Foreign Secretary visits Vietnam
Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond will visit Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City as part of a tour of Asia.
The Foreign Secretary’s visit will be an opportunity to increase collaboration on trade and investment, education, science and innovation with Vietnam, a country that’s shown remarkable achievement as one of the fastest growing economies in South East Asia.
In Hanoi on Tuesday 12 April, the Foreign Secretary will meet Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. He will also meet Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh to discuss how to further strengthen our bilateral relationship and work together to address global challenges including climate change and the illegal wildlife trade. The UK is pleased to be supporting Vietnam as it prepares to host the third international conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade in Hanoi this November.
He will also meet members of the UK-supported Youth Parliament and visit a bio-refinery project supported by the Newton Fund and British Council.
The Foreign Secretary, Philip Hammond, said:
The UK’s relationship with Vietnam reaches across many sectors and we are proud to have contributed to Vietnam’s remarkable performance as one of the fastest growing economies in South East Asia. The EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement offers huge opportunities to strengthen our trade and investment links. Our bilateral trade has more than doubled since 2010, but there is still scope for British companies and products to do much better in this market, especially in sectors such as infrastructure, advanced engineering, healthcare, energy and financial services.
The UK is at the forefront of supporting Vietnam’s education reform plans and collaborating on science and technology through the UK’s Newton Fund. I look forward to discussing opportunities for further collaboration, including on Illegal Wildlife Trade, climate change and security.
On Wednesday 13 April, the Foreign Secretary will travel to Ho Chi Minh City where he will meet British businesses in Vietnam, and will visit the construction site of an urban rail project for an overview of the Ho Chi Minh City Metro project.
Further information
In 2010, the UK was one of the first countries to agree a Strategic Partnership with Vietnam. The joint communiqué from the 5th UK-Vietnam Strategic Dialogue held in London in March 2016 is published online.
The Newton Fund is part of the UK’s official development assistance. Its aim is to develop science and innovation partnerships that promote the economic development and welfare of developing countries.
Vietnam will host the next Illegal Wildlife Trade conference later this year in Hanoi, building on the process which the UK launched with the 2014 London Conference.
Follow the Foreign Secretary on twitter @PHammondMP
Follow the Foreign Office on twitter @foreignoffice