Hanoi, May 29, 2025 – The Europe Today: Vietnam always values and seeks to enhance cooperation with Hungary, its top-priority partner and first comprehensive partner in Central and Eastern Europe, State President Lương Cường affirmed during official talks with Hungarian President Sulyok Tamás in Hanoi on Wednesday.
Welcoming President Tamás on his inaugural state visit to Vietnam, President Cường noted that the visit, which coincides with the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries (1950–2025), marks a significant milestone that contributes to deepening and enhancing the effectiveness of the Vietnam–Hungary Comprehensive Partnership.
President Cường congratulated Hungary on its socio-economic development achievements and progress in European integration, which have enhanced the country’s standing in both the regional and international arenas.
President Tamás expressed his pleasure at visiting Vietnam for the first time and conveyed his deep admiration for the country’s accomplishments in the Đổi mới (Renewal) process and international integration. He reaffirmed Hungary’s commitment to Vietnam as its most important partner in Southeast Asia and expressed the desire to strengthen cooperation across all fields.
During their discussions, both leaders lauded the positive developments in bilateral relations, particularly since the elevation of ties to a comprehensive partnership in 2018. This relationship has been reinforced by the frequent exchange of delegations at all levels, including high-level visits.
Economic cooperation remains a cornerstone of bilateral ties, with trade turnover reaching nearly US$1 billion in 2024. The two sides also noted encouraging progress in other sectors such as education and training, the environment, culture, tourism, defence and security, and people-to-people exchanges.
In discussing future cooperation, the two Presidents agreed on the importance of strengthening contacts and exchanges at all levels and through all channels to bolster political trust and mutual understanding—foundations for a robust and comprehensive partnership.
On trade and investment, both sides recognised these as vital pillars of cooperation and agreed to enhance the role of the Joint Committee on Economic Cooperation. They also called on ministries, agencies, localities, and enterprises to effectively implement the EU–Việt Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).
The two leaders emphasised the importance of boosting investment in Hungary’s priority sectors, including information technology, energy, agriculture, food processing, healthcare, and pharmaceuticals. This would enable both countries to leverage their respective strengths and improve access to the ASEAN market of over 650 million people and the European Union, particularly Central and Eastern Europe.
President Cường expressed appreciation to Hungary for being among the first EU members to ratify the EU–Việt Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA). He urged Hungary to continue supporting the ratification process within other EU countries and to advocate for the European Commission’s early removal of the IUU ‘yellow card’ warning on Vietnamese seafood exports.
In education and training, the leaders acknowledged the longstanding partnership, with President Cường thanking Hungary for its support in training thousands of Vietnamese professionals, many of whom now serve in critical roles in Việt Nam’s government and economy. Both sides agreed to maximise the use of Hungary’s annual provision of 200 scholarships to Vietnamese students, particularly in high-demand fields such as medicine, pharmacy, ICT, environmental studies, and agriculture.
The two countries also agreed to strengthen collaboration in traditional areas such as national defence and security, science and technology, healthcare, agriculture, culture, and tourism, while exploring new areas like digital transformation, information technology, environmental protection, and water resource management.
President Cường thanked the Hungarian government for its support of the Vietnamese community in Hungary and urged continued efforts to provide favourable conditions for their integration and contributions to bilateral relations.
Both leaders agreed to maintain close coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums, especially within the United Nations framework, to jointly address global challenges.
On regional and international issues of shared concern, including the East Sea (South China Sea), President Tamás highlighted the commonalities in foreign policy approaches and historical experiences shared by both nations. The leaders reiterated the importance of peaceful dispute resolution based on international law and the UN Charter, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to ensure peace, security, and freedom of navigation worldwide.
President Tamás extended an invitation to President Cường to visit Hungary, which the latter accepted with pleasure, promising to arrange the visit at a mutually suitable time.
The talks reaffirmed the mutual commitment of both nations to further advancing their comprehensive partnership for the benefit of their peoples and the promotion of global peace, cooperation, and sustainable development.
