Parliamentary cooperation opens new avenues for Vietnam-Finland partnership
VOV.VN - Parliamentary cooperation is emerging as an important channel for Vietnam and Finland to deepen political ties and turn the directions of their Strategic Partnership into more concrete areas of cooperation.
Under the Strategic Partnership framework, cooperation between the Vietnamese and Finnish parliaments is expanding beyond delegation exchanges and high-level contacts to include closer coordination between specialised committees, experience-sharing in lawmaking and oversight, and institutional development, creating a foundation for the two countries to broaden cooperation into new areas.
This approach was reflected in National Assembly Vice President Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Doan Anh’s working visit to Finland from September 21-23, the first leg of his September 21-30 trip to Finland, Norway and Lithuania.
The visit came less than a year after Vietnam and Finland upgraded their ties to a Strategic Partnership in October 2025.
Strengthening parliamentary ties to advance Strategic Partnership
At meetings with Finnish Parliament Speaker Jussi Halla-aho, Second Deputy Speaker Tarja Filatov and the Finland-ASEAN Parliamentary Friendship Group, National Assembly Vice President Nguyen Doan Anh affirmed Vietnam’s importance attached to its traditional friendship and Strategic Partnership with Finland.
The two sides highlighted the need to increase delegation exchanges and contacts between parliamentary leaders, specialised committees and friendship parliamentary groups, while sharing experience in lawmaking, oversight and institutional development. They also agreed to continue coordinating at multilateral parliamentary forums and contribute to peace, stability, cooperation and development on the basis of the UN Charter and international law.
Parliamentary engagement was also linked directly to areas where Vietnam and Finland have complementary needs and strengths. Anh proposed greater cooperation in science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, the green and circular economies, as well as education, renewable energy and high-quality human resources. These are also among the areas identified by Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs as priorities for bilateral cooperation.
Finnish Parliament Speaker Jussi Halla-aho and Deputy Speaker Tarja Filatov, for their part, affirmed Finland’s regard for its relationship with Vietnam. They welcomed the development of bilateral ties and expressed their wish to expand exchanges between the two parliaments. Such exchanges, they noted, could help promote connections among localities, educational institutions, research institutes and businesses in the two countries.
The two sides also discussed regional and international issues of shared interest, broadening parliamentary engagement from the bilateral channel to coordination at multilateral forums.
Anh conveyed National Assembly President Tran Thanh Man’s invitation to Jussi Halla-aho and Tarja Filatov to visit the country, helping maintain high-level contacts between the two legislative bodies.
From parliamentary ties to technology and innovation
Alongside parliamentary engagement, the visit expanded direct connections with Finland’s science, technology, education and innovation ecosystem, supporting efforts to turn high-level cooperation orientations into concrete programmes.
In Espoo, the Vietnamese National Assembly delegation held working sessions with the City of Espoo, Aalto University, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, Nokia, ICEYE and several technology companies. National Assembly Vice President Nguyen Doan Anh highlighted the local model of cooperation among government, universities, research institutes and businesses as a valuable reference, and called for stronger links with Vietnamese partners in innovation, satellite technology, artificial intelligence, digital transformation, smart cities, the green economy and high-tech workforce training.
The focus is also expanding from technology adoption to joint research and development, technology transfer and human resources training. He encouraged Finnish companies to work with Vietnamese partners on co-creating technologies and implementing high-value-added projects, combining Finland’s technological strengths with Vietnam’s need for rapid and sustainable development.
The Finland-Vietnam Friendship Association and the Vietnamese community in Finland were also identified as important bridges between the two countries. People-to-people exchanges are being encouraged to expand beyond culture into education, science and technology, the economy and trade, adding a broader social foundation to the Strategic Partnership.
The visit also featured activities to introduce Vietnam to the Finnish public, including the “Vietnam: Land and People” exhibition, celebrations marking the 81st anniversary of National Day and meetings with the Vietnamese community. These activities helped promote greater mutual understanding and people-to-people exchanges, as part of broader efforts to open additional channels for bilateral engagement.
By strengthening ties between the two legislative bodies while connecting parliamentary engagement with local authorities, universities, research institutes, businesses and people-to-people exchanges, the visit to Finland broadened the channels for advancing Vietnam-Finland relations following the establishment of the Strategic Partnership.
Vietnam and Finland to boost maritime and logistics cooperation
VOV.VN - Vietnam and Finland may consider negotiating a maritime trade agreement to lay the foundation for comprehensive cooperation in maritime transport and logistics, suggested Deputy Minister of Construction Nguyen Xuan Sang.
