Official visit by NA leader to reinforce Vietnam - UK parliamentary ties

Chairman of the National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue (Photo: VNA)

The official visit to the UK from June 28 - 30 by National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue is the first trip to this European country by a parliamentary leader of Vietnam in 11 years, expected to help enhance political trust and cooperation between the two parliaments as well as their countries’ multifaceted relations.

The visit will be made at the invitation of Lord Speaker of the House of Lords John McFall and Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle.

The parliaments of Vietnam and the UK have recorded cooperation strides in the recent past.

They have maintained delegation exchanges at all levels, including the visits by Vietnam’s NA Chairman Nong Duc Manh in 1994, Nguyen Van An in March 2005 and Nguyen Sinh Hung in December 2011, and the trip by Deputy Speaker of the UK House of Commons Eleanor Laing in October 2016.

The two sides have also frequently held mutual visits between their parliaments’ committees, and by the British All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Vietnam and the Vietnam - UK Parliamentary Friendship Group.

In 2020, the Vietnamese and British foreign ministers issued a joint statement on the occasion of the strategic partnership 10th anniversary. (Photo: VNA)

Most recently, an NA delegation led by Chairman of the Committee for Science, Technology and the Environment Le Quang Huy attended the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)’s pre-COP26 parliamentary meeting and met with the head of the British parliamentary delegation there. On October 2020, the Communist Party of Vietnam and the APPG held the first virtual dialogue on cooperation for developing a post-COVID-19 green economy.

Both sides have also maintained contact and consultation at multilateral parliamentary forums, particularly the IPU and the Asia - Europe Parliamentary Partnership (ASEP) meetings.

The fruitful cooperation between the two parliaments is believed to be an important factor in fostering the Vietnam - UK strategic partnership.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference in the UK in November 2021. (Photo: VNA)

Vu Hai Ha, Chairman of the NA’s Committee for External Relations, said the visit by the high-ranking NA delegation led by Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue aims to continue implementing the foreign policy set at the 13th National Party Congress, intensify bilateral cooperation, strengthen mutual trust with partner countries, and affirm the importance Vietnam attaches to the strategic partnership with the UK.

It also looks to promote the implementation of the UK - Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA) and create a new impulse for the countries’ relations in politics - diplomacy, economy - trade, security - defence, education - training, climate change response, and other potential areas.

The delegation’s meetings with officials, enterprises, and the Vietnamese community in the UK are also hoped to help attract more resources for post-pandemic socio-economic recovery and development, Ha noted.

The UK - Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA) has reportedly helped foster bilateral trade. (Photo: VNA)

He added as part of the visit, a forum on educational cooperation will also be held with the participation of leading universities, businesses, and organisations from both countries in order to bolster collaboration in education - training, particularly training high-quality human resources to help with Vietnam’s development and international integration.

For his part, UK Ambassador to Vietnam Gareth Ward said the countries’ strategic partnership is solid, and much room remains for them to expand ties.

He added that the visit by Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue will help fuel parliamentary cooperation./.