Hanoi, October 15, 2025 – The Europe Today: Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Lê Thị Thu Hằng held a working session with British Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Indo-Pacific Seema Malhotra at the headquarters of the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) on Tuesday, as part of her official visit to the United Kingdom.
During the meeting, Under-Secretary Malhotra welcomed the Vietnamese delegation to London and praised the progress achieved in bilateral relations in recent years, highlighting the important contributions of both foreign ministries. She affirmed that the United Kingdom considers Việt Nam a key partner in the Asia-Pacific region and expressed a strong desire to further strengthen comprehensive cooperation with Việtnam, especially in politics, diplomacy, security, trade, finance, education, energy transition, and sustainable development.
Deputy Minister Hằng extended appreciation to the UK’s FCDO and the British Embassy in Hà Nội for their close coordination with the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in promoting bilateral and multilateral cooperation, including within ASEAN and the United Nations frameworks.
She reaffirmed that Việtnam attaches great importance to its relations with the United Kingdom and stands ready to work closely with London to deepen and effectively advance their Strategic Partnership, in line with the interests of both sides.
The two officials agreed to maintain close coordination and uphold existing cooperation mechanisms between their foreign ministries, including the deputy minister-level strategic dialogue and interdepartmental exchanges. They also pledged to enhance the coordinating role of both ministries in facilitating high-level visits, effectively implementing existing agreements, and expanding collaboration in both traditional and emerging areas.
Both sides emphasized the importance of bolstering economic, trade, and investment cooperation through the effective utilization of the UK–Việt Nam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
The meeting also highlighted the shared commitment to strengthening cooperation in science, technology, innovation, culture, education, and people-to-people exchanges, contributing to the sustained and comprehensive development of Việt Nam–UK relations.
