Vietnam–Slovakia: New space for cooperation after upgrading to Strategic Partnership
WVR - The official visit to Vietnam by Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico (April 12-14) marked a significant milestone as the two countries adopted a Joint Declaration to upgrade their relationship to a Strategic Partnership.
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| Senior Lieutenant General Pham Hoai Nam, Deputy Minister of National Defense, attended the Bratislava International Defense and Security Technology Exhibition (IDEB 2026) in Bratislava, Slovakia on May 12, 2026. (Source: Vietnamese Embassy in Slovakia) |
This marks Vietnam's 12th strategic partnership and the first visit to Vietnam by a high-ranking EU leader since Vietnam-EU relations were elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in January 2025.
Building on nearly 80 years of traditional friendship (since 1950), the upgrade opens a new chapter aiming to deepen, substantiate, and innovate cooperation, bringing tangible benefits to the people and businesses of both sides.
Prime Ministers Le Minh Hung and Robert Fico agreed to direct their Foreign Ministries to develop a specific Action Plan to implement the new framework.
During the visit, the two sides exchanged/signed six cooperation documents (on political-diplomatic, defense-defense industry, culture, atomic energy, standards and quality measurement, local cooperation...) along with over 10 business agreements in fields such as energy, healthcare, tourism, manufacturing industry, industrial park infrastructure, shipbuilding...
The Vietnam - Slovakia Business Forum attracted hundreds of enterprises from both countries, creating practical momentum.
Economic - Trade - Investment Potential: Central pillar
Bilateral trade turnover in 2025 reached approximately USD 1.78 billion, with Vietnam being Slovakia's largest trading partner in Southeast Asia, yet still not commensurate with potential.
Both sides identified this as an important pillar, striving to double the turnover in the near future, leveraging the complementary advantages of the two economies (not directly competing but creating a common value chain towards regional and global markets).
Priority areas include the automotive industry, electronics, mechanical engineering, specialized machinery, transportation, pharmaceuticals, energy (nuclear for peaceful purposes and renewable), green technology, energy-saving, and sustainable green transition.
The two countries committed to maximizing the EVFTA to connect supply chains - logistics, bringing Vietnamese goods into Slovakia and Europe as well as vice versa into Vietnam and ASEAN; while creating an open, fair, and transparent investment environment and promoting private investment.
The mechanism of the Intergovernmental Committee on Economic Cooperation will be enhanced for effectiveness, with the possibility of establishing specialized subcommittees. Slovakia is ready to share experiences and cooperate in nuclear energy development, finance, and “lighthouse” projects.
Science - Technology, Innovation and Digital Transformation: Breakthrough direction
Both sides particularly emphasized strengthening cooperation in science - technology, innovation, and digital transformation – one of the key focus groups to realize the Strategic Partnership.
Cooperation will focus on mobilizing resources for phased programs, supporting research, technology transfer between universities, research institutes, and businesses; encouraging technology enterprises and innovation funds to participate.
Key areas include artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, robotics, automation, quantum technology, data science, information technology, fintech, high-tech agriculture, and high-application digital solutions.
The two countries will share experiences in building national science - technology - innovation policies, enhancing high-quality human resource training through expert, lecturer, student exchanges, scholarships, and joint projects.
Education - training cooperation is linked to new labor market demands, leveraging programs like ERASMUS .
Additionally, cooperation potential extends to defense - security (defense industry, training, peacekeeping, cybersecurity, combating transnational crime), renewable energy, climate change response, healthcare, high-tech agriculture, culture - tourism (desiring to open direct flights, leveraging visa exemptions), and people-to-people exchanges (Slovakia recognized the Vietnamese community as the 14th ethnic minority in June 2023).
To concretize cooperation potential in new areas such as defense industry, security industry, delegations at the Deputy Minister level from the Ministry of National Defense and Ministry of Public Security visited and worked in Slovakia in May 2026 and June 2026.
General Secretary, President To Lam also emphasized strengthening economic, technology, energy, digital transformation cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges commensurate with the new framework. Slovakia considers Vietnam its most important partner in Southeast Asia and one of its three largest partners in Asia.
With clear mutual support, high political determination, and specific action mechanisms, the Vietnam - Slovakia Strategic Partnership promises to create substantial progress in many areas, especially in economics, science and technology, and innovation, contributing to regional and global peace, stability, and prosperity.
(Source: Vietnamese Embassy in Slovakia)
