With a wide range of substantive outcomes, the trip marks a milestone, opening a promising new chapter in Viet Nam’s relations with Denmark, the EU and Belgium. The visits by General Secretary and President To Lam have further highlighted the image of a Viet Nam rising strongly, continuously promoting cooperation and friendship with international partners and actively contributing to peace, stability and development in the region and around the world.
Looking back on 55 years of cooperation, Viet Nam and Denmark have stood side by side and supported each other through difficult times, and now stand before broad new horizons for collaboration in a new era. The story of the deep friendship and effective partnership between the two nations has been steadily carried forward by successive generations of leaders and the peoples of both countries, through mutual trust, enthusiasm and sustained efforts.
During General Secretary and President To Lam’s visit to Denmark, the two sides elevated bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, marking a historic milestone and a strategic shift in their 55-year relationship. The Joint Statement on the Establishment of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Viet Nam and Denmark affirmed that shared interests, mutual respect, and historical ties lie at the heart of the growing bilateral relationship.
Throughout his engagements in Denmark, General Secretary and President To Lam reaffirmed Viet Nam’s desire to work with the country to expand cooperation in strategically important areas, combining Danish strengths with Viet Nam’s potential and room for growth towards lasting peace, sustainable development and green prosperity.
The two countries are determined to make science and technology, green transition and energy transition breakthrough areas that symbolise their bilateral relations. They also aim to renew their approach to economic cooperation, shifting from assistance to joint value creation and generating new value for both nations. Viet Nam–Denmark ties have become a model of partnership between a Southeast Asian country and a Nordic partner.
General Secretary and President To Lam’s official visit to the EU reaffirmed both sides’ commitment to further deepening the Viet Nam–EU Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, established in January 2026.
On his first visit to the EU in his new capacity, General Secretary and President To Lam affirmed that Viet Nam regards the bloc as one of its top priority partners, with extensive shared interests and considerable potential for long-term cooperation.
The two sides agreed to strengthen political trust and mutual understanding, while achieving breakthroughs by expanding cooperation into new areas aligned with their respective development priorities, including green transition, innovation, strategic infrastructure and the circular economy.
The potential and advantages offered by the EU–Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) provide a solid foundation for deeper economic, trade and investment ties.
A Letter of Intent on cooperation in education and training between Viet Nam’s Ministry of Education and Training and the European Commission (EC), along with several other agreements, was exchanged at a high-level dialogue involving General Secretary and President To Lam and representatives of leading European and Belgian businesses.
This carried profound significance, demonstrating the determination to translate aspirations and commitments into concrete, practical outcomes that support development and raise people’s living standards.
Emphasising that cooperation with the EU is not merely a conventional foreign relationship but a strategically important pillar directly linked to Viet Nam’s policy of multilateralisation and diversification of external relations and its path towards self-reliant development, the Vietnamese leader expressed his desire to take Viet Nam–EU and Viet Nam–Belgium ties beyond the pages of diplomatic documents and transform them into a dynamic economic, knowledge, and technology corridor connecting Ha Noi and Brussels.
Viet Nam–Belgium relations exemplify enduring friendship and close cooperation that transcend geographical distance and differences in political systems. Belgium’s Chamber of Representatives is the first and, to date, only foreign legislature to have adopted a resolution calling for assistance to Vietnamese Agent Orange victims.
During General Secretary and President To Lam’s visit, the Belgian Chamber of Representatives also formally voted to ratify the EU–Viet Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA).
These developments serve as vivid symbols of the deep friendship between the two countries and the determination of their senior leaders to build further bridges connecting Viet Nam and Belgium.
The joint statement on the outcome of General Secretary and President To Lam’s official visit to Belgium noted that, against the backdrop of continued positive developments in Viet Nam–EU and Belgium–ASEAN relations, and the elevation of Viet Nam–EU relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, Viet Nam and Belgium reaffirmed their commitment to further deepening bilateral cooperation across all fields, with a view to upgrading the relationship to a Strategic Partnership at an appropriate time.
During their meetings and discussions, Vietnamese and Belgian leaders affirmed their strong political determination to further deepen the traditional friendship and multifaceted collaboration between the two countries, making bilateral ties more substantive and effective, delivering tangible benefits to their peoples, and contributing positively to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and around the world.
The visit has generated fresh momentum for new breakthroughs and the advancement of large-scale, strategic cooperation projects in areas where Belgium holds traditional strengths and Viet Nam has pressing needs, including seaport development, smart logistics chains, green energy, eco-industrial parks and climate-resilient high-tech agriculture.
In the new era, amid evolving growth requirements, Viet Nam needs to promptly strengthen its capacity for international connectivity and cooperation to achieve sustainable development goals.
General Secretary and President To Lam’s recent trip has played a vital role in elevating Viet Nam’s relations with Denmark, the EU and Belgium to a new level, effectively harnessing head-of-state diplomacy to mobilise valuable resources for national development. It has also created a breakthrough in turning opportunities and potential for cooperation into concrete and practical programmes of action.
As a Southeast Asian country maintaining close, comprehensive, effective and dynamic cooperation with European partners, Viet Nam serves as a strategic bridge between Asia and Europe, making an important contribution to advancing ASEAN–EU ties for peace and prosperity in both regions.
