Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm meets Finnish President Alexander Stubb on September 24, 2024. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI – Finland and Việt Nam enjoy a great relationship that has lasted for more than half a century, and Party General Secretary Tô Lâm’s official visit to Finland will help further intensify their ties, Finnish Ambassador to Việt Nam Pekka Voutilainen has said.

In an interview granted to the press ahead of the visit, scheduled for October 20–22, Ambassador Voutilainen reviewed over five decades of relations, noting that bilateral cooperation has traditionally focused on development cooperation. However, as Việt Nam continues to post impressive economic growth, the partnership is now shifting toward trade and investment.

Finland's public funds currently invest nearly 100 million EUR (about US$116.5 million) in Việt Nam, alongside its private investments and businesses already operating in the Southeast Asian country. Việt Nam has also become Finland’s largest trading partner in Southeast Asia for 2024 and 2025, he added.

The diplomat identified information technology, cybersecurity, clean energy, the circular economy, water management, and medical technology as areas through which many Finnish companies can contribute to Việt Nam's economic growth and welfare. These sectors, he said, match Việt Nam’s major goals in infrastructure development and social welfare improvement.

Highlighting Finnish strengths, Voutilainen mentioned Nokia in information technology and Wärtsilä in energy, which provides power plants running on flexible fuels from bioenergy to liquefied natural gas (LNG) and hydrogen. Finland is also working with the European Union and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) to promote circular economy initiatives in Việt Nam’s industrial zones.

The ambassador noted that Việt Nam’s growing political and economic influence has strengthened its global standing.

He said he firmly believes that General Secretary Tô Lâm's visit will open up new prospects for the coming years following the signing of projects and memoranda of understanding (MoUs). Along with MoUs between Government agencies, several private-sector agreements will also be signed, marking a new step forward in bilateral collaboration.

As Việt Nam progresses to a higher stage of economic development, he expressed confidence that bilateral ties will deepen, with increasing focus on trade and investment to the benefit of both sides.

Voutilainen also underscored the importance of human resources exchange, saying Finland values Việt Nam’s well-educated workforce and welcomes more Vietnamese professionals and students. Currently, around 16,000 Vietnamese are living in the European nation.

Looking ahead, the ambassador voiced optimism about stronger growth in trade and investment relations. He highlighted his country’s high coffee consumption, averaging 13kg per person each year, as an opportunity for Vietnamese exporters. He added that Vietnamese goods such as apparel, agricultural products, and high-tech items are already well received in Finland.

According to Voutilainen, Finland could serve as a gateway for Vietnamese businesses to enter the Nordic and EU markets, while Việt Nam provides an ideal entry point for Finnish enterprises to access the ASEAN region. — VNA/VNS