Ambassador Do Minh Hung: General Secretary To Lam's visit elevates Vietnam-UK relations in a new era
WVR - Ambassador Do Minh Hung expressed confidence that General Secretary To Lam's visit to the UK will comprehensively enhance multi-faceted cooperation between the two countries to a new level, contributing to the achievement of national development goals in the upcoming phase.
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| General Secretary To Lam and his spouse, along with a high-level Vietnamese delegation, are set to officially visit the UK. (Photo: Nguyen Hong) |
On the occasion of General Secretary To Lam and his spouse, along with a high-level Vietnamese delegation, preparing for an official visit to the UK, Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK Do Minh Hung spoke to The World & Vietnam Report, emphasizing the importance of the visit and the significant milestones in the Vietnam-UK Strategic Partnership.
How does the Ambassador assess the significance and expected outcomes of General Secretary To Lam's upcoming official visit to the UK, especially as the two countries celebrate 15 years of Strategic Partnership (2010 – 2025)? What key activities are anticipated for the Vietnamese leadership during the visit?
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| Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK Do Minh Hung. |
From October 28-30, General Secretary To Lam and his spouse, along with a high-level Vietnamese delegation, will officially visit the UK at the invitation of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. This marks the first visit by the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam to the UK in 12 years, coinciding with the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Strategic Partnership between the two countries (2010-2025).
The official visit by General Secretary To Lam and his spouse, along with a high-level Vietnamese delegation, takes place amid highly favorable multi-faceted cooperation between the two countries within the Strategic Partnership framework in recent years.
In terms of political diplomacy, both sides regularly exchange delegations at various levels and effectively implement bilateral cooperation mechanisms, supporting each other at multilateral forums and international organizations.
Economically, trade exchange has maintained a positive growth rate of 18-20% annually over the years, with Vietnam being a leading trade partner of the UK in Southeast Asia. Cooperation in education and training, science and technology, defense and security, and people-to-people exchanges has achieved many positive results.
The visit holds significant importance, providing an opportunity for both sides to discuss and agree on directions to elevate the relationship to a new height in the coming phase, increasing political trust, and enhancing cooperation efficiency in traditional fields such as trade and investment, education and training, science and technology. It also aims to expand cooperation in new areas where the UK has strengths and which align with Vietnam's development needs, such as finance, high technology, strategic infrastructure, green energy, and sustainable development.
The visit reaffirms Vietnam's independent and self-reliant foreign policy, diversification, and multilateralization for peace, cooperation, and development, contributing to enhancing Vietnam's international reputation and position in the region and globally.
During the visit, General Secretary To Lam is expected to hold talks with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, meet with Parliamentary leaders to discuss and agree on measures to strengthen the Strategic Partnership between the two countries, and attend and deliver a keynote speech at a high-level economic conference with major UK businesses to boost cooperation in finance – banking, energy, science – technology, and green development.
At Oxford University, a leading research and training center in the UK, General Secretary To Lam is expected to deliver a significant policy speech on the vision for the Vietnam-UK relationship framework and Vietnam's development orientation in the era of national resurgence.
During the visit, General Secretary To Lam will also meet with representatives of the Vietnamese community living, studying, and working in the UK. This will be one of the first activities of the visit, affirming the consistent policy of the Party and State towards the overseas Vietnamese community and General Secretary To Lam's concern for the Vietnamese community in the UK.
Regarding the visit's outcomes, both sides are expected to sign and endorse several important cooperation documents in political – diplomatic, economic – trade, science – technology, green transition, and sustainable development fields.
Numerous cooperation agreements between universities and businesses from both countries will also be signed, opening up significant opportunities in training, research, finance – banking, and healthcare – areas where the UK has strengths and which align with Vietnam's development orientation.
I am confident that General Secretary To Lam's official visit to the UK, along with his spouse and the high-level Vietnamese delegation, will be a great success, comprehensively enhancing multi-faceted cooperation between the two countries to a new level, contributing to achieving national development goals in the new phase and enhancing Vietnam's international reputation and position in the region and globally.
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| Central Party Secretary, Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung in a phone call with UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Copper on the evening of October 18, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters. (Photo: Thanh Long) |
What are the key areas of focus in the Vietnam-UK Strategic Partnership, Ambassador? What are your expectations for the visit's momentum on future bilateral relations?
The Vietnam-UK Strategic Partnership is currently in a highly favourable development phase, with many outstanding achievements in bilateral cooperation and effective coordination between the two countries at multilateral forums and international organizations.
In political and diplomatic terms, the two countries regularly maintain exchanges of delegations at various levels, especially high-level ones, effectively implementing bilateral cooperation mechanisms such as the Strategic Dialogue at the Deputy Foreign Minister level and the Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO).
In security and defense, both sides maintain Defense Policy Consultations and Migration Dialogues, focusing on peacekeeping training cooperation, combating organized crime, cybersecurity, and illegal migration.
Recently, the Strategic Action Plan for 2024-2026 is being effectively implemented, focusing on priority areas such as politics, diplomacy, economy, sustainable growth, science and technology, education, human resource development, and climate change response cooperation.
In economic-trade relations, the Bilateral Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA) implemented since 2021 has significantly boosted bilateral trade in the challenging global economic context, reaching a record $8.4 billion in 2024 (an 18% increase from 2023). Both sides aim to soon increase bilateral trade to $10 billion. The UK is currently Vietnam's third-largest trading partner in Europe, and Vietnam is the UK's largest trading partner in Southeast Asia.
In terms of investment, as of 2024, the UK has 587 investment projects with a total capital of nearly $4.46 billion, mainly focusing on finance – banking, information technology, manufacturing, renewable energy, and service sectors such as education, healthcare, transportation, and real estate. These are areas where the UK has strengths and align with Vietnam's economic development, green transition, and innovation orientation.
Education and training cooperation and science and technology between Vietnam and the UK are also highlights in bilateral relations, with significant progress in recent years. The two sides signed an Education Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding in 2019, with strong collaboration between leading universities in the UK and Vietnam in training, teaching, scientific research, and academic exchange. The UK also actively supports enhancing English language training capacity in Vietnam and expanding scholarships for Vietnamese students studying in the UK.
As I mentioned earlier, General Secretary To Lam's upcoming official visit to the UK, along with his spouse and the high-level Vietnamese delegation, holds significant importance, particularly in elevating the relationship to a new height in the coming phase.
The cooperation potential between the two countries is considered substantial, especially in areas where the UK has strengths and align with our development goals, such as digital transformation, innovation, finance – banking cooperation, particularly the International Financial Center project in Vietnam, sustainable energy, human resource development, and scientific research. Both sides agree that these cooperation areas will be new drivers for multi-faceted cooperation between the two countries in the new development phase.
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| Vietnam-UK signed an action plan to combat human trafficking, April 2025. (Source: British Embassy in Vietnam) |
In recent years, the UK has always been one of the top choices for Vietnamese students. What should the two countries do to promote educational cooperation and training in priority areas such as science and technology, innovation, international finance, semiconductors, while also strengthening friendship through young ambassadors who are Vietnamese students who have studied in the UK?
In recent years, the UK has always been a top priority destination for Vietnamese students, with about 15,000 students currently studying at UK universities, colleges, and high schools.
Educational cooperation between Vietnam and the UK has been a highlight in the Strategic Partnership, providing a solid foundation for developing high-quality human resources to meet the challenges and demands of the global technology and innovation era.
Priority areas such as science and technology, innovation, international finance, and the semiconductor industry play important roles in the socio-economic development orientation of both countries. Vietnam values innovation and high technology as new development drivers, focusing on developing new technology sectors such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, green technology, energy transition, and finance, while the UK is a leading research and innovation center with a developed technology ecosystem and financial market.
To promote educational cooperation and training in these areas, both sides need to expand academic exchange programs, develop interdisciplinary research projects, and organize specialized workshops to share knowledge and practical experience. Additionally, enhancing high-quality human resource training through joint training programs, student and expert exchanges between educational institutions and organizations is crucial.
The role of Vietnamese students in the UK is vital in strengthening people-to-people exchanges and consolidating the friendship between the two nations. This student community also serves as cultural ambassadors, bridging and promoting cultural traditions and the country's image.
Building and developing a network of Vietnamese students in the UK, organizing community activities, and developing leadership skills will help maximize this role, while also enabling them to contribute to promoting bilateral relations and the country's construction and development efforts in the future.
Thank you, Ambassador!
| "I am confident that General Secretary To Lam's official visit to the UK, along with his spouse and the high-level Vietnamese delegation, will be a great success, comprehensively enhancing multi-faceted cooperation between the two countries to a new level, contributing to achieving national development goals in the new phase and enhancing Vietnam's international reputation and position in the region and globally". (Ambassador Do Minh Hung) |
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| Ambassador Do Minh Hung (front row, fourth from left) with delegates at the Congress of the Vietnamese Student Association in the United Kingdom (SVUK), 10th term, 2024-2026, December 2024. |
