Antonio Costa served as Prime Minister of Portugal from 2015 to 2024. Since December 2024, he has held the post of President of the European Council, the body responsible for setting the European Union’s overall political orientations and priorities.

The visit takes place as Vietnam-EU relations have continued to develop since the two sides formally established diplomatic ties on November 28, 1990. It is the second official visit to Vietnam by the EU’s highest-level leader, following the 2012 visit by then EC President Herman Van Rompuy.

Antonio Costa is also among the first senior international leaders to visit Vietnam after the successful conclusion of the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam. According to EU Ambassador to Vietnam Julien Guerrier, the EU highly values Vietnam’s decision to host the EC President just days after the Congress ended.

Ambassador Julien Guerrier told Vietnamese media ahead of the visit that bilateral relations had reached their most comprehensive and substantive stage in the region after a 35-year journey, evolving from initial humanitarian assistance in the 1990s to the present, and that the two sides were now at a point where a new phase in EU–Vietnam relations could be opened.

The ambassador said the EU seeks to further strengthen three existing pillars of cooperation with Vietnam: trade, green transition, and peace and security. In addition, the EU aims to expand cooperation with Vietnam in new areas such as digital transformation, innovation, and high-tech sectors including semiconductors, artificial intelligence and critical resources.

At present, the EU is Vietnam’s fourth-largest trading partner, third-largest export market and fifth-largest import market. Vietnam is the EU’s 16th-largest trading partner globally and its largest partner within ASEAN. According to official data, two-way trade between Vietnam and the EU exceeded US$66.8 billion during the past 11 months of 2025, up 6.6% year on year.

The EU ranks sixth among 140 countries and territories investing in Vietnam, with total foreign direct investment reaching US$30 billion. Vietnam, for its part, has 98 investment projects in the EU with combined registered capital of US$434.88 million.

Vietnam and the EU have also established an important cooperation framework on climate change, notably the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) with the G7 countries and the EU.

The EU is regarded as a partner with strong commitments in supporting Vietnam’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, as pledged at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26).

According to Nguyen Van Thao, Vietnamese Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium and Head of Vietnam’s Mission to the EU, the visit reflects the EU’s recognition and high appreciation of Vietnam’s consistent foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralism and diversification of international relations. It also underscores Vietnam’s growing standing and credibility in the international arena, particularly as an important EU partner in the Asia-Pacific region.

Within the framework of the visit, leaders of the two sides are expected to hold in-depth discussions on concrete and practical cooperation programmes, with a view to elevating Vietnam-EU relations to a new stage of development commensurate with the potential and development needs of both sides, as the region and the world face growing challenges, Ambassador Nguyen Van Thao said.

Prime Minister welcomes Lao Party General Secretary and President in Hanoi

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met with Thongloun Sisoulith, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and President of Laos and the high-ranking delegation of the Lao Party and State in Hanoi on January 26, on the occasion of their state visit to Vietnam.

EC President’s visit marks key moment for Vietnam–EU relations

The upcoming official visit to Vietnam by President of the European Council António Costa holds great significance for the Vietnam – European Union relations, particularly as it follows the successful 14th National Party Congress, said Vietnamese Ambassador to Belgium Nguyen Van Thao.