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| Vietnam - Germany established a strategic partnership in 2011. |
At the invitation of President Vo Van Thuong and his wife, President of the Federal Republic of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife will pay a State visit to Vietnam from January 23-24. The visit by the German Head of State is expected to create a strong driving force to promote the Vietnam-Germany strategic partnership to new heights.
Extensive, effective and comprehensive
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations on September 23, 1975, the relationship between Vietnam and Germany has developed positively, extensively, effectively and comprehensively. For many years, Germany has been one of Vietnam's most important partners in Europe. Mutual trust and understanding between the two countries have been increasingly strengthened through maintaining high-level delegation exchanges and cooperation mechanisms.
During German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit to Vietnam (October 2011), the two countries' Prime Ministers signed the Hanoi Joint Statement on establishing a Strategic Partnership, setting out specific goals and measures to strengthen cooperation in priority areas.
The two countries regularly exchange delegations and high-level contacts, creating momentum to promote cooperation in many fields, especially in areas of Germany's strengths and Vietnam's needs. The two countries have opened many effective cooperation mechanisms such as: Strategic Dialogue, Foreign Policy Consultation, Joint Committee on Economic Cooperation, Joint Committee on Science and Technology Cooperation... to enhance cooperation, trust and mutual understanding.
The two countries have also signed many agreements to create a legal basis for cooperation, such as: Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement; Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement; maritime and aviation agreements...
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| General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong receives German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during his visit to Vietnam, November 2022. (Source: VNA) |
At multilateral forums, Vietnam and Germany closely coordinate at the United Nations and other multilateral mechanisms such as ASEM, ASEAN-Germany, ASEAN-EU. Germany actively supports the viewpoint of resolving disputes by peaceful means on the basis of international law, the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
In the bright picture of bilateral relations, on all channels of the Party, State, Government and National Assembly as well as cooperation in other specialized fields that are constantly promoted, economic cooperation is an impressive highlight of Vietnam - Germany relations.
Germany is currently Vietnam's largest trading partner in the European Union (EU) (accounting for nearly 20% of our exports to the EU) and is also an important transit gateway for Vietnamese goods to other markets in Europe. Meanwhile, Vietnam is Germany's largest trading partner in Southeast Asia and Germany's sixth largest in Asia. The total two-way trade turnover between Vietnam and Germany has grown strongly, increasing from 4.11 billion USD in 2010 to nearly 12 billion USD in 2023.
Germany considers Vietnam a fast-growing potential market in the Asian region. By the end of 2023, Germany had 463 valid projects with a total registered investment capital of 2.68 billion USD, ranking 17th out of 144 countries and territories investing in Vietnam. There are currently over 350 German enterprises operating in Vietnam, including multinational corporations such as: Siemens, B. Braun, Messer, Mercedes-Benz, Bilfinger, Bosch, Deutsche Bank, Allianz...
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| President Vo Van Thuong met with the German President on the occasion of the two leaders attending the Coronation Ceremony of King Charles III of England, in the United Kingdom, May 2023. (Source: VOV) |
At the same time, Germany is also a country providing official development assistance (ODA), with a total value of over 2 billion USD to support Vietnam in its socio-economic development and international integration. In its Development Cooperation Strategy to 2030 (BMZ 2030), Germany identifies Vietnam as a Global Partner, focusing on prioritizing cooperation in the fields of climate protection and natural resources, renewable energy, vocational training and healthcare.
During the complicated COVID-19 pandemic, Germany provided Vietnam with more than 10 million doses of vaccine and many medical equipment, contributing to supporting Vietnam in repelling the epidemic.
Education is one of the key areas of German cooperation in Vietnam. Currently, there are about 300 Vietnamese postgraduates receiving research scholarships in Germany and about 7,500 Vietnamese students studying at German universities. The two countries also cooperate in vocational training. The Vietnamese-German University is one of the symbols of educational cooperation between the Government of Vietnam and the Federal Republic of Germany.
In cultural cooperation, in 1997, Germany established the German Cultural Center (Goethe Institute) in Hanoi. This is a place that regularly organizes activities to introduce German culture and teach German in Vietnam. In recent years, cultural and artistic exchange activities between the two countries have been very active.
Germany supports Vietnam in implementing a number of projects on preserving and restoring cultural heritages in the ancient capital of Hue... Regarding tourism, from August 15, 2023, Vietnam has exempted visas for German citizens traveling to Vietnam for 45 days. Germany is among the top 10 markets with the highest spending of Vietnamese tourism.
Acting as an important bridge, the Vietnamese community in Germany, with nearly 200,000 people, lives widely throughout Germany. In general, overseas Vietnamese in Germany have a relatively stable life, most of them working as salaried employees or doing small business. The second generation of Vietnamese in Germany has integrated quite successfully, and is highly appreciated by the local government compared to other immigrant communities in Germany.
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Signing of Vietnam-Germany defense cooperation agreement, November 2022. |
New cooperation prospects
Speaking at the Vietnam-Germany Business Roundtable held under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in November 2022, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized: "The results of economic cooperation between the two sides in recent years are encouraging but still not commensurate with their potential. Along with the many changes in the world situation, the room for cooperation between the two countries is huge with many favorable factors," Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stated.
At the same time, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh affirmed that "The Vietnamese Government is committed to always sharing, accompanying and creating all favorable conditions for German enterprises to invest and do business effectively and sustainably in Vietnam in the spirit of harmony of interests, sharing difficulties and risks. Your success is also our success".
Commenting on the potential for cooperation between Vietnam and Germany, German Ambassador to Vietnam Guido Hildner also affirmed: Germany wishes to continue expanding cooperation with Vietnam in the economic and political fields. Germany considers Vietnam an important partner in preserving and developing the "rules-based international order".
The German Ambassador said that there are two potential areas of cooperation between the two countries in the coming time. These are energy transition and labor cooperation. Germany wants to support Vietnam in moving towards renewable energy sources and eliminating fossil fuels and coal.
Germany is one of the developed countries that has established a Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) with Vietnam, aiming for zero net emissions by 2050. The second area that the German Ambassador to Hanoi mentioned was recruiting highly skilled Vietnamese workers for Germany. Ambassador Guido Hildner commented that the German labor market will bring attractive job opportunities for Vietnamese workers.
With the efforts and determination of both sides and above all the strong friendship of the people of the two countries, we are fully confident that President Frank-Walter Steinmeier's visit will create a strong driving force, further promote investment and trade cooperation between the two countries, and will continue to be an important pillar in the Vietnam-Germany relationship, a driving force to bring the strategic partnership between the two countries to new heights.
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