Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng presided over an official welcome ceremony for his visiting Liechtenstein counterpart Brigitte Haas in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photos

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng presided over an official welcome ceremony for his visiting Liechtenstein counterpart Brigitte Haas in Hà Nội on Sunday morning.

Attending the ceremony were Politburo member and Minister of Foreign Affairs Lê Hoài Trung; Member of the Party Central Committee, Minister and Chairman of the Government Office Đặng Xuân Phong; Member of the Party Central Committee and Minister of Finance Ngô Văn Tuấn; Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Lương Hoàng Thái; and Vietnamese Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein Châu Mai Anh.

In a warm and friendly atmosphere, PM Hưng welcomed PM Brigitte Haas, who leads a high-ranking Liechtenstein delegation on a three-day official visit to Việt Nam from October 17-19, at the red carpet.

PM Brigitte Haas's first official visit to Việt Nam marks an important milestone, demonstrating Liechtenstein's high regard for Việt Nam

This is the first visit to Việt Nam by a high-ranking Liechtenstein leader since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 2008. It takes place at a time when bilateral relations are presented with new opportunities for development, particularly in the fields of economy and trade, investment, science and technology, and innovation.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, friendship and cooperation between Việt Nam and Liechtenstein have been maintained and developed positively. The two countries share many commonalities in upholding multilateralism, international law, and cooperation for peace, stability, and sustainable development. Economic and trade cooperation between the two countries has made positive progress.

In recent years, both sides have actively promoted negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Việt Nam and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), which comprises Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein. The negotiations concluded on July 2, 2026.

This agreement will provide an important framework for further expanding Việt Nam's economic relations with Liechtenstein and other EFTA countries, creating more favourable conditions for trade, investment, and business connectivity. What distinguishes Liechtenstein is not the size of its domestic market, but its ability, despite being a very small economy, to develop highly technologically capable and deeply specialised enterprises that can compete in global markets.

PM Brigitte Haas's first official visit to Việt Nam marks an important milestone, demonstrating Liechtenstein's high regard for Việt Nam while providing fresh impetus for deeper, more substantive, and more effective bilateral relations.

Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng and Liechtenstein Prime Minister Brigitte Haas at the welcome ceremony on October 18. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

It offers an opportunity for the two countries to strengthen political trust, promote the effective implementation of bilateral and multilateral agreements to which both countries are parties, and further leverage Việt Nam's role as a bridge to Southeast Asia.

Following the welcome ceremony, the two leaders led their respective high-level delegations in talks to review the results of bilateral cooperation in recent years and propose directions for future collaboration. They also witnessed the signing ceremony of a tax agreement between Việt Nam and Liechtenstein. — VNA/VNS