General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee Tô Lâm and his spouse left London for Hà Nội, successfully wrapping up their three-day official visit to the UK. VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

LONDON — General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee Tô Lâm and his spouse, together with the Vietnamese high-level delegation, departed from London Stansted Airport on Thursday (local time), concluding their three-day official visit to the UK at the invitation of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

During the visit, the General Secretary held talks with PM Starmer; met with leaders of the Communist Party of Britain, the Speaker of the House of Lords, the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Việt Nam (Việt Nam APPG), the Speaker of the House of Commons, and former Prime Minister Tony Blair; and visited the tomb of proletarian leader Karl Marx.

He also participated in discussions with British and international technology experts on artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductors; attended the Việt Nam–UK Business Roundtable Meeting; joined the Việt Nam–UK High-level Economic Conference; met with staff of the Vietnamese Embassy and the Việt Namese community in the UK; delivered a policy speech at Oxford University; and witnessed the signing of bilateral cooperation documents.

Vietnamese community in the UK sees Party General Secretary Tô Lâm and his spouse off. VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

During the visit, the two leaders agreed to upgrade bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Accordingly, the two sides agreed to enhance cooperation across six key pillars: strengthening collaboration in politics, diplomacy, defence and security; deepening ties in economy, trade, investment and finance; boosting cooperation in science and technology, innovation, digital transformation and healthcare; working together on environment, energy and green transition; expanding partnerships in education, culture, sports, tourism, people-to-people exchanges, gender equality and other areas; and stepping up coordination on regional and international issues.

In their joint declaration, the two sides also agreed to intensify exchanges and cooperation between parliament agencies and specialised committees, and parliamentary groups; to share experience in legislative oversight and parliamentary work; to enhance monitoring and coordination in implementing bilateral agreements; and to strengthen consultations, exchange of views and coordination at multilateral parliamentary forums in which both sides participate.

The two countries also agreed to boost collaboration in developing financial hubs, including Việt Nam’s International Financial Centre in HCM City and Đà Nẵng, under the framework of the Việt Nam–UK international financial centre partnership.

Việt Nam and the UK agreed to deepen cooperation in mobilising green finance to promote low-emission, sustainable growth; share expertise and implement green financial tools in Việt Nam. Both sides also pledged to effectively implement the 2025 Memorandum of Understanding on science, technology, and innovation cooperation.

The two countries agreed to establish the Việt Nam–UK clean energy partnership between Việt Nam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade and relevant British agencies to accelerate the transition toward a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy in both nations.

The UK reaffirmed its continued support for Việt Nam in promoting English language teaching and training, aiming to make English the second language in Việt Namese schools by 2035, and enhancing human resources development through cooperation between Vietnamese educational institutions and UK organisations

Both sides committed to maintaining and promoting peace, stability, security, and prosperity globally, in accordance with the UN Charter and international law, and shared a vision for a just international order based on international law, respecting independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. — VNA/VNS