According to the Hessischer Landtag official portal, Hessen has maintained a strategic partnership with Viet Nam since 2012, with cooperation spanning science, education and economic development. Viet Nam is currently one of Hessen’s most important trading partners in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
At the meeting, Wallmann underlined that close relations with partners in Asia are vital for Germany’s prosperity and continued growth. She noted that diverse connections in education, culture and business are enriching bilateral ties and shaping a promising future, and expressed her delight with the opportunity to further deepen this close and friendly exchange through discussions.
For his part, Dong highly valued the achievements of Viet Nam – Hessen cooperation and discussed future plans to strengthen ties in diplomacy, justice, education, culture, economy and labour. Both sides agreed to continue coordinating activities to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Viet Nam – German diplomatic relations, with a focus on promoting Viet Nam’s image in Hessen.
Both parties welcomed the positive and effective development of Viet Nam – Hessen relations within the broader Viet Nam – Germany partnership. In the economic sphere, bilateral trade between Viet Nam and Hessen has reached around 1 billion EUR (1.17 billion USD) annually in recent years, accounting for roughly 10% of total Viet Nam – Germany trade. Many Hessian companies have invested successfully in Viet Nam, including Bilfinger & Berger, Messer, Sanofi-Aventis, Fresenius, and Commerzbank.
A flagship project in bilateral educational cooperation, Viet Nam - Germany University in Ho Chi Minh City, established in 2008 at Hessen’s initiative, has been operating effectively, contributing to the development of high-quality human resources in Viet Nam.
Hessen also has a growing demand for skilled workers from Viet Nam. Minister-President of State of Hesse Boris Rhein suggested both sides capitalise on the opportunities provided by Germany’s newly adopted Immigration Act for Skilled Workers to expand the recruitment of Vietnamese workers for Hessen, thereby helping to address the state’s labour shortages while creating favourable conditions for Vietnamese employees in Germany.
