The event was held on the sidelines of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s official visit to Viet Nam from April 12 to 14.
Speaking at the event, Le Quang Hung, Chairman of the Viet Nam-Slovakia Friendship Association, noted that Viet Nam has enjoyed a longstanding friendship with former Czechoslovakia and present-day Slovakia spanning more than 75 years.
The Vietnamese people will never forget the unwavering support and invaluable assistance provided by the government and people of former Czechoslovakia and present-day Slovakia during the most difficult years of Viet Nam’s struggle for national independence and national construction.
“Over several decades, former Czechoslovakia and present-day Slovakia have helped train nearly 4,000 engineers, university graduates, and doctors; provided vocational training for more than 7,000 skilled workers; and facilitated employment for nearly 20,000 Vietnamese workers in Slovak factories,” Hung emphasised.
He said these individuals not only directly acquired knowledge, professional skills and the positive values of Slovakia and its people, but have also become important contributors to sustaining and fostering people-to-people relations between the two countries.
For his part, Juraj Blanár, Slovak Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, highlighted the achievements of bilateral cooperation between Slovakia and Viet Nam.
He stressed that Slovakia regards Viet Nam as one of its leading important partners in Southeast Asia, noting that economic, trade, and investment cooperation forms a key pillar of bilateral relations, with two-way trade reaching 1.78 billion USD in 2025.
Slovakia was among the earliest EU member states to ratify the EU-Viet Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA).
According to Minister Juraj Blanár, although bilateral cooperation between Slovakia and Viet Nam has achieved notable results across various fields, there remains considerable potential for further collaboration in areas such as smart agriculture, land and water management, and food processing industries.
He added that, with around 10,000 members, the Vietnamese community in Slovakia has become deeply integrated into local society, making meaningful contributions to the country’s socio-economic development.
The community has been officially recognised by the Government of Slovakia as the country’s 14th ethnic minority.
The Vietnamese community serves as an important bridge, helping to foster deeper and more meaningful people-to-people ties between the two nations.
