Ireland aims to strengthen cooperation with Vietnam in education, agribusiness and trade, Irish Ambassador to Vietnam Deirdre Ni Faluin said on the eve of a state visit by Vietnamese Communist Party Secretary General and Vietnamese President Toh Lam.

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The Irish Embassy in Vietnam was established in 2005 and since then our two countries have enjoyed warm relations, underpinned by our development cooperation programme, she told the Vietnam News Agency (VNA).

We primarily focus on supporting ethnic minority communities in Vietnam and providing humanitarian relief in mine clearance – working with partners to clean up contaminated land, raise mine awareness in schools, and help people with disabilities use unexploded ordnance.

Recently, as the Vietnamese economy continues its remarkable growth, we have strengthened our bilateral cooperation in the fields of agriculture, food systems, and higher education, focusing on technical support and capacity building, as well as establishing institutional linkages between institutions. Two countries.

President Michael D. Higgins made a state visit to Vietnam in 2016. I know that visits are still very popular in both countries, so we are delighted that the return visit to Ireland of Secretary-General and President Toh Lam is taking place today. She said that the relationship between our two countries is deeper.

According to Ambassador Deirdre Ní Fhallúin, Ireland experienced rapid development and economic growth in the second half of the last century and today is known as “The”. Silicon Valley It is recognized globally as a center for Europe, pharmaceuticals, technology (Ireland is the European headquarters of many leading technology companies such as Meta and Google) and high quality education.

We have supported Vietnamese students to pursue a fully funded postgraduate degree in Ireland through our Ireland Fellows Program Scholarship Scheme. These students return to Vietnam with a high-quality education and experience, and hopefully a lifelong relationship with Ireland, she continued.

The Irish Embassy in Vietnam is strengthening cooperation between universities and institutions in both countries to share experience and develop capacity in the priority sectors of Ireland and Vietnam, such as agriculture and agribusiness. The Ireland-Vietnam Agri-Food Partnership (IVAP) is a good example of strong bilateral cooperation in this area.

Together, we must face the growing and urgent challenge of climate change, strengthening our climate resilience efforts in rural communities in Vietnam and increasing academic collaboration and research in the fields of climate change and sustainability, she said.

At the Embassy, ​​we are proud of our long-term development cooperation program with Vietnam, particularly our work with ethnic minorities and our humanitarian assistance in mine clearance, our programs on nutrition and maternal health, and growing activities. On building resilience to climate change, she added.

Ireland recently provided €250,000 in humanitarian funding to help Vietnam overcome the effects of Cyclone Yagi in the north of the country. This funding supports UNICEF's work to provide immediate assistance in the form of clean water and sanitation to affected families.

It is great to see the bilateral relationship between Ireland and Vietnam develop in the years since our embassy was established, and we seek to increase our cooperation in other areas such as education, agri-food, as well as trade between us. She welcomed two countries.

The relationship between Ireland and Vietnam will develop and develop in a positive direction. Almost a decade ago, President Michael D. Higgins' visit to Vietnam was an important milestone in our bilateral relationship. The visit of Secretary-General and President Toh Lam marks a new important step, she concluded.

VNA/CVN