In the early hours of January 16, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, accompanied by First Lady Le Thi Bich Tran and a Vietnamese delegation, arrived at Frederic Chopin Airport in Warsaw, Poland. The visit is at the invitation of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

Warm welcome at the airport

The delegation was welcomed by Wladyslaw Teofil Bartoszewsky, Secretary of State of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, alongside the Polish Ambassador to Vietnam and other senior officials. Representatives of the Vietnamese Embassy and the Vietnamese community in Poland also greeted the Prime Minister and his entourage.

During the visit, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will hold talks with senior Polish leaders and deliver a policy speech at the University of Warsaw.

He will also visit the National Research Institute for Cybersecurity (NASK), meet leaders of the Poland-Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Group, and attend the Vietnam-Poland Business Forum.

Furthermore, the Prime Minister will meet top Polish economic corporations, engage with staff from the Vietnamese Embassy, and interact with the Vietnamese community in Poland.

In a special gesture, he will participate in the Spring Homeland 2025 program, celebrating Tet and extending holiday greetings to the overseas Vietnamese community.

Significance of the visit

This marks the first official visit by a Vietnamese Prime Minister to Poland in 18 years. It also coincides with the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Poland (February 4, 1950 – February 4, 2025).

The visit holds additional importance as Poland assumes the presidency of the European Union (EU) Council starting January 1, 2025. With Poland’s growing influence in the EU, the visit aims to bolster Vietnam-Poland ties and foster broader Vietnam-EU cooperation, potentially advancing the relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

Both countries view this visit as an opportunity to assess bilateral ties and identify key areas for deeper collaboration.

Vietnamese businesses accompanying the Prime Minister see the visit as a chance to build direct connections with Polish enterprises, fostering mutual understanding and collaboration. This could drive trade growth and strengthen academic and scientific exchanges between the two countries.

Poland has historically been a strong supporter of Vietnam, having recognized its independence early in 1950. Poland also provided significant assistance during Vietnam’s resistance wars and post-war reconstruction, training thousands of Vietnamese engineers and skilled workers.

From the 1960s to the 1990s, Poland educated over 4,000 Vietnamese students and professionals, as well as 3,500 skilled workers in industries such as coal mining and shipbuilding. Currently, the Polish government grants 20 scholarships annually to Vietnamese students, with plans to increase this number.

Poland is Vietnam’s top trading partner in Central and Eastern Europe, while Vietnam ranks as Poland’s seventh-largest trading partner outside the EU.

The Vietnamese community in Poland, numbering around 30,000, has been highly active in fostering bilateral ties. Their contributions to Polish society and their role in maintaining the traditional friendship between the two nations have been positively recognized by Polish authorities.

Tran Thuong