NA Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn and his spouse depart Hà Nội on April 11 for visit to Italy, and attendance in the 152nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU-152) and bilateral activities in Türkiye. VNA/VNS Photo

Within the framework of his attendance at the 152nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU-152) in Istanbul, Türkiye, from April 15–17, National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn will engage in a range of bilateral activities aimed at further deepening Việt Nam–Türkiye relations, particularly in legislative affairs.

Growing friendship and expanding cooperation

Despite geographical distance, Việt Nam and Türkiye share notable similarities and their traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation have been nurtured by generations of leaders and continue to develop steadily. Diplomatic relations, established on June 7, 1978, have recorded positive progress. Both governments highly value bilateral ties as well as Việt Nam’s role in maintaining stability and development in ASEAN and Türkiye’s position in the Middle East and North Africa.

High-level exchanges have been maintained regularly alongside mechanisms such as the joint committee and deputy foreign minister-level political consultations. Party-to-Party and locality-to-locality ties have also been strengthened.

Parliamentary cooperation has seen encouraging developments with both sides actively engaging in inter-parliamentary forums such as the IPU and the Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA). They have established friendship parliamentarians’ groups and bilateral friendship associations while continuing to support each other at multilateral forums, including candidacies for positions in the United Nations and other international organisations.

Enhancing cooperation effectiveness across key sectors

Türkiye is among Việt Nam’s leading trading partners in the Middle East and serves as a gateway for Vietnamese exports to the region and Southern Europe, while Việt Nam is one of Türkiye’s top partners in Southeast Asia. Trade and investment cooperation remains a key pillar for advancing bilateral ties substantively and effectively. Two-way trade reached US$2.4 billion in 2024 and nearly $2.3 billion in 2025.

In terms of investment, as of December 2025, Türkiye had 49 valid projects in Việt Nam with a total registered capital of $1.75 billion, ranking 24th among 146 countries and territories investing in Việt Nam and the second-largest investor from the Middle East–Africa region. Việt Nam currently has one investment project in Türkiye in the service sector valued at $850,000.

Defence and defence industry cooperation has also made marked strides, highlighted by the establishment of defence attaché offices in respective countries. The close friendship between the two nations is further reflected in their mutual support in times of hardship, exemplified by Việt Nam’s deployment of rescue teams to assist Türkiye following the devastating earthquake in early 2023. Around 200 Vietnamese citizens are currently living, studying and working in Türkiye.

A visit expected to generate new momentum

Against the backdrop of strong bilateral ties, Chairman Mẫn’s visit is expected to enhance political trust, deepen parliamentary cooperation and promote more substantive bilateral engagement.

According to Vietnamese Ambassador to Türkiye Đặng Thị Thu Hà, this marks the leader’s first official overseas visit in his capacity as Chairman of the 16th National Assembly. The visit concretises Việt Nam’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation and development as well as diversification and multilateralisation of external relations.

Beyond activities within IPU-152, the NA Chairman will hold a series of bilateral engagements to strengthen Việt Nam–Türkiye friendship and cooperation, including a meeting with the Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, chairing a policy dialogue on bilateral cooperation and meetings with business leaders, economic organisations and local authorities.

She expressed confidence that the working visit and activities in Türkiye would open up new opportunities and provide important momentum for bilateral ties to achieve further success.

Meanwhile, Deputy Foreign Minister Đặng Hoàng Giang noted that substantial potential remained for bilateral cooperation, particularly in legislative collaboration, security, economic ties and Halal agriculture. He expressed confidence that the visit would open up new opportunities and create fresh momentum, contributing to both countries’ development goals and to peace, stability and sustainable development in the region and beyond. — VNA/VNS