The General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and the President of Vietnam Tu Lam and a high-level delegation from Vietnam started a state visit to Ireland and landed at Dublin Airport on October 1 (local time) at 8:30 pm at the invitation of Irish President Michael D. Higgins.

The Vietnamese delegation was received at the airport by Pippa Hackett, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Eamon McKee, Head of Protocol at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Brian McDonagh, Mayor of Fingal, Dublin, and Deirdre Ni, Ambassador to Vietnam. Faluin, Vietnamese Ambassador to Ireland Dr Minh Hung and his wife and several Vietnamese embassy staff.

This is the first state-level visit since the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations in 1996. Ireland has many similarities with Vietnam in terms of history, patriotic traditions, forward thinking and diverse and unique culture. Both sides have enough room for maneuver and have great potential to strengthen cooperation and achieve common development.

During the visit, they are expected to discuss the needs of Vietnam and measures to strengthen cooperation in various areas, including high-quality investments for Ireland, science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, energy transition and education. Special university education.

Ireland is now Vietnam's sixth largest trading partner among EU members, with bilateral trade expected to reach $3.5 billion in 2023 and $2.73 billion in the first seven months of 2024.

In terms of investment, Ireland invests in 41 projects in Vietnam with a total registered capital of $44.32 million, ranking 61st out of 141 countries and territories investing in Vietnam. – VNA/VI