Brussels, 22 October 2026
During Vietnamese leader Tô Lâm’s visit to Brussels, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa reaffirmed their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Priorities include trade, critical raw materials, Global Gateway investments, energy transition and Indo-Pacific security.
E-summary by ChatGPT, prompted by Insight EU, based on the statements below.
Brussels, 22 October 2026
On 22 October 2026, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Viet Nam and President of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam Tô Lâm visited the European Union and held talks in Brussels with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa on bilateral cooperation, regional security and global challenges.
The EU and Viet Nam recognised the importance of strengthening resilience, diversifying partnerships and promoting stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific, including through the EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.
The EU and Viet Nam welcomed the momentum in their relations, particularly following the elevation of bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in January 2026.
The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to deepening the partnership, including through Global Gateway investments and the Just Energy Transition Partnership. They called for full implementation of the EU–Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement and swift ratification of the Investment Protection Agreement. They also agreed to work towards developing cooperation on Critical Raw Materials and to continue to deepen cooperation on technology and innovation, education and training, the green transition, strategic infrastructure, the circular economy and the blue economy.
Both sides recognised the potential for cooperation in defence and security in accordance with their respective laws, priorities and policies. They appreciated the role of the EU–Viet Nam Defence and Security Dialogue and existing cooperation frameworks, including those on cooperation on maritime safety and security, cybersecurity, crisis management and capacity-building.
They reaffirmed their commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights, including through the dedicated bilateral dialogue.
Finally, they underscored the importance of effective multilateralism and a rules-based international order. Presidents von der Leyen and Costa welcomed Viet Nam’s constructive role in ASEAN, and the leaders looked forward to the EU–ASEAN Commemorative Summit in 2027 marking 50 years of relations.
Source – EU Commission
Brussels, 22 October 2026
General Secretary and President Tô Lâm had a meeting with President of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in Brussels on October 22. The EC President affirmed that the EU attaches great importance to its relations with Viet Nam, a trusted and like-minded partner of the EU in the Indo-Pacific region.
She expressed her wish to work with Viet Nam to effectively implement the newly-established framework of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, particularly in trade, investment, science and technology, innovation, and sustainable development.
The host spoke highly of Viet Nam’s development potential and its increasingly important role in regional and global supply chains, expressing her wish to further advance cooperation in critical raw materials, particularly in sustainable extraction and processing, technology development, and supply chain diversification, thereby promoting green and digital transition and enhancing the competitiveness of both sides.
There remains considerable scope for cooperation in areas where the EU has strengths and which are priorities for Viet Nam, such as nuclear energy and renewable energy, she noted.
She reiterated the EU’s readiness to support Viet Nam’s ambition to become a regional transportation and transit hub, hoping to further advance recently signed cooperation initiatives, including the Bac Ai Hydropower Project in the central province of Ninh Thuan, Lien Chieu Port in Da Nang City, and the renovation and preservation of Long Bien Bridge in the capital city of Ha Noi.
To Lam, for his part, stressed that Viet Nam regards the EU as one of its priority partners and wishes to further deepen and strengthen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in a substantive and effective manner.
He proposed both sides leverage their complementary strengths and make science and technology, innovation, and energy transition key pillars of strategic cooperation, while enhancing the autonomy, self-reliance, and resilience of their economies.
Both sides should continue to capitalize effectively on cooperation opportunities through the Global Gateway, the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) framework, and the Horizon Europe.
He called for stronger implementation of priority cooperation programs and projects, particularly in strategic infrastructure, scientific research, and innovation.
The guest took the occasion to express thanks to the EC President for inviting him to attend and deliver a speech at the third Global Gateway Forum in June 2027, describing it as an important opportunity to expand cooperation in investment, strategic infrastructure, and energy transition.
Both sides vowed to enhance the role of the special task force in implementing the EU–Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) to further expand and strengthen bilateral economic and trade exchanges.
They also pledged to promote the early lifting of the EU’s “yellow card” warning against Vietnamese seafood exports.
The two leaders underlined the need to bolster cooperation in education and training, culture, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges; expand collaboration in defence and security, crisis management, United Nations peacekeeping, maritime security, and responses to non-traditional security challenges.
They affirmed their willingness to work closely at multilateral forums, uphold multilateralism and international law, and promote free, smooth, and unimpeded trade.
The pair also underscored the importance of ensuring freedom of navigation and overflight in accordance with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Both sides pledged to make positive contributions to peace, stability, cooperation, and sustainable development in the region and around the world.
Source – Government of Viet Nam
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