Hànội, April 13, 2026 — The Europe Today: Vietnamese Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng and his Slovak counterpart Robert Fico on Monday witnessed the exchange of a series of cooperation documents and jointly announced the outcomes of their high-level talks during a press briefing in Hànội, marking a significant step forward in bilateral relations.
In the presence of the two leaders, ministries, agencies, and local authorities from both countries exchanged six key cooperation agreements. These included memoranda of understanding (MoUs) on defence industry collaboration, diplomatic cooperation between foreign ministries, and a cultural cooperation programme for the 2026–2030 period. Additional agreements covered partnerships in standards, metrology, nuclear energy research, and local-level cooperation between Điện Biên Province and Vysoké Tatry town for the 2026–2031 period.
During the visit, a total of 16 cooperation documents were signed and exchanged across a wide range of sectors, including politics, defence, culture, nuclear energy, healthcare, tourism, shipbuilding, and scientific research, underscoring the growing depth and diversity of bilateral engagement.
Prime Minister Hưng highlighted the significance of the visit, noting that it comes shortly after Việtnam completed the consolidation of its leadership apparatus. He described Prime Minister Fico as the first foreign leader he has hosted in his new capacity, and the first high-ranking European Union official to visit Việtnam following the elevation of Việtnam–EU ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Emphasising the longstanding friendship between the two nations, Hưng said the talks were conducted in a spirit of sincerity, mutual trust, and understanding, resulting in broad consensus. The two sides formally adopted a joint statement upgrading Việtnam–Slovakia relations to a Strategic Partnership.
Under this new framework, both leaders agreed to task their respective foreign ministries with developing an action plan to implement the strategic partnership, aiming to achieve tangible benefits for businesses and citizens of both countries.
Prime Minister Hưng outlined key areas for future cooperation, including strengthening political trust, enhancing economic, trade, and investment ties, deepening defence and security collaboration, and promoting partnerships in science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation. He also stressed the importance of expanding cooperation in education, labour, culture, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.
The Vietnamese leader expressed appreciation for Slovakia’s recognition of the Vietnamese community as an official ethnic minority group, noting that this provides a strong legal foundation for integration and further strengthens bilateral ties.
For his part, Prime Minister Fico described the discussions as frank and constructive, recalling his previous visit to Việt Nam in 2016 and expressing admiration for the country’s rapid development and achievements. He congratulated Việt Nam on the outcomes of its 14th National Congress and its strategic shift towards quality-driven growth.
Fico highlighted that Việt Nam is Slovakia’s largest trading partner in Southeast Asia, while acknowledging that economic cooperation has yet to reach its full potential. He emphasised the importance of expanding collaboration across all sectors in line with the newly established Strategic Partnership and broader EU–Việtnam relations.
The Slovak Prime Minister noted that a large business delegation accompanied him on the visit and will participate in the Việtnam–Slovakia Business Forum, aimed at boosting investment and commercial cooperation. He reaffirmed Slovakia’s readiness to share expertise in priority sectors such as nuclear energy, defence industry, finance, and education.
He also welcomed Việtnam’s visa exemption policy for Slovak citizens and expressed hope for the establishment of direct flights to enhance tourism and people-to-people connectivity.
Reaffirming support for Việtnam’s positions on international issues, Prime Minister Fico extended an invitation to Prime Minister Hưng to visit Slovakia in the near future, while both leaders underscored the importance of sustained high-level exchanges to advance bilateral ties and contribute to regional and global peace, stability, and prosperity.
