Vice President Võ Thị Ánh Xuân receives Swedish Ambassador to Vietnam Johan Ndisi on October 15. VNA photo

HÀ NỘI – Vice President Võ Thị Ánh Xuân’s official visit to Sweden from November 10-13 will help consolidate and deepen the sound traditional friendship between the two nations, according to Vietnamese Ambassador to Sweden Trần Văn Tuấn.

In an interview with the Việt Nam News Agency, Tuấn underscored the significance of Xuân’s trip, the first ever by a Vietnamese Vice President, saying it will come at a crucial moment as both nations are celebrating the 55th anniversary of their diplomatic relations (1969-2024).

During her stay, Xuân will meet with Sweden’s top parliamentary and government leaders to discuss measures to enhance mutual understanding, deepen the relations between the two countries' people as well as develop bilateral cooperation in a more practical fashion. Several Memoranda of Understanding between the two ministries and sectors will be signed on this occasion.

The Vietnamese diplomat stressed that Xuân’s trip showcased Việt Nam’s commitment to creating a stable and favourable environment for investment and business activities of Swedish enterprises, adding a centrepiece of the economic agenda would be the Việt Nam – Sweden Business Roundtable focusing on digital transformation and sustainable development – the areas of the European country’s expertise and Việt Nam’s demand.

The trip, he said, was expected to give fresh impetus to bolster collaboration between businesses of both sides in those domains, with the highlight being the announcement of a direct maritime route connecting Vũng Tàu port in Việt Nam's southern province of Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu and Sweden's Gothenburg port, which is set to advance two-way trade in the coming time.

Besides, Xuân was scheduled to meet with the Vietnamese community in the European nation during which she would affirm the Party and State’s consistent policy of considering the overseas Vietnamese an inseparable part of the nation and encouraging them to make contributions to the development of the homeland, he stated.

According to Tuấn, Việt Nam and Sweden have enjoyed a time-honoured relationship and cooperation, with Sweden being the first European nation to recognise and set up diplomatic ties with Việt Nam in 1969. Sweden has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Việt Nam during the latter’s struggle for national independence, freedom, peace and reunification as well as its current construction and development. Over the past 55 years, the two countries have nurtured and deepened their ties and carved out noble achievements across sectors.

He laid stress on the robust political confidence between the two countries, with Việt Nam seeing Sweden as a good friend and a trustworthy partner in Northern Europe, and Sweden considering Việt Nam an important partner in Southeast Asia. He highlighted regular political consultations and delegation exchanges, particularly those at high levels, had created important momentum to enhance the traditional ties across politics, economy, trade, investment, science-technology, culture, education and health care, among others.

As many as 107 pacts and 12 bilateral agreements were signed between the two countries, 42 of which are still valid, serving as an important basis to step up their cooperation in the new era – the era of science-technology and sustainable development, according to the ambassador.

Sweden is one of the largest ODA providers for Việt Nam, helping the country with its poverty reduction efforts and socio-economic development. Sweden has assisted Việt Nam in training experts in various domains such as agro-forestry, health care, electricity, press and communications.

Additionally, the two countries have witnessed robust trade ties, with two-way trade reaching some US$1.3 billion in 2023, and $966.77 million in the first eight months of this year, a year-on-year rise of 11 per cent. Currently, Sweden is Việt Nam’s largest trading partner in Northern Europe while Việt Nam is the biggest importer of Sweden in Southeast Asia.

As of June 2024, Sweden registered $743.65 million in 111 projects in Việt Nam, ranking 29th among 143 countries and territories landing investments in the Southeast Asian country. Meanwhile, Việt Nam has funneled around $5.2 million into Sweden since 2019.

Tuấn said the two countries enjoyed strong culture-education cooperation over the recent past, with major cultural events held to mark the 55th anniversary of the diplomatic relations, helping tighten the friendship between their people. VNA/VNS