The King and Queen of Belgium are about to visit Vietnam.

(NLDO)- King Philippe of Belgium and Queen will pay a State visit to Vietnam from March 31 to April 4.

On March 27, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement saying that at the invitation of President Luong Cuong and his wife, the King of Belgium Philippe and the Queen will pay a state visit to Vietnam from March 31 to April 4.

King Philippe of Belgium and Queen

Vietnam and Belgium established diplomatic relations on March 22, 1973. Belgium is currently Vietnam's 6th largest trading partner in the EU. Trade turnover in 2024 is expected to reach 4.45 billion USD (mainly including pharmaceuticals, chemicals, machinery and equipment, and high-tech products).

As of December 2024, the Kingdom of Belgium has 100 valid investment projects in Vietnam with a total registered investment capital of 1.1 billion USD, ranking 23rd out of 139 countries and territories investing in Vietnam and 6th out of 27 EU member states investing in Vietnam.

The two sides have many cooperations in the fields of agriculture, science and technology, education and training, culture, transportation, defense and security.

King Philippe of Belgium was born on April 15, 1960 in Brussels (Belgium). Education: Master of Political Science from Stanford University. He is married to Queen Mathilde and has 4 children.

From 1993 to 2013, he was Honorary President of the Belgian Foreign Trade Agency (BFTA); Honorary President of the Belgian Federal Council for Sustainable Development.

Since 2013, he has been the seventh King of the Kingdom of Belgium. He is also Honorary President of the International Polar Foundation and Founder of the Prince Philippe Foundation.

The King visited Vietnam in 1993, 2003 and 2012 as Crown Prince Philippe. The King loves Vietnam and has a deep impression of the beautiful country and hospitable people.

Queen Mathilde was born on January 20, 1973 in Brussels (Belgium). She has a Master's degree in Psychology from the Catholique de Louvain University; a Bachelor's degree in Speech Therapy from the Haute École Léonard de Vinci University.

During the years 1995 - 1999, she was a speech therapist.

In 2016, she joined the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Activists Group. From 2011 to 2013, she was the World Health Organization Special Envoy for the Promotion of Immunization.

Currently, she is also Patron and Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium; Honorary President of the Belgian Federal Council for Sustainable Development; Honorary President of the King Baudouin Foundation (supporting projects and individuals); Patron of the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition; Honorary President of the Child Focus Foundation (protecting children); Honorary President of the International Breast Cancer Research Foundation; Honorary Member of the Board of the Schwab Foundation for Social Enterprise; Honorary President of UNICEF Belgium; Honorary President of the Queen Mathilde Foundation (supporting youth)

The Queen visited Vietnam in 2012 as Princess of Belgium with Crown Prince Philippe and in 2023 as Honorary President of UNICEF Belgium. The Queen loves Vietnam and enjoys visiting Vietnamese localities.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/nha-vua-va-hoang-hau-vuong-quoc-bi-sap-tham-viet-nam-196250327204211459.htm