PM Pham Minh Chinh’s working trip to Europe yields remarkable results

Chinh engaged in over 30 meetings, discussions, policy addresses, business forums, the “Spring Homeland” programme, along with visits to various cultural, scientific and technical institutions in these countries.

Notably, Vietnam and Poland issued a joint statement toward elevating their ties to a strategic partnership. Similarly, Vietnam and the Czech Republic agreed to upgrade their relations to a strategic partnership, while Vietnam and Switzerland announced the elevation of their relations to a comprehensive partnership.

All countries agreed to enhance exchanges of delegations and high-level and people-to-people contacts to deepen mutual understanding, serving as a foundation for expanding cooperation across various sectors.

Leaders of Poland, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland highly appreciated Vietnam’s growing international stature, with Poland and the Czech Republic recognizing Vietnam as their most important partner in Asia. They all expressed desires to increase cooperation in traditional areas such as trade, investment, tourism, education, national defense-security, culture, labour, and tourism. They also agreed to expand cooperation into emerging fields with high potential, including digital transformation, green transition, information technology and communications, cybersecurity, pharmaceuticals, UAV technology, aviation and railway connectivity, and the automotive industry.

A highlight of the PM’s working trip was the agreement to boost bilateral trade to higher levels. Vietnam, Poland, and the Czech Republic agreed to further open their markets to each other’s agricultural, seafood, and food products within the framework of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). They also expressed a shared commitment to early ratification of the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) and expediting negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement between Vietnam and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).

Vietnam and the three countries signed eight cooperation agreements in areas such as diplomacy, labour, aviation, education, sports, and culture. To promote tourism and people-to-people exchanges, the PM announced the waiver of visas for citizens of Poland, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland, a move warmly welcomed by the leaders of the three countries.

Discussing regional and international issues, the leaders agreed to strengthen coordination at multilateral organizations and forums to promote peace, security, and sustainable development. They underscored the importance of peacefully resolving disputes based on international law, including the principles of the UN Charter and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The working trip also reaffirmed Vietnam’s commitment to overseas Vietnamese communities. The PM urged the leaders of Poland, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland to create favourable conditions for Vietnamese expatriates to integrate better while preserving their cultural heritage and language. He also requested Poland to consider recognizing the Vietnamese community as a minority group. During the “Spring Homeland” activities, the Prime Minister encouraged Vietnamese expatriates to uphold traditions, support one another, and act as bridges between Vietnam and their host countries.

The leaders of these countries acknowledged the significant contributions of the Vietnamese community to their local societies and pledged continued support.

During over 30 hours in Davos for the 55th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF), Chinh maintained a packed schedule of multilateral and bilateral engagements. Capitalizing on the unique platform of the World Economic Forum, which gathers globally influential corporations, the PM, alongside ministry leaders and local officials, delivered speeches and participated in dialogues with top global corporations across five key roundtables. These discussions covered critical areas in line with Vietnam’s strategic interests, including high technology, artificial intelligence, pharmaceuticals, smart infrastructure, green energy, and the building of financial hubs.

The business community highly praised Vietnam’s economic management results and expressed readiness to expand investment in the country’s priority areas and collaborate on strategic development goals. Notably, companies showed keen interest and committed support for developing financial hubs in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang.

The PM’s speeches and discussions left a lasting impression, showcasing Vietnam’s aspirations, vision, and determination for development in the smart era. He emphasized ‘three readinesses’, namely institutional readiness by establishing a favourable legal framework for science, technology, startups, and innovation; resource readiness by developing high-quality human resources to lead innovation and digital transformation; and infrastructure readiness by focusing on critical infrastructure for digital transformation such as transportation, energy, clean water, telecommunications, and national databases.

The PM’s engagement in Davos reaffirmed Vietnam’s global stature. As noted by the Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Hang, the PM participated in and spoke at four key discussions, three of which were exclusively designed for Vietnam by the WEF. The special dialogue with WEF focusing on Vietnam’s vision on innovation and global role was tailored for the Prime Minister to share Vietnam’s aspirations, lessons learned, and strategic directions for development while encouraging international cooperation in the smart era.

While staying Davos, the Prime Minister held many meetings with the leaders of participating countries to foster trade and investment cooperation with these countries and enhance collaboration with international organizations in fields such as trade, health care, intellectual property, agriculture, and renewable energy.

His engagement in Davos delivered important messages to the international community. They are the message of sincerity, cooperation, and international solidarity; the message of humanity; and the message of responsibility. These messages will continue to resonate throughout Vietnam’s vibrant foreign affairs activities in 2025, including hosting the 4th Summit of the Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals (P4G) and the 16th UNCTAD Ministerial Conference. These events will highlight the country’s image as a reliable, dynamic, creative, responsible, and highly potential partner - a nation that is ready to rise and embrace the era of national growth and the intelligent age of humanity.