Brussels, October 23, 2026 – The Europe Today: Viet Nam and Belgium have agreed to broaden their cooperation across political, economic and technological fields, following talks in Brussels between Vietnamese Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung and Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Development Cooperation Maxime Prévot.
The meeting was held during the official visit to Belgium by To Lam, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam Central Committee and President of Viet Nam, who is travelling with his spouse, Ngo Phuong Ly, and a high-level delegation. The visit, which runs from October 21 to 24, also includes official engagements with the European Union.
Minister Trung thanked the Belgian side for its coordination in preparing the visit and noted the steady progress in relations since the two countries established diplomatic ties more than five decades ago, a trend he said had gained momentum after the Belgian King and Queen’s state visit to Viet Nam in April 2025. He described Belgium as an important European partner and said the current visit offers leaders of both countries a chance to chart a path towards a more strategic and substantive framework for cooperation.
The Vietnamese minister also expressed appreciation for a resolution adopted by the Belgian Chamber of Representatives in October 2023 supporting Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange, and for Belgium’s early parliamentary approval of the EU-Viet Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), which Minister Prévot had helped advance.
Among his proposals, Trung called for the two foreign ministries to play a stronger coordinating role in turning high-level agreements into concrete programmes, alongside deeper political trust, closer defence and security cooperation, and effective implementation of existing agreements. On the economic front, he highlighted seaports and logistics as areas of complementary strength, and identified science, technology and innovation, particularly semiconductors, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and high-tech agriculture, as emerging priorities. Education, culture, tourism, healthcare and ties between Vietnamese localities and Belgian regions and communities were also named as areas with room to grow.
Minister Prévot said the visit would help build political trust and open new avenues for cooperation, and reaffirmed Belgium’s commitment to the relationship. He commended Viet Nam’s socio-economic progress and its rising regional and international profile, and voiced support for expanding trade and investment in fields where Belgium is strong, including ports, logistics, advanced technology and sustainable development. He also called for fuller use of cooperation opportunities at the regional and community level.
On regional and global matters, the two ministers stressed the importance of multilateralism, respect for international law, and dialogue as the means to settle disputes peacefully. They agreed to strengthen coordination at the United Nations and other multilateral forums, and to promote Viet Nam-EU, Belgium-ASEAN and ASEAN-EU relations in the interest of peace, stability and sustainable development.
Belgium is among Viet Nam’s most significant economic partners in the European Union, while Viet Nam is Belgium’s largest trading partner within ASEAN. Bilateral trade reached 3.1 billion US dollars in the first eight months of 2026, an increase of 4.7 percent year on year.
