Foreign Minister Lê Hoài Trung (right) had talks with UK Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Seema Malhotra in Hà Nội on June 10. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam and the UK have pledged to deepen their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, with both sides aiming to raise two-way trade to US$10 billion this year while expanding cooperation across a range of strategic sectors.

The commitment was made during a meeting between Foreign Minister Lê Hoài Trung and UK Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Seema Malhotra in Hà Nội on Wednesday as part of the British official’s visit to Việt Nam.

At the meeting, Trung thanked the UK for its high-level participation in the ASEAN Future Forum and reaffirmed Việt Nam's support for stronger ASEAN–UK ties. Marking five years of the ASEAN–UK Dialogue Partnership, he stressed Việt Nam's determination to effectively fulfil its role as ASEAN Coordinator for relations with the UK for the 2024–2027 period.

Highlighting the growing momentum in bilateral relations since the two countries elevated ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in October last year, the minister said Việt Nam attaches great importance to its relationship with the UK and sees considerable scope for stronger collaboration in trade, investment, finance, science and technology, education, tourism, green transition and renewable energy.

He called for greater efforts to promote trade and investment and broaden market access for both countries’ products, with the objective of reaching $10 billion in bilateral trade this year. Trung reaffirmed Việt Nam's commitment to creating favourable conditions for British investors, particularly those involved in strategic infrastructure projects capable of generating wide-ranging economic benefits.

Malhotra congratulated Việt Nam on the successful hosting of the ASEAN Future Forum and commended both ASEAN’s growing role and Việt Nam's active contributions to the bloc. She acknowledged Việt Nam's efforts in advancing ASEAN–UK cooperation.

The UK official praised Việt Nam's socio-economic achievements and welcomed the strong progress in bilateral ties, especially following Party General Secretary Tô Lâm’s official visit to the UK in 2025. She reiterated London’s desire to further strengthen substantive cooperation with Việt Nam in areas ranging from diplomacy and migration to trade, investment, science and technology, education and green growth.

Noting the strong interest of British businesses in Việt Nam, particularly in energy and green transition projects, Malhotra said the UK will continue supporting Việt Nam's implementation of the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), including efforts to improve the regulatory framework and attract greater international private-sector investment.

Both sides also agreed to boost economic cooperation through stronger links between investment funds, collaboration on the development of an international financial centre, and partnerships in critical minerals. They pledged to coordinate more closely in support of open and sustainable global trade.

In education, the two countries agreed to enhance cooperation among experts, research institutes and leading academic institutions, while developing programmes to help Việt Nam train a high-quality workforce in sectors where UK expertise aligns with Việt Nam's development needs.

The UK also expressed its readiness to assist Việt Nam in expanding English-language teaching and supporting the country’s ambition to make English a second language in its education system.

On regional and international issues, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to close coordination within multilateral mechanisms, particularly the United Nations and ASEAN–UK frameworks. They underscored the importance of dialogue, adherence to international law, settlement of disputes through peaceful measures, and the protection of freedom, security and safety of navigation, energy security, supply chains and the legitimate interests of all countries, thereby contributing to peace, stability and sustainable development in each region and the world. — VNA/VNS