Brian Jeffrey
Present at the event were Le Khanh Hai, Chairman of the Presidential Office; Nguyen Kim Son, Minister of Education and Training; Nguyen Hong Thai, Deputy Minister of National Defense; Bui Le Thai, Vietnamese Ambassador to Hungary; Le Anh Tuan, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs; Phan Thi Thang, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade; and Ta Quang Dong, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Inside the Presidential Palace, President Luong Cuong and First Lady Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet extended a warm welcome to President Sulyok Tamás and First Lady Nagy Zsuzsanna. Accompanied by ceremonial music, the President invited the Hungarian leader to step onto the honorary platform for the national anthems of both nations.
The Honor Guard Commander invited President Sulyok Tamás and President Luong Cuong to review the Honor Guard of the Vietnam People’s Army. The two heads of state then greeted the members of their respective delegations.
After the welcoming ceremony, both leaders held discussions with their delegations, reflecting on past collaborations and exploring future opportunities.
President Luong Cuong regarded President Sulyok Tamás’s visit as crucial for enhancing the comprehensive partnership between Vietnam and Hungary. Hungary was among the first ten nations to recognize Vietnam and form diplomatic relations back in 1950, during a challenging phase of Vietnam’s fight for independence.
Vietnam highly appreciates and aims to strengthen its cooperation with Hungary, recognizing it as a priority partner and the first comprehensive collaborator in Central and Eastern Europe.
The President shared insights about Vietnam’s progress over the last forty years of reform and global integration under the Communist Party’s guidance. He reaffirmed the nation’s commitment to achieving two key centennial objectives by 2030, focusing on transformative changes in institutions, infrastructure, and skilled human resources.
President Sulyok Tamás highlighted Hungary’s view of Vietnam as its primary partner in Southeast Asia and expressed a desire to enhance cooperation across multiple areas.
The leaders noted their satisfaction with the positive trajectory of bilateral relations, particularly since the upgrade to a comprehensive partnership in 2018.
To foster political trust and mutual understanding, they agreed to increase high-level exchanges and enhance people-to-people diplomacy.
They also agreed to fully utilize the Joint Committee on Economic Cooperation, encouraging various ministries, localities, and businesses to implement the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) efficiently.
The leaders stressed the importance of investment collaboration in key Hungarian sectors, such as information technology, energy, agriculture, food processing, healthcare, and pharmaceuticals.
These sectors are viewed as strategic channels for accessing the ASEAN market, comprising 650 million people and a GDP of USD 4 trillion, as well as the EU market, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe.
Education and training, a traditional area of collaboration, was also underscored. The President expressed gratitude to Hungary for training thousands of Vietnamese officials, many of whom now occupy crucial government positions.
The two countries decided to maximize the potential of the 200 scholarships Hungary offers annually to Vietnamese students, prioritizing fields like healthcare, pharmaceuticals, ICT, environmental studies, and agriculture.
They also explored opportunities to enhance cooperation in defense, science and technology, agriculture, medicine, culture, tourism, interpersonal exchanges, digital transformation, IT, environmental stewardship, and water resource management.
President Luong Cuong encouraged Hungarian officials at all levels to continue aiding the integration of the Vietnamese community, enabling them to contribute positively to Hungary’s progress and the bilateral relationship.
Prior to the welcome ceremony, President Sulyok Tamás and the First Lady honored the heroes by laying a wreath at the Monument to National Heroes and Martyrs on Bac Son Street in Hanoi.
Since transitioning to a comprehensive partnership in 2018, bilateral trade has flourished, surpassing USD 1 billion. Vietnam has become one of Hungary’s primary trade partners in Southeast Asia.
Hungary was the first EU nation to ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), underscoring its robust commitment to safeguarding investors’ rights and ensuring a stable, transparent economic environment.
As of now, Hungary has invested approximately USD 72.36 million in Vietnam, placing it 55th among 149 countries and territories with foreign direct investments in the nation. In contrast, Vietnam is involved in two investment projects in Hungary, totaling USD 5.8 million, along with a newly signed large-scale initiative valued at over USD 80 million.
Hungary plays a vital role in developing Vietnamese human resources, particularly in engineering, medicine, and natural sciences, with numerous Vietnamese students having studied in Hungary.
With a Vietnamese community exceeding 7,000 members, the diaspora in Hungary is well-integrated and actively contributes to socio-economic development, serving as a significant link in fostering strong, lasting ties between the two nations.
