At the reception, Dung noted that the upgrade of bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during the January 2026 visit to Vietnam by the President of the European Council has opened up new opportunities for cooperation, particularly in science, technology and innovation.

The Deputy PM spoke highly of preparations for the signing of a Letter of Intent between the EU and Vietnam’s Ministry of Science and Technology on strengthening cooperation in science, technology and innovation, describing it as an important step toward realizing bilateral commitments and promoting stronger links between Vietnam’s research community, businesses and innovation ecosystem and major EU cooperation programmes.

Highlighting achievements in Vietnam-EU relations after more than 35 years of diplomatic ties, Dung said the EU is currently Vietnam’s fourth-largest trading partner and fifth-largest foreign investor, while Vietnam is the EU’s largest trading partner in ASEAN.

The two sides, he said, have maintained effective dialogue mechanisms, delegation exchanges and high-level contacts, helping consolidate political trust and expand substantive cooperation in a multitude of areas.

Vietnam and the EU have strong complementary potential for development cooperation, particularly as Vietnam continues to emerge as one of the region’s and the world’s most dynamic economies with a young and skilled workforce and a growing innovation ecosystem, Dung told his guest.

Vietnam, he added, highly values the EU’s role and position as one of the world’s leading centres for science, technology and innovation, particularly in areas such as digital transformation, artificial intelligence, green and circular economies, renewable energy and sustainable development.

For her part, Ekaterina Zaharieva highlighted the cooperation potential between the two sides in research and innovation, noting that the EU is among the world’s leading investors in research and development through large-scale programmes supporting science, technology and innovation.

 The EU is implementing cooperation programmes and plans to further increase investment in the sector in the coming period, she went on.

According to Zaharieva, the signing of the Letter of Intent with Vietnam’s Ministry of Science and Technology will help Vietnamese research institutions, universities and businesses participate more extensively in Horizon Europe, the EU’s flagship research and innovation programme.

She expressed confidence that the growing presence of European businesses in Vietnam will contribute to technology transfer, infrastructure development and stronger innovation capacity in Vietnam.

Vietnam, EU promote substantive, effective economic cooperation

Vietnam and the European Union (EU) should further deepen their economic and trade ties in a substantive and effective manner.