The Deputy PM welcomed Zaharieva and the EU delegation to Viet Nam at a time when Viet Nam-EU relations are developing positively, comprehensively and intensively across multiple areas.
He highly valued the preparations by the EU and Viet Nam’s Ministry of Science and Technology to sign a Letter of Intent on strengthening cooperation in science-technology and innovation, describing it as an important step to materialise bilateral cooperation commitments while laying a foundation for stronger links between Viet Nam’s research community, businesses and innovation ecosystem and the EU’s large-scale cooperation programmes.
Highlighting the remarkable achievements in Viet Nam-EU relations after more than 35 years of diplomatic ties, the Deputy PM affirmed that the EU is currently one of Viet Nam’s leading partners, its fourth-largest trading partner and fifth-largest investor, while Viet Nam remains the EU’s largest trading partner in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The two sides have maintained effective dialogue mechanisms, delegation exchanges and high-level contacts, thereby helping consolidate political trust and expand substantive cooperation across various fields.
Dung noted that Viet Nam and the EU hold great complementary potential for joint development, especially as Viet Nam is emerging as one of dynamic growth economies in the region and the world, boasting a young and high-quality workforce along with a developing innovation ecosystem. Viet Nam always values the EU’s role and position as one of the world’s leading centres for science, technology and innovation, pioneering in such fields as digital transformation, artificial intelligence, green economy, circular economy, renewable energy and sustainable development.
For her part, Zaharieva highly appreciated the cooperation potential between the two sides in research and innovation. She stressed that the EU is currently one of the world’s leading hubs for investment in research and development, with many large-scale programmes promoting science-technology and innovation, adding that the bloc is implementing cooperation programmes and plans to significantly increase investment in this field in the coming period.
According to Zaharieva, the signing of the Letter of Intent with Viet Nam’s Ministry of Science and Technology will facilitate broader participation by Vietnamese research institutions, universities and enterprises in Horizon Europe, the EU’s flagship research and innovation programme.
She expressed confidence that the growing presence of European businesses in Viet Nam will help accelerate advanced technology transfer, support infrastructure development and enhance Viet Nam’s innovation capacity.
