It is a great honour for me to be Ambassador Extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, especially at a time when relations between our two countries are enjoying their most dynamic periods against the backdrop of a changing regional and global environment.
In 2023, Viet Nam and the United Kingdom celebrated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. Over five decades, our relationship has evolved from early engagement into a broad and forward-looking partnership, built on mutual respect, shared interests and a growing convergence of strategic perspectives.
In recent years, Viet Nam–UK multifaceted cooperation has developed strongly and substantively. Political trust has been continuously strengthened through frequent exchanges of delegations, particularly at the high level. Structured bilateral mechanisms—such as the Strategic Dialogue, Defence Policy Consultations and Migration Dialogue—have been conducted regularly and effectively, providing stable platforms for frank discussions, policy coordination, and practical cooperation across key areas of mutual interests.
Economic ties remain a central pillar of the relationship. Bilateral trade has recorded steady and impressive growth in recent years, reaching almost 9 billions of pounds in 2025, with strong momentum under the UK–Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement launched in 2021. The United Kingdom has become one of Viet Nam's leading European trading partners, while Viet Nam continues to strengthen its position as a key UK economic partner in Southeast Asia. UK investment in Viet Nam—amounting to billions of US dollars across hundreds of projects—has expanded into priority sectors such as renewable energy, finance, infrastructure, healthcare, education, and high-value services, contributing meaningfully to Viet Nam's sustainable development goals.
At the same time, cooperation in education and training, science and technology stands as one of the most successful aspects of our partnership. The United Kingdom remains a top destination for Vietnamese students, with tens of thousands of Vietnamese alumni of UK institutions forming an important bridge between our two societies. Joint programmes, transnational education initiatives, and research collaboration continue to grow, supporting human capital development and innovation in both countries.
Equally important are the people-to-people exchanges, including cooperation in city-to-city, culture, tourism and the vibrant community of Vietnamese people in the United Kingdom. These connections ensure that bilateral ties are grounded not only in policy and economics, but also in mutual understanding and friendship between our peoples.
A historic milestone was reached in October 2025, with the official visit to the United Kingdom by H.E. To Lam, the General Secretary of the Communitst Party of Viet Nam, during which our two countries adopted the Joint Statement to upgrade relations to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. This elevation reflects the high level of political trust between Viet Nam and the United Kingdom and signals a shared determination to work more closely across all areas of cooperation, providing a strong framework for long-term, strategic, and results-oriented collaboration, while also enhancing our capacity for joint efforts in addressing regional and global challenges such as climate change, sustainable development, energy and food security.
Looking ahead, we have every reason to be confident that Viet Nam–UK relations will continue to flourish—guided by strong political will, supported by robust institutional mechanisms, driven by the active participation of businesses, academic institutions and our peoples.
I am confident that, building on our solid foundations and the momentum created by the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, Viet Nam and the United Kingdom will continue to work closely together for the benefit of our two nations and for peace, stability, and prosperity in the region and beyond./.