King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium will lead a substantial delegation, including over 30 chief executive officers (CEOs) from leading Belgian and EU enterprises, to Vietnam early next week for a five-day visit aimed at strengthening and exploring new opportunities for bilateral cooperation.

During a press briefing ahead of the state visit scheduled for March 31 to April 4, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang described the trip as 'special and of significant importance to the relations between the two countries.’

Deputy Minister Hang noted that accompanying the king and queen will be 34 CEOs from leading Belgian and EU corporations operating in sectors such as logistics services, port operations, energy transition, climate change response, healthcare, and the food industry. ​

Additionally, 16 leaders from top Belgian universities and research institutes will join the delegation.

“This demonstrates Belgium's desire to work with Vietnam to strengthen existing foundations of cooperation," affirmed Deputy Minister Hang. “It also reflects a mutual intent to explore new collaborative opportunities in areas where Belgium's strengths align with Vietnam's needs.” ​

The visit also highlights the special bond the Belgian king and queen share with Vietnam, as they made multiple trips to the country as Crown Prince and Princess, creating many cherished memories along the way.

“The state visit of the king and queen to Vietnam, given that the Belgian monarchs rarely conduct overseas visits outside Europe annually, shows Belgium's special regard for Vietnam and its role and position in the Asia-Pacific region,” emphasized Deputy Minister Hang. ​

The visit affirms the mutual desire and determination to elevate bilateral relations, increase political trust, and promote cooperation across various fields, especially in economy, trade, and investment.

It also provides an opportunity to deepen the strategic partnership framework on agriculture, established between Vietnam and Belgium in 2018, while expanding cooperation in other priority and potential areas such as education and training, science and technology, culture, and the arts. ​

Trade and investment cooperation between the two countries has been vibrant, yielding many positive results in recent years.

Belgium is Vietnam's sixth-largest export market in Europe, while Vietnam is Belgium's largest trading partner in ASEAN.

In 2024, their bilateral trade turnover reached US$4.45 billion, marking a 17.1-percent year-on-year increase, according to Deputy Minister Hang.

Currently, Belgium has 100 investment projects in Vietnam with a total registered capital of $1.1 billion, ranking 23rd among 139 countries and territories, and sixth among the 27 EU member states investing in the Southeast Asian country. ​

These projects span 16 of Vietnam’s 63 provinces and localities, focusing on sectors such as maritime transport, logistics services, and renewable energy, with northern Hai Phong City leading with nine projects valued at $420 million.

Belgium was one of the first Western European countries to establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam in 1973. Two years later, Belgium opened its embassy in Hanoi and appointed a resident ambassador in June 1976. ​

Since 1977, Belgium has provided Vietnam with concessional loans and non-refundable aid totaling nearly $300 million.

To date, the total value of concessional loans disbursed by the Belgian government to Vietnam has reached approximately 126 million euros ($137 million) for 11 projects in water resource management, institutional strengthening, administrative reform, education, and agriculture. ​

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