Top leaders from Vietnam and Ireland have agreed to push bilateral trade to US$5 billion in 2026 while strengthening various ties, including opening a Vietnamese embassy in Ireland and setting up a strategic partnership in higher education.

Vietnamese Party General Secretary and State President To Lam and Irish President Michael D. Higgins reached the agreement at their talks in Dublin on Wednesday, as part of Lam’s state visit to Ireland, a member country of the European Union (EU).

Warmly welcoming Lam’s first visit to Ireland, President Higgins hailed Vietnam's foreign policy and guidelines, lauding its significant position and role in the Asia-Pacific region. 

The Irish leader observed that the two countries have many similarities in the struggle for national independence and there are no fields or topics that the two sides cannot exchange or cooperate in.

Extending thanks to Higgins for his warm and respectful reception, Lam affirmed that Vietnam attaches great importance to developing friendly relations and multifaceted cooperation with Ireland.

Ireland is currently Vietnam’s sixth-largest trading partner in the EU market, with two-way trade expected to reach $3.5 billion in 2024.

Considering trade among the most important cooperation pillars, the two leaders pledged to boost the trade value to $5 billion by 2026, when the two nations celebrate 30 years of diplomatic relations.

To achieve the target, the two nations will effectively utilize the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement, strengthen the connectivity of trade and investment, and support both countries' business communities, Lam and Higgins agreed.   

Affirming Vietnam is Ireland’s leading trade partner and that there remains plenty of room for cooperation, the Irish president hoped that Vietnam would create favorable conditions for Ireland to boost exports of high-quality agricultural and food products to the Southeast Asian country.

He also took note of Vietnam's proposal that Ireland should accelerate the ratification of the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement to facilitate investment cooperation activities between businesses of both countries. 

The Vietnamese leader highly appreciated the Irish government’s priority for Vietnam in Dublin's development cooperation policy within the framework of the ‘Global Ireland: Delivering in the Asia Pacific Region to 2025’ strategy.

He expected that Ireland would continue to supply development assistance to Vietnam in priority areas such as green growth, climate change response, environmental protection, information technology, digital transformation, and sustainable development.

Lam told Higgins that the Vietnamese government has decided, and is proceeding with procedures, to establish a Vietnamese embassy in Ireland – a move that both sides believe will open a new stage of development in bilateral relations, for the common interests of the peoples of the two nations.

The two leaders expressed their pleasure that a strategic partnership in higher education would be set up within Lam’s visit between the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training and the Irish Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.

In addition, a memorandum of understanding between the Vietnam National University- Hanoi and a number of leading Irish universities will be also signed on this occasion. 

Lam and Higgins agreed to give priority to the educational cooperation between the two countries, thereby contributing to improving the quality of training, developing high-quality human resources, and promoting scientific research and innovation in Vietnam.

The guest and host emphasized the need to promote delegation exchanges at all levels, especially at high levels, and actively implement existing cooperation mechanisms to enhance political trust and mutual understanding.

They were also determined to expand people-to-people exchanges, cooperation in the fields of culture, art, and tourism, and connectivity between localities.

Both sides agreed to facilitate living and working conditions for each other’s citizens, support socio-economic development, and strengthen their friendly relations.

The Irish president and his guest had in-depth discussions on regional security issues of mutual concern such as the situations in Ukraine and the Middle East.

They called on all parties involved to protect civilians, conduct dialogue, and resolve conflict by peaceful means on the basis of international law and the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter.

Both leaders agreed that Vietnam and Ireland will strengthen cooperation at multilateral forums and mechanisms such as ASEAN, the EU, and the United Nations, as well as in global issues including climate change and food security. 

Regarding the East Vietnam Sea issue, the two leaders supported ASEAN's stance on ensuring peace, security, stability, cooperation, and development in the region, while settling disputes by peaceful means in line with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

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