General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee Tô Lâm (left) meets with Speaker of the UK House of Lords John McFall (Baron McFall of Alcluith) in London on October 29. (Photo: VNA)

LONDON – General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee Tô Lâm met with Speaker of the UK House of Lords John McFall (Baron McFall of Alcluith) in London on October 29 (local time) as part of his official visit to the United Kingdom.

Speaker McFall warmly welcomed the official visit to the UK of General Secretary Lâm and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, stressing the significance of their visit to the UK. He congratulated Việt Nam on its achievements in socio-economic development and foreign affairs under the leadership of the CPV and General Secretary Lâm.

He affirmed that the UK attaches great importance to strengthening ties with Việt Nam and is ready to work closely with Việt Nam to deepen cooperation across various areas, particularly education and training, and defence. He extended his sympathy to the Vietnamese people over the recent flooding in some localities.

Expressing his delight at the growing and substantive cooperation between the two parliaments, the Lord Speaker said he believes General Secretary Lâm's visit will open up a new phase of cooperation in bilateral relations across all fields, especially through parliament channel. He affirmed that the House of Lords will continue to support the British Government’s cooperation with Việt Nam and experience sharing in law-making.

He conveyed his greetings and best wishes to National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn and other senior leaders of the Party and State of Vietnam.

At the meeting between General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee Tô Lâm and Speaker of the UK House of Lords John McFall (Baron McFall of Alcluith) in London on October 29. VNA/VNS Photo

For his part, General Secretary Lâm highly valued the role of the UK Parliament in the country’s political system and appreciated the positive contributions by McFall and other parliamentary leaders to promoting Việt Nam–UK relations.

He proposed that the House of Lords continue to support the expansion of cooperation between the two parliaments, governments, and the two countries' localities, particularly in fields where the UK has strengths such as finance, science and technology, education and training, security and defence, and climate change response.

The Party chief stressed the need to further promote bilateral education and training initiatives, especially under the Chevening and Newton scholarship programmes, as well as university and vocational training partnerships. He encouraged British educational institutions to expand branches and training links in Việt Nam, helping develop high-quality human resources to serve economic growth and digital transformation in the new era.

Both leaders underscored the important role of the two parliaments in monitoring the effective implementation of bilateral cooperation agreements. They agreed to maintain regular exchanges of delegations, especially at high levels, boost cooperation between parliamentary committees, and share experience in legislation, policy oversight, and academic exchanges to further strengthen parliamentary ties.

On this occasion, General Secretary Lâm conveyed National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn’s greetings and invitation to visit Việt Nam to Speaker John McFall. VNA/VNS