FCO Minister for Asia and the Pacific Mark Field visits Vietnam
The Foreign Office Minister for Asia and the Pacific arrives in Hanoi on Thursday 4 January.
During his visit, Mr Field will chair the 6th UK-Vietnam Strategic Dialogue together with the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son. They are expected to discuss a broad range of issues, including bilateral trade and investment; cooperation in education, science and innovation; the UK-Vietnam defence relationship; and global issues such as the illegal wildlife trade.
Minister Field will separately meet Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh to discuss regional security and human rights as well as UK-Vietnam trade and investment and post-Brexit relations.
The Minister will also have a meeting with Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Ha Cong Tuan to discuss the illegal wildlife trade and the role which Vietnam can play to lead action in South East Asia and at the 2018 London Conference on IWT following the Hanoi IWT Conference in 2017
The Minister will visit the Hanoi Stock Exchange to promote UK financial services. He will also visit the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases to promote the UK’s research, innovation and education collaboration with Vietnam.
His programme will also include a visit to a bear rescue centre to witness first hand its work on combating the illegal wildlife trade, and where he will meet representatives of NGOs to talk about the upcoming 2018 illegal wildlife trade conference in London.
Minister Field said:
I am delighted to be here in Hanoi for the UK-Vietnam Strategic Dialogue, celebrating the forty fifth anniversary of diplomatic relations between our two countries. I hope this visit will help to deepen our already strong partnership and will identify areas for further cooperation.
There is much more we can do to work together in areas such as trade investment, defence links, research and innovation as well as important global issues such as combating serious and organised crime, the illegal wildlife trade and modern slavery