Party General Secretary Tô Lâm holds talks with General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and President of China Xi Jinping in Hà Nội on April 14, 2025. VNA/VNS Photos

Throughout 2025, Việt Nam pursued a proactive, flexible and effective foreign policy agenda, achieving a series of notable outcomes that continued to strengthen the country’s position on the international stage.

High-level diplomatic activities

The year was marked by an exceptional level of high-level diplomatic activities.

Senior Vietnamese leaders undertook 24 overseas missions, ranging from bilateral visits to participation in major multilateral forums. Over the same period, Việt Nam welcomed 37 visiting delegations of senior leaders and key officials from countries around the world. High-level engagement remained active even on the margins of multilateral events.

Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính meets with General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and President of China Xi Jinping in Hà Nội on April 14, 2025.

Some of the most prominent visits of the year included the State visit to Việt Nam by General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping in mid-April; General Secretary Tô Lâm’s official visit to the Russian Federation and his attendance at the 80th anniversary celebrations of Victory in the Great Patriotic War in May; State President Lương Cường’s participation in the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, combined with bilateral activities in the United States in September; and General Secretary Tô Lâm’s State visit to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and his attendance at the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the Workers’ Party of Korea in October.

Party General Secretary Tô Lâm on a state visit to DPRK and to attend a ceremony celebrating the 80th founding anniversary of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) from October 9 -11, 2025.

Vietnamese leaders’ visits and meetings covered every region of the world, from Asia and Africa to Europe, the Americas and the Middle East. These activities not only helped strengthen political trust but also created momentum for practical cooperation in economics, trade, investment, defence and security, science and technology and people-to-people exchanges.

At the same time, Việt Nam reaffirmed its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, cooperation and development; its commitment to the diversification and multilateralisation of international relations; and its role as a responsible member of the international community.

This vibrant diplomatic agenda was accompanied by important strides in upgrading relations.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee Tô Lâm and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer exchange the joint statement announcing the elevation of Việt Nam–UK relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

In 2025, Việt Nam established Comprehensive Strategic Partnerships with New Zealand, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and the United Kingdom, bringing the number of Việt Nam’s Comprehensive Strategic Partners to 14.

The upgrade with the United Kingdom was particularly significant, as it meant Việt Nam had established Comprehensive Strategic Partnerships with all five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.

During the same year, Việt Nam also upgraded relations to Strategic Partnership level with the Czech Republic, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Bulgaria, Finland, Algeria and Kuwait, and established Comprehensive Partnerships with Switzerland and Egypt. These developments represented meaningful progress in Việt Nam’s international relations, reinforcing political trust and expanding opportunities for cooperation across all sectors.

Việt Nam also officially established diplomatic relations with Tuvalu, bringing the total number of countries with which Việt Nam has formal diplomatic ties to 195 out of 200. This places Việt Nam among the few nations worldwide that maintain diplomatic relations with all UN member states.

Global and regional multilateral processes

In 2025, the country hosted three major international events: the ASEAN Future Forum; the fourth Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 (P4G) Summit; and the opening ceremony of the United Nations Convention on Countering Cybercrime, together with related high-level meetings.

The fourth Partnership for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 (P4G) Summit opened in Hà Nội on April 16, 2025. Party General Secretary Tô Lâm and Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính attended the ceremony and delivered opening remarks.

At the P4G Summit, Việt Nam put forward three key proposals to accelerate the global green transition. The first centred on advancing green thinking, particularly through the development of science and technology, innovation and digital transformation aligned with green growth.

The second focused on building a responsible green community shaped by close coordination between governments, the private sector and the scientific community. The third emphasised strengthening international cooperation and expanding green partnership models, including public–private collaboration, South–South cooperation and North–South cooperation.

Meanwhile, the opening ceremony of the Hanoi Convention attracted more than 400 journalists from 180 international media organisations and was broadcast live on the United Nations website in all of the UN’s official languages. This was the first time an event held in Việt Nam had been featured in this manner.

Party General Secretary Tô Lâm welcomes heads of delegations to the Signing Ceremony of the UN Convention against Cybercrime in Hà Nội in October, 2025.

Party General Secretary Tô Lâm and Party General Secretary, State President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith in Hà Nội in October, 2025.

According to United Nations figures, sixty-four countries signed the Convention during the plenary session, including nineteen from the Asia–Pacific region, nineteen from the European Union, twelve from Latin America and numerous partners from Africa and other parts of Asia. This made it one of the largest treaty-opening ceremonies organised by the United Nations in the past decade.

Successfully organising these events demonstrated Việt Nam’s growing capacity to coordinate, host and contribute meaningfully to the shaping of global agendas.

The United Nations’ decision to choose Hà Nội as the venue for the opening ceremony and to name the treaty the “Hanoi Convention” was a particularly notable achievement, marking the first time a global multilateral convention in a pivotal and rapidly evolving field had been associated with a Vietnamese locality. This highlighted not only Việt Nam’s deepening integration but also its emerging role in helping shape international rules, norms and shared values in the digital age.

Việt Nam continued to reinforce its multilateral engagement by securing re-election to the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2026–2028 term with 180 votes, the highest in the Asia-Pacific Group. The year also saw Việt Nam participate for the first time as a partner country at the BRICS Summit.

Economic diplomacy

Diplomatic achievements in 2025 extended across all channels. Economic diplomacy delivered concrete results, most notably Việt Nam’s swift negotiation with the United States on reciprocal tariffs, which successfully reduced the rate applied to Vietnamese goods from 46 per cent to 20 per cent.

Việt Nam also stepped up efforts to negotiate new free trade agreements while fully capitalising on the 17 FTAs already in place, promoted the ratification of the EU–Việt Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) by remaining EU member states and worked actively to address the EU’s IUU yellow card.

Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính greets members of the EU-ASEAN Business Council and the European Chamber of Commerce in Việt Nam in November, 2025.

Defence diplomacy was similarly active despite an increasingly complex global environment marked by strategic rivalry and the proliferation of armed conflicts. Việt Nam’s image as a resilient, peace-loving country was strongly conveyed during the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of national reunification and the 80th National Day on September 2. The country also demonstrated a spirit of solidarity and gratitude by inviting military delegations from China, Laos, Cambodia and Russia to participate in the parade, honouring the countries that supported Việt Nam during its struggle for national liberation.

People-to-people diplomacy and cultural diplomacy continued to play an important bridging role, promoting Việt Nam’s image as a nation that values peace, compassion, humanity and responsibility. One notable example was the fundraising campaign in support of the Cuban people on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of Việt Nam–Cuba diplomatic relations, which mobilised contributions amounting to VNĐ615 billion.

The combined strength and complementarity of various diplomatic channels allowed Việt Nam to broaden its external relations, enhance its international standing and translate political credibility into practical resources to support national development.

President Lương Cường and his spouse hosted a banquet in Hà Nội on May 26, 2025 in honour of French President Emmanuel Macron and his spouse on the occasion of their State visit to Việt Nam.

Ambassador Phạm Quang Vinh, former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, observed that Việt Nam has increasingly highlighted new drivers of growth, namely innovation, science and technology, digital transformation and the green transition.

He noted that the world is currently experiencing significant disruptions in international relations, including trade relations and global supply chains. Against this backdrop, economic diplomacy plays a pivotal role in helping maintain stable and sustainable supply chains.

"Việt Nam has continued to draw fully on the advantages created by its seventeen free trade agreements, both bilateral and multilateral, which provide an important foundation for coping with headwinds in global trade," he said.

Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính meets President of the United States Donald Trump at the 13th US-ASEAN Summit in 2025.

He emphasised that Việt Nam has effectively managed the complex challenges arising from supply chain disruptions, shifts in trade relations and tariff issues, particularly those involving the United States. These efforts have ensured that Việt Nam preserves its competitive advantages, maintains stable commercial ties with the United States and sustains strong trade relations with all major partners. This, he stressed, has been crucial.

He pointed out that preliminary figures indicate Việt Nam’s trade continued its upward trajectory in 2025, expanding by more than twenty per cent compared with the previous year and surpassing US$900 billion dollars for the first time.

"Achieving such substantial growth in a year marked by considerable global difficulties is a testament to the resilience and adaptability of Việt Nam’s external economic engagement," Vinh said. VNS

State President Lương Cường received US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in New York in September, 2025, as part of his ongoing US trip for the High-level General Debate of the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly and bilateral activities.