Irish Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Food & the Marine Pippa Hackett, Chief of Protocol at the Department of Foreign Affairs Eamonn McKee welcomed Việt Nam's Party chief & President Tô Lâm at Dublin Airport. — VNA/VNS Photo Trí Dũng

DUBLIN — General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee and State President Tô Lâm and a high-ranking delegation of Việt Nam landed at Dublin Airport at 8:30pm on October 1 (local time), beginning a state visit to Ireland at the invitation of Irish President Michael D. Higgins.

The Vietnamese delegation was welcomed at the airport by Irish Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Food & the Marine Pippa Hackett, Chief of Protocol at the Department of Foreign Affairs Eamonn McKee, Mayor of Fingal Dublin Brian McDonagh, Ambassador to Việt Nam Deirdre Ní Fhallúin, Vietnamese Ambassador to Ireland Đỗ Minh Hưng and his spouse, along with several staff members from the Vietnamese Embassy.

This is the first state visit since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1996. Ireland shares several similarities with Việt Nam, particularly in terms of history, patriotism, resilience, and rich and unique culture. Room remains tremendous for their enhanced cooperation for mutual development.

During the visit, the two countries' leaders are expected to discuss measures to step up collaboration across various areas where Việt Nam has needs and Ireland holds strengths, including high-quality investment, science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, energy transition, and education, especially higher education.

Ireland is now Việt Nam's sixth largest trading partner among EU members, with two-way trade reaching US$3.5 billion in 2023 and $2.73 billion in the first seven months of 2024.

Regarding investment, Ireland is investing in 41 projects in Việt Nam with a total registered capital of $44.32 million, ranking 61st out of 141 countries and territories investing in Việt Nam. — VNS

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee and State President Tô Lâm at Dublin Airport. — VNA/VNS Photo Trí Dũng