Hanoi explores new opportunities for practical cooperation with UK

The visit came just over a year after Vietnam and the UK upgraded their relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in October 2025, providing a new framework for Hanoi to translate bilateral ties into concrete cooperation initiatives.

The delegation's agenda focused on sectors directly linked to the capital's development, building on existing foundations, including the UK-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA), the UK's accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), 607 investment projects worth approximately US$4.66 billion by the UK in Vietnam, and more than 12,000 Vietnamese students studying in the European nation.

At a tourism pavilion within the Vietnam exhibition area at World Travel Market (WTM) London 2026, Phong introduced the capital’s more than 1,000-year history, highlighting heritage sites such as the Thang Long Imperial Citadel and the Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam (Temple of Literature - National University), its Old Quarter and traditional craft villages, as well as its culinary, artistic and contemporary creative offerings.

Hanoi aims to develop professional, high-quality and sustainable tourism, drawing on culture, heritage, cuisine, craft villages and creativity to create distinctive products, he said, noting that in the first 10 months of this year, the capital served 30.36 million visitors, including 7.57 million international arrivals, while British visitors increased 23.5% in 2025.

Hanoi hopes to strengthen cooperation between the two sides’ businesses to develop demand-driven programmes, extend visitor stays and enrich travel experiences, Phong said.

Education and training also featured prominently in bilateral cooperation. At a meeting with James Shipton, Country Director of the British Council in Vietnam, the two sides reviewed longstanding collaboration in teacher training, English language teaching and learning, and foreign-language testing and assessment.

Twenty-four high schools in Hanoi have implemented integrated education programmes using UK learning materials, giving students greater access to modern teaching methods. Building on this, Hanoi proposed that the British Council focus on key areas, including school governance, innovation in teaching methods and assessment, digital transformation, AI applications and foreign language proficiency standardisation.

The two sides also agreed to establish a regular coordination mechanism between the Hanoi Department of Education and Training and the British Council, paving the way for specific cooperation plans for 2027–2030.

At a seminar with the Vietnamese Intellectuals Society in the UK and Ireland (VIS), the city’s representatives highlighted the potential contribution of more than 200 Vietnamese scientists and intellectuals working in the European country, whose expertise spans education, healthcare, information technology, artificial intelligence, finance, urban development, the environment and energy.

Hanoi called on the society and experts to provide advices on the city's plans and programmes, particularly solutions to 30 major challenges facing the capital.

The delegation also met with representatives of University College London (UCL), proposing short-term training courses for Hanoi officials and teachers, as well as scholarship programmes and expert exchanges.

They also explored Somerset House, a former heritage building transformed into a self-governing creative hub, as a model Hanoi could consider piloting, and met with design company GreenSpace.

During a meeting with the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK, Hanoi delegates shared ambition to become a global city through substantive external relations with capitals and major cities worldwide. The city expressed its interest in attracting British and Irish financial groups and technology businesses to priority sectors, including Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park and green finance, while seeking to learn from London and connect with its financial resources.

The Hanoi official expressed his belief that with support from the Embassy, the British Council, VIS and international partners, Hanoi-UK cooperation will deepen and become more effective and sustainable, contributing to the capital’s development and strengthening the Vietnam-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

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