The Vietnamese government leader's trips are at the invitations of U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, French President Emmanuel Macron, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal, and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
This marks the first time a Vietnamese Prime Minister will attend UNOC and is also the Prime Minister’s first visit to France since the two countries upgraded their relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in October 2023, following French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Vietnam in May 2024. It is also the first official visit by a Vietnamese Prime Minister to Estonia since the establishment of the two countries’ diplomatic relations in 1992, and the first visit to Sweden in seven years.
    |
 |
|
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh |
The trips take place in the context of rapidly evolving and transformative global and regional situations, in which the world is increasingly shifting toward a multipolar, multi-centric, and multi-layered order. While peace, cooperation, and development remain prevailing trends, instability and unpredictability are growing. The global political and economic landscape continues to be marked by uncertainties, carrying significant risks. Moreover, challenges such as natural disasters, food insecurity, and diseases continue to threaten sustainable global development, while resource shortages hinder the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
The oceans continue to face numerous threats arising from climate change, acidification, plastic pollution, and overfishing. Meanwhile, the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) of 1982, although widely recognized as the legal framework governing activities in seas and oceans, faces multiple challenges that could potentially undermine its integrity.
UNOC, convened every three years by the U.N. Secretary-General and co-hosted by one developed and one developing country, focuses on implementing SDG 14 of the U.N.’s Agenda for Sustainable Development, which concerns the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, seas, and marine resources. Themed “Accelerating Action and Mobilizing All Actors to Conserve and Sustainably Use the Ocean,” UNOC 3, hosted in Nice, is co-chaired by France and Costa Rica. The conference aims to address pressing global marine issues and foster cooperation to mobilize and diversify financial, scientific, and technological resources to cope with challenges and improve efficiency in ocean governance. It has drawn the attention and participation of numerous heads of state, national leaders, and international organizations.
Vietnam is promoting sustainable development of the marine economy based on green growth, biodiversity conservation, and protection of marine ecosystems. It is also ensuring harmony between economic and natural ecosystems, between conservation and development, while promoting the potential and advantages of the sea to drive national economic growth. The country is proactively responding to climate change and rising sea levels and enhancing regional and global cooperation. Thus, UNOC 3 aligns with Vietnam’s priorities in strengthening international cooperation and the management, conservation, and sustainable use of seas and oceans.
With regard to France, bilateral relations have developed positively in recent times. The two countries officially established diplomatic ties in 1973 and upgraded them to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in October 2023, making France the first E.U. member state to establish such highest-level relations with Vietnam. The two sides maintain regular exchanges of delegations at all levels, especially at the high level. They sustain numerous dialogue and cooperation mechanisms, share many common views on global and regional issues, support multilateralism, and closely coordinate in multilateral forums such as the U.N., ASEAN-E.U., and the Francophonie.
France is Vietnam’s fourth-largest trading partner and second-largest investor within the E.U., and the largest bilateral ODA donor. Bilateral trade turnover has increased by 53% over the past decade, reaching more than USD 5.4 billion in 2024. Cooperation in culture, education and training, healthcare, justice, science, and technology is dynamic and growing.
With Estonia, the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1992 and have maintained a traditional friendship. Estonia has repeatedly affirmed that Vietnam is its priority partner in Southeast Asia and has expressed a desire to further strengthen cooperative ties with Vietnam. The two countries actively coordinate and support each other in multilateral forums. Estonia has played an active role in supporting the signing of the E.U.-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and was among the first E.U. countries to ratify the E.U.-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA). There remains potential for the two countries’ cooperation in information technology, communications, e-government, artificial intelligence (AI), financial technology, digital economy, cybersecurity, smart logistics, and digital ports.
Regarding Sweden, since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1969, bilateral ties between the two countries have constantly and positively developed. Sweden was one of the first Western countries to recognize and establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam. It gave robust support to Vietnam in the past struggle for national independence and reunification, and the ongoing national building and development. In 2024, the two countries carried out a series of activities to commemorate the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations. Sweden ranks 29th out of 149 countries and territories investing in Vietnam and is among the most generous and effective providers of development assistance to Vietnam’s cultural sector. Sweden has also supported the training of numerous Vietnamese experts, engineers, and PhDs in forestry, paper, energy, biotechnology, medicine, and journalism. There remains much room for the two countries to cooperate in such fields as science and technology, innovation, telecommunications, green economy, digital economy, circular economy, education and training, infrastructure development, renewable energy, and defense industry.
The official and working visits to France, Estonia, and Sweden by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh demonstrate these countries’ recognition of Vietnam’s growing role and status in the Indo-Pacific region, and their willingness to deepen multifaceted cooperation with Vietnam, contributing to the E.U.’s regional cooperation strategy. The Vietnamese government leader’s trips also open up opportunities for Vietnam to implement its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralization, diversification of relations, and proactive, active, and effective international integration, in line with the spirit of the 13th National Party Congress. They also reflect Vietnam’s commitment to being an active and responsible member of the international community, which has been implementing concrete measures to conserve and sustainably use marine resources and is ready to contribute to global efforts in this domain. The visits reaffirm Vietnam’s consistent policy of valuing and seeking to strengthen its relations with European countries, including France, Estonia, and Sweden.
We wish Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s visits success, through which Vietnam and its partners will have further opportunities to cultivate creative, effective, sustainable, and forward-looking partnerships.
Translated by Mai Huong