Party General Secretary and President To Lam begins official visit to EU, Belgium

VOV.VN - General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and President To Lam, his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly, and a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam arrived in Brussels on the afternoon of October 21 (local time), beginning an official visit to the European Union (EU) and Belgium.

The visit is being made at the invitation of President of the European Council António Costa and Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, following the successful conclusion of his state visit to Denmark.

Those welcoming Party General Secretary and President To Lam, his spouse, and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation at Melsbroek Military Airbase were First Vice-President of the Belgian Senate Andries Gryffroy, Belgian Ambassador to Vietnam Pieter Leenknegt, Honorary Consul of Vietnam in Antwerp Van Gestel, and other Belgian officials, along with Vietnamese Ambassador to Belgium and Head of the Vietnamese Mission to the EU Nguyen Huong Tra, officials and staff of the Vietnamese Embassy, and representatives of the Vietnamese community in Belgium.

Vietnam and the EU established diplomatic relations in 1990, gradually expanding from humanitarian and development cooperation into a comprehensive partnership spanning political, economic, sustainable development, security, and people-to-people exchange domains. In 2016, the EU-Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) entered into force, providing a political and legal framework for bilateral relations. In January 2026, Vietnam and the EU upgraded their relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, broadening cooperation across economics, trade, green transition, energy, innovation, security, as well as regional and international issues.

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Vietnam and Belgium officially established diplomatic ties in 1973. Vietnam always remembers the heartfelt support of the Belgian Government and people for the country's post-war reconstruction and recovery. Over the past more than 50 years, bilateral relations between the two countries have been continuously consolidated and developed finely across various fields, particularly political-diplomatic relations, trade, agriculture, education and training, scientific-technological cooperation, and development cooperation, at federal, regional, and community levels.

Belgium consistently attaches importance to its relations with Vietnam, highly values the Asian nation's economic development, and serves as an active international partner contributing to Vietnam's success through development cooperation programs. Both sides actively coordinate at multilateral forums, notably at the United Nations, the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), and within the ASEAN-EU framework.

The official visit by Party General Secretary and President To Lam, his spouse, and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation to the EU and Belgium affirms the importance of the EU and Belgium in Vietnam's overall foreign policy and international integration. The visit contributes to strengthening political trust, deepening relations between Vietnam and the two partners, and turning existing high-level commitments into practical, concrete actions, creating a foundation to elevate Vietnam's relations with the EU and Belgium into a new and higher phase of development.

Top leader To Lam’s visit boosts Vietnam’s ties with EU, Belgium

VOV.VN - General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and President To Lam, his spouse, and a high-ranking delegation on October 21 are set to begin an official visit to the European Union (EU) and the Kingdom of Belgium, at the invitation of President of the European Council Antonio Costa and Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever.