During the March 26 event, the two sides reviewed recent bilateral cooperation and the implementation of agreements reached between the two countries, particularly following the State visit to Ireland by Party General Secretary and State President To Lam in October 2024, and compared notes of regional and international issues of common concern.
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Deputy Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang (right) meets with Irish Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Neale Richmond. |
Richmond affirmed that Ireland treasures the friendship built and strengthened over the past 30 years on the basis of political trust, shared interests and common values.
He expressed satisfaction with the newly-established bilateral framework, noting that the two countries now have ample foundations to expand win-win cooperation across fields, particularly in trade, investment, education and training, science and technology, and innovation, contributing to prosperity in both nations as well as peace, cooperation and sustainable development in the region and the world.
For her part, Deputy FM Hang expressed her pleasure at co-chairing the consultation as the two countries celebrate the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations (1996–2026), alongside the official inauguration of the Vietnamese Embassy in Ireland. She affirmed that bilateral ties have been consistently nurtured by leaders and people of both nations, yielding positive outcomes.
She said the Vietnamese people always attach importance to and remember Ireland’s valuable support and solidarity in its national development and international integration, and reiterated Vietnam’s desire to deepen all-around cooperation with the European country bilaterally and multilaterally while effectively implementing high-level commitments.
The two sides agreed to enhance coordination in promoting high-level exchanges, effectively utilizing the higher education strategic partnership and the political consultation mechanism between the two foreign ministries to monitor implementation, address challenges, and advance cooperation in specific areas.
Recognizing close coordination at multilateral forums, the two sides affirmed their continued support for each other’s candidacies to U.N. bodies and other international organizations. They also agreed to serve as gateways for each other to expand cooperation with the European Union (E.U.) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The two sides acknowledged positive growth in bilateral trade, which reached nearly 4.1 billion USD in 2025, up 14% year-on-year. They emphasized the importance of effectively implementing the E.U.–Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) to facilitate greater market access for goods from both sides, particularly agricultural and aquatic products, thereby promoting more balanced trade.
The Irish side highly valued the effective implementation of the memorandum of understanding on food systems transformation signed in October 2024 and welcomed Vietnam’s opening of its market to Irish beef. The two sides agreed to continue cooperating and sharing experience in policymaking and management systems for agri-food value chains, linking businesses, farmers, organizations and consumers, while encouraging stronger connectivity and collaboration between agricultural enterprises from both countries.
They also pledged to build on successful development cooperation, with Ireland reaffirming its continued support for Vietnam in this area.
Deputy FM Hang called on Ireland to soon ratify the E.U.–Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) and encourage other E.U. members to follow suit, facilitating more effective investment flows. She urged Ireland to support the European Commission’s early removal of the “yellow card” warning on Vietnam’s seafood exports related to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
The two sides noted the growing cooperation in culture, tourism and people-to-people exchanges, particularly the rising number of Irish tourists visiting Vietnam. They agreed to encourage travel firms to participate in tourism fairs in each countries and to promote the establishment of people’s friendship organizations.
For regional and international issues, the two sides expressed their concern over tensions in certain regions, stressing the importance of resolving disputes through peaceful measures, in accordance with international law and the U.N. Charter. Regarding the East Sea (aka South China Sea), they underscored the need to maintain peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight in line with international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982.
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Deputy FM Le Thi Thu Hang (right) receives Eugene Cartan, former General Secretary of the Communist Party of Ireland. |
During her visit, Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang met with Eugene Cartan, former General Secretary of the Communist Party of Ireland, and Gerard McKillen, Honorary Consul of Vietnam in Ireland and Chairman of Pacific Land Limited, reaffirming Vietnam’s appreciation for Ireland’s longstanding support and its commitment to fostering bilateral ties.
She also visited the Trinity Innovation Hub, where she underscored Vietnam’s prioritization of science, technology, innovation and digital transformation as key development drivers, noting broad alignment with Ireland’s strengths and significant opportunities for collaboration in strategic technology sectors between the two countries.
Source: VNA