This will be the first visit to Ireland by a Vietnamese head of state since the two countries established their diplomatic relations in 1996, noted the diplomat, emphasising that it is of great significance, helping promote political trust and mutual understanding, improving efficiency, deepening and opening a new stage of development for the all-round cooperation between the two countries.

During the visit, the top leader of Vietnam will hold talks with Irish President Michael D. Higgins and heads of the Government and parliament of Ireland.

Leaders of the two countries will discuss and agree on cooperation orientations, frameworks, and major measures to substantially enhance and improve the effectiveness of bilateral relations, especially in areas of their strengths in line with the development goals of the two countries such as education - training, trade and investment, innovation, science - technology, and high-tech agriculture. The two sides will also discuss regional and international issues of mutual concern, and agree on measures to promote their close coordination at multilateral forums to contribute to peace, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.

Lam is scheduled to deliver an important policy speech on the strategic vision for bilateral relations in the new development stage, while visiting a number of educational and training facilities and high technology establishments, and meeting a number of Irish businesses in the fields of semiconductor, high-tech agriculture, and energy infrastructure that are keen on entering and expanding investment and business in Vietnam. He will have a meeting with the Vietnamese community in Ireland, according to Ambassador Hung.

The diplomat said that within the framework of the visit, the two sides are scheduled to sign and approve many important agreements to promote cooperation across various fields such as trade, agriculture, and education and training.

Many cooperation deals will also be signed among universities and businesses of the two countries, opening up new opportunities to enhance cooperation in training, research and development, finance, information technology, and semiconductor industry, which are Ireland's strengths and Vietnam's development goals.

Commenting on the current collaboration between Vietnam and Ireland, Ambassador Hung said that the multifaceted cooperation between the two countries has developed well over the recent years, with bright spots seen in trade, and education and training. The two sides boast much potential to continue promoting their collaboration in the coming years as well as expand their cooperation to promising areas.

Economic cooperation, especially in trade, has been a key pillar in bilateral relations based on the effective implementation of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the upcoming EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) once it is ratified by Ireland and the remaining EU members.

Trade between Vietnam and Ireland expanded positively to 3.5 billion USD in 2023, with Vietnam’s exports of more than 340 million USD. The figure hit 2.7 billion USD in the first seven months of this year, up 42.5% year on year, including Vietnam’s exports of over 576 million USD, higher than the revenue in the whole 2023 and 108.2% of that year on year.

In terms of investment, Ireland is investing in 41 projects worth 60.82 million USD in Vietnam. In the first seven months of this year, Vietnam drew one more projects from this European country along with another that added capital with a combined investment of 16.72 million USD. Irish businesses are increasing investment projects in Vietnam, especially in areas where Ireland has strengths and Vietnam has great potential such as green technology, renewable energy, healthcare, innovation, and high-tech agriculture.

The Vietnamese ambassador highlighted education-training as an important cooperation area between the two countries. For many years, the Irish Government has provided practical support to Vietnam in education. To date, about 200 Vietnamese students have received scholarships to study for Master's degrees in Ireland. The Vietnam-Ireland Bilateral Education Exchange (VIBE) programme has seen the engagement of 15 universities across the country and been effectively implemented. Educational cooperation will be an important focus of the state visit to Ireland by Party General Secretary and State President To Lam, he held.

He said that cooperation in the fields of health care, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, sustainable development, and information technology are also strengths that the two countries are actively utilising, adding that the visit is expected to create a motivation for the two sides in key cooperation pillars and expand collaboration in areas with great potential and in line with the development goals of the two countries.

Regarding Vietnam’s role in the "Global Ireland: Delivering in the Asia Pacific Region to 2025" strategy, Ambassador Hung said that Ireland’s October 2023 update of the strategy, which reaffirms the centrality of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), continues to demonstrate Ireland’s interest in the region. Ireland said the strategy’s implementation includes strengthening ties with ASEAN and its member states, including Vietnam.

In reality, Ireland considers Vietnam one of its important partners in the Asia-Pacific in general and in ASEAN in particular. In addition to trade and education being the bright spots in the bilateral relationship, Vietnam is currently the only country in the region that Ireland has included in its international development cooperation programme (Irish Aid) to promote cooperation in areas such as climate action, gender equality, overcoming the consequences of unexpoloded ordnances, ethnic minority communities, education, and people-to-people exchanges.

Ambassador Hung said that currently, Ireland is hosting nearly 6,000 Vietnamese people. Although the community is not large in number, Vietnamese people in Ireland have organised positive activities to maintain traditional cultural identity, strengthen community solidarity, and actively contribute to building the homeland, acting as a true bridge for friendly relations between the two countries, he said./.VNA