Irish Ambassador Deirdre Ní Fhallúin. — Photo courtesy of the Irish Embassy

HÀ NỘI —  In an interview with the Vietnam News Agency, Irish Ambassador Deirdre Ní Fhallúin highlighted the transformative year in bilateral relations, marked by Party General Secretary Tô Lâm's groundbreaking visit to Dublin and the announcement of Việt Nam's first resident embassy in Ireland. The Ambassador discussed expanding economic partnerships, flourishing educational exchanges, and growing cultural ties between the two nations as they approach their 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

What do you see as the most important diplomatic achievements in the bilateral relations in 2024?

The diplomatic highlight of 2024 was certainly the State Visit of Party General Secretary (and then-President) H.E. Tô Lâm to Ireland in October, which I was honoured to accompany. This was the first State Visit of a Vietnamese head of state to our country, so it marked a significant milestone in our bilateral relations. Our President Michael D Higgins has very warm memories of his visit to Việt Nam in 2016, so the fact that he was able to welcome Party General Secretary Tô Lâm to Ireland made it particularly special.

The visit was a great success and productive, with a number of agreements reached between our two countries. These included a Sectoral Strategic Partnership in Higher Education as well as several MoUs in other areas of shared interest, such as trade and agriculture.

During the visit, the decision to establish a resident Vietnamese Embassy in Dublin was announced. This will be a great asset in particular for the Vietnamese community living in Ireland, and we’re looking forward to seeing its official opening in the near future.

The Embassy of Ireland is looking forward to building on the success of the state visit, particularly as we move towards another important milestone, which will be in 2026 when we mark the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Ireland and Việt Nam.

Reporter: The two countries have been developing stronger economic ties in recent years. Could you elaborate on some key opportunities that have emerged between our two countries over the past year? What sectors are showing the most promising potentials for bilateral economic collaboration?

Ambassador Deirdre Ní Fhallúin: Strengthening and developing the economic ties between Ireland and Việt Nam is an important area of the Embassy’s work, including in the context of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement.

In October, Party General Secretary Tô Lâm’s state visit reflected the growing trade and business links between our two countries. For example, Ireland is a world leader in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, and the Party General Secretary paid a visit to Ireland’s National Institute for Bioprocessing Research & Training to witness this in action.

He also attended an Ireland-Việt Nam business forum, where he met with fifteen Irish companies currently doing business with Việt Nam and witnessed the signing of cooperation agreements in the fields of education, AI and digital transformation, and aviation. These are all areas of particular strength for Ireland with lots of potential for bilateral cooperation, which we will build on over the next several years.

Shortly after the State Visit, we welcomed an Irish Trade Mission to Việt Nam, supported by Bord Bia, the Irish Food Board. A Minister from the Irish Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine led this visit aimed at raising awareness of Ireland as a source of sustainable and high-quality food and drink, in particular our world famous dairy products.

Beyond economic and diplomatic ties, how have cultural and educational exchanges between Ireland and Việt Nam progressed?

Ireland places great significance on education and is recognised for its high quality universities and higher educational institutions. In 2024 we marked 50 years of the Ireland Fellows Programme, which offers scholarships for students to undertake fully-funded Masters degrees in Ireland. Every year, the Vietnamese students awarded these scholarships return to Việt Nam with quality education and experience, and a lifelong connection to Ireland.

We work closely to develop links between Irish and Vietnamese educational institutions, including capacity-building activities and exchanges between universities. The Sectoral Strategic Partnership signed between Ireland and Việt Nam during the State Visit is a great base on which to further develop these ties over the coming years.

On the cultural side, in 2024 the Embassy participated in a number of events aimed at increasing awareness of Ireland and its culture in Việt Nam. For example, we supported the launch of a Vietnamese translation of a novel by acclaimed Irish author Sally Rooney, and screened The Quiet Girl (An Cailín Ciúin), an Oscar-nominated film in the Irish language, in Hà Nội and Hồ Chí Minh City as part of the European Film Festival.

On the threshold of Việt Nam’s Tết Holiday, what is the message that you would like to send to the Vietnamese people?

I know that the Tết Holiday is a very special time in Việt Nam. It’s a good time to reflect and express appreciation for the things in life that we are grateful for. It’s my pleasure to spend the holiday this year with my family enjoying local traditions and celebrations. I was born in the Year of the Snake and so I hope that this will be an auspicious year. I would like to wish friends and partners of the Embassy of Ireland a very happy, healthy and prosperous new year. Chúc mừng năm mới!. — VNS