National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man meets with King Philippe of Belgium

Also attending the meeting were: Secretary General of the National Assembly - Head of the National Assembly Office Le Quang Tung; Chairman of the Committee on Science, Technology and Environment Le Quang Huy; Chairman of the Committee on National Defense, Security and Foreign Affairs, Lieutenant General Le Tan Toi; Chairman of the Committee on Economy and Finance Phan Van Mai; Head of the Office of the President Le Khanh Hai.

National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man welcomes King Philippe of Belgium. Photo: Lam Hien

Vietnam and the Kingdom of Belgium established diplomatic relations on March 22, 1973, just two months after the Paris Agreement was signed. Over the past 50 years, the relationship between the two countries has been continuously strengthened and developed in all fields, especially politics - diplomacy, trade, agriculture, education and training, science - technology cooperation, development cooperation... at the federal, regional and community levels.

In recent years, economic and trade cooperation between Vietnam and Belgium has developed rapidly and has been increasingly strengthened. Belgium is currently Vietnam's 6th trading partner in the EU. Trade turnover between the two countries has increased rapidly from 1.8 billion USD in 2013 to 4.45 billion USD in 2024. Regarding investment, as of January 2025, Belgium has 99 valid investment projects in Vietnam with a total registered investment capital of 1.06 billion USD, ranking 25th out of 149 countries and territories investing in Vietnam.

National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man and King Philippe of Belgium. Photo: Lam Hien

With the existing good foundation of cooperation, together with the trust and political will of the leaders of the two countries and the wishes of the people of Vietnam and Belgium, the State visit of the King and Queen of Belgium to Vietnam is expected to achieve many positive results, contributing to further promoting cooperation between the two countries, bringing the Vietnam - Belgium relationship to a new development chapter, meeting the aspirations of the people, contributing to peace, stability and development in the region and the world.