During his stay in Germany, from September 13-15, he held talks with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Guido Westerwelle, and met with President, Christian Wilhelm Walter Wulff, and Secretary of State for Ministry of Education and Research, Roland Koch. He also visited the states of Hessen and Bavaria and some leading German economic groups. He then attended a meeting to mark the 65^th anniversary of Vietnam’s National Day, and the 35^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Germany. Later he visited the Vietnamese Embassy in Berlin and talked with representatives from the overseas Vietnamese community in Germany.

At his meetings, all concerned parties focused on discussing measures to boost bilateral co-operation and other issues of mutual concern.

The German side highlighed Vietnam’s achievements during the renewal process, especially in economic development and international integration and expressed their admiration for Vietnam’s high economic growth, despite the impact of the global economic crisis. They added that Vietnam has become the region’s leading emerging economy and has increased its position in the international arena.

Both sides were pleased to see bilateral relations between the two countries continue to grow and flourish in recent years, especially since Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s visit to Germany in March 2008. They agreed to increase senior level exchanges of visits.

Currently, Germany is Vietnam’s biggest trade partner in the EU with a two-way turnover of nearly US$4 billion in 2009. Nearly 200 German businesses, including powerful groups, such as Siemens, Deutsche Bank, Metro Cash & Carry, Deutsche Telekom, BMW, Mercedes, and Audi now operate in Vietnam.

Deputy PM Khiem stated that Vietnam’s policy of creating the best conditions for German businesses to operate in Vietnam. He also thanked Germany for providing ODA to Vietnam, which has been used in poverty reduction, health care, environmental protection, developing human resources, and vocational training, contributing significantly to the country’s socio-economic development.

Nearly 100,000 Vietnamese have worked and studied in Germany and around 130,000 are currently living there.

All agreed to enhance co-operative ties at international forums, such as the UN, ASEM, and ASEAN-EU. Germany pledged to support Vietnam in tightening relations with the EU while Vietnam has committed to helping Germany foster ties within ASEAN.