Mr Hung reaffirmed this at a June 29 reception in Hanoi for Franz Jessen, new head of the European Union Delegation to Vietnam.

The Viet Nam-EU relations had experienced a leap forwards over the past few years, he said, adding that two-way trade volumes reached US$24 billion last year, up 36 percent compared to 2010.

The signing of the Partnership and Co-operation Agreement between the two sides and the start of negotiations for a free-trade agreement in Brussels earlier this week were important milestones in the bilateral relations.

He also spoke highly of positive cooperation between the Vietnamese National Assembly and the European Parliament.

For his part, Jessen affirmed Vietnam's important position in the EU's external relations.

The EU highly values Vietnam's role in bridging the EU with ASEAN, he said.

Jessen also said he will do his utmost to contribute to enhancing ties between Vietnamese NA and the European Parliament.