The booth of Minh Long Ceramics at Ambiente 2025 in Frankfurt, Hessen. VNA/VNS Photo

BERLIN Vietnamese Consul General in Frankfurt am Main Lưu Xuân Đồng on September 11 had a working session with President Astrid Wallmann, President of the Hessian State Parliament, which coincided with the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Việt Nam - Germany diplomatic relations (September 23, 1975 – 2025).

According to the Hessischer Landtag official portal, Hessen has maintained a strategic partnership with Việt Nam since 2012, with cooperation spanning science, education and economic development. Việt Nam is currently one of Hessen’s most important trading partners in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

At the meeting, Wallmann underlined that close relations with partners in Asia are vital for Germany’s prosperity and continued growth. She noted that diverse connections in education, culture and business are enriching bilateral ties and shaping a promising future, and expressed her delight with the opportunity to further deepen this close and friendly exchange through discussions.

For his part, Đồng highly valued the achievements of Việt Nam – Hessen cooperation and discussed future plans to strengthen ties in diplomacy, justice, education, culture, economy and labour. Both sides agreed to continue coordinating activities to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Việt Nam – German diplomatic relations, with a focus on promoting Việt Nam’s image in Hessen.

Both parties welcomed the positive and effective development of Việt Nam – Hessen relations within the broader Việt Nam – Germany partnership. In the economic sphere, bilateral trade between Việt Nam and Hessen has reached around 1 billion EUR (US$1.17 billion) annually in recent years, accounting for roughly 10 per cent of total Việt Nam – Germany trade. Many Hessian companies have invested successfully in Việt Nam, including Bilfinger & Berger, Messer, Sanofi-Aventis, Fresenius, and Commerzbank.

A flagship project in bilateral educational cooperation, Việt Nam - Germany University in HCM City, established in 2008 at Hessen’s initiative, has been operating effectively, contributing to the development of high-quality human resources in Việt Nam.

Hessen also has a growing demand for skilled workers from Việt Nam. Minister-President of State of Hesse Boris Rhein suggested both sides capitalise on the opportunities provided by Germany’s newly adopted Immigration Act for Skilled Workers to expand the recruitment of Vietnamese workers for Hessen, thereby helping to address the state’s labour shortages while creating favourable conditions for Vietnamese employees in Germany. VNA/VNS