Bringing Vietnam - Ireland relations into depth, effectiveness and sustainability

The official visit of Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son to the Republic of Ireland on February 28-29 marks a new stage of development in the bilateral relationship, bringing the bilateral relationship to a deeper, more effective and sustainable level, especially in the fields of politics - diplomacy, economics, trade, investment, climate change and green growth, education and training and people-to-people exchange. This is the assessment of Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK and the Republic of Ireland Nguyen Hoang Long when talking to VNA reporters in the UK.

Ambassador Nguyen Hoang Long emphasized that the official visit of Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son to the Republic of Ireland, at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ireland Michael Martin, taking place right after the Lunar New Year 2024, is an important visit of great significance in promoting Vietnam - Ireland relations. This is the first visit of a Vietnamese Foreign Minister to Ireland in 20 years since the visit of Minister Nguyen Dy Nien. Regarding the main activities during the visit, Ambassador Nguyen Hoang Long said that Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son will have important talks with Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Defense of Ireland Micheál Martin; pay a courtesy call to President Michael D. Higgins and Speaker of the Irish House of Commons Seán Ó Fearghaíl. The two sides are expected to discuss many important issues in bilateral relations as well as outstanding regional and international issues, including the East Sea issue. Minister Bui Thanh Son's visit contributes to strengthening political trust and promoting high-level delegation exchanges between the two countries, first of all, preparing for the State visit of President Vo Van Thuong to Ireland; deepening economic and trade cooperation, lobbying Ireland to soon ratify the Vietnam - European Union Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) and supporting the European Commission (EC) to soon remove the IUU yellow card (against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing) for Vietnam; attracting high-quality investment from Ireland; strengthening cooperation in defense-security, science-technology, education-training, and agriculture. In addition, the two sides will discuss strengthening cooperation at multilateral forums, closely coordinating in solving regional and global issues. The visit also contributes to promoting the bridging role of Vietnam and Ireland in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union (EU). In addition, Minister Bui Thanh Son will also meet with representatives of overseas Vietnamese, students and Vietnamese intellectuals in Ireland. Assessing the current cooperative relationship between Vietnam and Ireland, Ambassador Nguyen Hoang Long said that economic-trade-investment cooperation between Vietnam and Ireland has achieved many positive results in recent times. Total two-way trade turnover in 2023 reached 3.5 billion USD, with export value from Vietnam to Ireland reaching more than 340 million USD. To date, Ireland has 41 investment projects in Vietnam with a total registered capital of 44.32 million USD, ranking 61st out of 141 countries and territories investing in Vietnam. The two countries are implementing a number of large projects such as cooperation between Phu Cuong Group, Mainstream Renewable Power Company and General Electric Vietnam Company on an 800 MW wind power project in Soc Trang, worth 2 billion USD; cooperation between Pacific Company and Mainstream Renewable Power Company on wind power projects in Binh Thuan; cooperation between FPT Corporation, Vietnam Post Corporation and Escher Group on the project "Design, supply and implementation of MPITS postal software system", worth 10 million USD... In the coming time, Ireland will continue to promote investment projects in Vietnam, especially in areas where Ireland has strengths and Vietnam has great potential such as green technology, renewable energy, research and development, innovation, high-tech agriculture; enhance professional exchanges on FDI attraction, application of global minimum tax of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD); key areas at the National Innovation Center... According to Ambassador Nguyen Hoang Long, education and training has an important position, is a bright spot in bilateral cooperation. Ireland has an advanced education system with large and prestigious universities in the world. As the only English-speaking country in the EU, Ireland has a great advantage in attracting international students, including Vietnamese students. Vietnam and Ireland have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in higher education and a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of information and communication technology training (November 2016). Since 2009, the Irish Government has provided Vietnam with the Ireland - Vietnam Development Experience Sharing (IDEAS) full scholarship program. To date, about 200 Vietnamese students have received scholarships to study for a Master's degree in Ireland. The number of Vietnamese students studying in Ireland on their own is also increasing. The Vietnam - Ireland Bilateral Education Exchange (VIBE) program has attracted 15 universities across the country and has been effectively implemented, thereby promoting links between schools and businesses. Cooperation in the fields of health, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, sustainable development and information technology are also strengths that the two countries are actively exploiting, especially agriculture and food processing, areas within the framework of the Irish Development Experience Sharing Program between Vietnamese agencies and Irish partners. In the period of 2023-2027, Ireland will continue to prioritize funding in the fields of agriculture, food, pharmaceuticals, education, focusing on promoting bilateral trade on the basis of taking advantage of opportunities from the Vietnam - EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). It can be said that cooperation in trade, investment, science and technology and other areas of strength between Vietnam and Ireland is still modest, not commensurate with the political relationship as well as the great potential for cooperation between the two countries. In the coming time, the two sides need to further strengthen the exchange of delegations at all levels, sectors, and businesses, and enhance information sharing, thereby better exploiting the potential and advantages of each country to further promote bilateral cooperation. Regarding the Strategy "Global Ireland: Delivering in the Asia-Pacific region to 2025" launched by Ireland in January 2020, Ambassador Nguyen Hoang Long said that Ireland considers Vietnam one of the important partners in the Asia-Pacific region in general and in ASEAN in particular. Vietnam is currently the only country in the region that Ireland has included in the Irish Aid international development cooperation program to promote cooperation between the two countries in areas such as climate action, gender equality, overcoming the consequences of bombs and mines, ethnic minority communities, education, people-to-people exchange, etc.

The above strategy demonstrates Ireland's ambition and commitment to deepening relationships across the dynamic Asia- Pacific region. Ireland's update of this strategy in October 2023, which affirms ASEAN's central role, continues to demonstrate Ireland's consistency and deep interest in the region. Ireland said that the implementation of the strategy will include strengthening relations with ASEAN and its member countries, including Vietnam, through effective bilateral and multilateral diplomacy and exchanges. In the coming time, to further promote cooperation, especially in potential areas, the two countries need to increase delegation exchanges, especially high-level delegations; actively make good use of existing cooperation frameworks on both bilateral and multilateral levels (as members of the EU, ASEAN and other international organizations); cooperate to resolve a number of outstanding issues such as Ireland's ratification of EVIPA and lobbying the EU to remove the IUU "yellow card". In addition, the establishment of a Vietnamese Embassy in Ireland is also being discussed and implemented in the near future. Vietnam and Ireland are two nations with many similarities in the history of fighting for independence, diverse and unique cultures, as well as the indomitable and open-hearted character of the people of the two countries. This is an important point for the two countries to continue to connect, cooperate and support each other for mutual development. Assessing the development of the Vietnamese community in Ireland and the community's contributions to the host country and the country, Ambassador Nguyen Hoang Long said that the Vietnamese community in Ireland has so far made great strides in development with certain contributions and successes in the host country. Formed in the late 1970s with about 200 people, to date, the number of Vietnamese living, working and studying in Ireland has reached nearly 6,000 people, most of whom live in the capital Dublin. In general, the Vietnamese community in Ireland has a stable life and always looks towards their homeland and country. In September 2023, the Provisional Executive Committee and Advisory Board of the Vietnamese Student Association in Ireland were officially launched, operating on the basis of the orientation of the Central Committee of the Vietnamese Student Association and the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK. In Ireland, a network of intellectuals has also been formed, under the Vietnamese Intellectual Association in the UK and Ireland, with Vietnamese professors, associate professors, senior lecturers, and postgraduates working and teaching at prestigious universities such as University College Dublin, Technological University Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin City University, etc. This shows that the Vietnamese community in Ireland is increasingly prestigious with the local government and people, being an important bridge, making practical contributions to the good relationship between the two countries.

Minh Hop

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