's policy of internationalizing Vietnamese culture and Vietnamizing the quintessence of world culture.
On the afternoon of January 18 local time, in the capital Prague, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh received Ms. Katerina Konecna, Chairwoman of the Czech-Moravian Communist Party.
Conveying warm greetings, best wishes and invitation to visit Vietnam from General Secretary To Lam to the President and leaders and members of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia and Moravia, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh thanked the State, people and parties of the Czech Republic, especially the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia and Moravia, for always supporting, assisting and standing side by side with Vietnam in any circumstances throughout the process of gaining national independence and building and defending the country today.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh affirmed that in its overall foreign policy, Vietnam attaches importance to and wishes to strengthen the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation with the Czech Republic, supports the spirit of great solidarity of the Czech people and parties, and contributes to an environment of peace, stability, cooperation and development in the two regions and in the world.
Informing that, together with the Communist and left-wing parties, the Communist Party of Vietnam advocates promoting relations with all ruling parties of countries, the Prime Minister suggested that the two Parties increase information sharing and delegation exchanges, contributing to promoting understanding, political trust, and exchanging theoretical and practical issues, Party building and development work; hoping that the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia and Moravia will continue to support Vietnam in the cause of building and defending the socialist Fatherland, as well as strengthening the good traditional friendship between the two countries.
Thanking the Czech Republic for recognizing the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic as an ethnic minority, the Prime Minister asked the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia and Moravia to support the Czech authorities at all levels to continue creating favorable conditions for the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic to contribute more actively to the local socio-economy and play a good role as a bridge of friendship between the two peoples of Vietnam and the Czech Republic; and to urge the Czech Government to have a more open visa policy for Vietnamese citizens.
In particular, the Prime Minister suggested that as a member of the European Parliament, Ms. Katerina Konecna influence the remaining countries in the European Union to ratify the Investment Protection Agreement between Vietnam and the European Union (EVIPA), as well as influence the EC to remove the IUU yellow card for Vietnamese seafood...
Thanking Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh for taking the time to meet and expressing her joy at the 75-year-long relationship between the two countries that has continuously developed in all aspects, Ms. Katerina Konecna congratulated the important achievements that the Party, State and people of Vietnam have achieved in recent times, affirming that this is an example for the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia-Morava to learn from and follow.
Chairwoman of the Communist Party of Czech-Morava Katerina Konecna expressed her deep affection and positive evaluation of Vietnam, the relationship between the two countries and the two Parties; said that she supports the Czech Republic's policy towards Vietnam and will actively promote the friendship and cooperation between the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Communist Party of Czech-Morava to become increasingly strong, contributing to deepening the relationship between the two countries, developing effectively in all fields, for the benefit of the people of the two countries, for peace, cooperation and development in the two regions and in the world.
Sending regards and best wishes to General Secretary To Lam, and at the same time saying that she will arrange to visit Vietnam soon at the invitation of the General Secretary, President of the Czech-Morava Communist Party Katerina Konecna highly agreed with the opinion of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, ready to support Vietnam in every possible way, including promoting the early completion of the ratification of EVIPA and removing the IUU yellow card for Vietnamese seafood...
According to VNA
![[Infographic] Traditional friendship and good cooperation between Vietnam and Egypt](https://vphoto.vietnam.vn/thumb/402x226/vietnam/resource/IMAGE/2025/8/4/9a2112b4046e4c128fdcb5403489866a)
Comment (0)