At the invitation of President Vo Van Thuong and his wife, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife will pay a state visit to Vietnam on January 23-24.
President of the Federal Republic of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife Elke Büdenbender.
On this occasion, German Ambassador to Vietnam Guido Hildner gave an interview to the press about the contents related to the visit:
Ambassador, please tell us the significance of the upcoming State visit of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife Elke Büdenbender to Vietnam?The upcoming visit of the German President to Vietnam is a highlight in bilateral relations in 2024. The visit is expected to create a strong momentum to promote the relationship between the two countries to new heights. I understand that President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has high expectations for this visit to Vietnam. He has known Vietnam from previous visits as German Foreign Minister.
In his personal capacity, the President is eager to witness first-hand the new successes of Vietnam in recent years. During his visit to Vietnam (January 23-24), President Steinmeier will hold talks and meetings with senior Vietnamese leaders. He will visit the Temple of Literature in Hanoi, meet with students, teachers, and labor recruitment partners to learn about the exchange of skilled labor between Vietnam and Germany. Afterwards, the President is expected to attend a talk on immigration history and experiences.
On his second working day in Vietnam, the President will depart for Ho Chi Minh City. There, he and the German business delegation will have discussions with representatives of Vietnamese businesses about the prospects for economic and trade cooperation between the two countries. Afterwards, the President will visit the Vietnamese-German University (VGU) and deliver a speech to students and lecturers of the school. Vietnam and Germany established diplomatic relations in 1975. The two countries upgraded their relationship to a Strategic Partnership in 2011. Since 2020, Vietnam has been classified as a "Global Partner" in Germany's Development Cooperation Strategy until 2030.
According to the Ambassador, what is the most important factor for the two sides to promote bilateral relations?
Vietnam has achieved impressive development achievements over the past decades. Germany has always accompanied and supported Vietnam on the path of national construction and development. Economic, trade and investment cooperation is an important pillar in the relationship between the two countries. In 2023, two-way trade turnover reached more than 11 billion USD. Germany is Vietnam's largest trading partner in Europe. Over 350 German enterprises are operating in Vietnam. As of May 2023, Germany had 444 valid projects with a total registered investment capital of over 2.36 billion USD, ranking 18th out of 143 countries and territories investing in Vietnam. Education is one of the key areas of German cooperation in Vietnam. Currently, about 300 Vietnamese postgraduates receive research scholarships in Germany and about 7,500 Vietnamese students are studying at German universities. The two countries promote vocational training cooperation.
The Vietnamese-German University, a public university jointly established by the Government of Vietnam and the Federal Republic of Germany, aims to be an excellent university model not only in Vietnam but also with a long-term vision to become an excellent university in the region. In addition, the two countries focus on developing other areas of cooperation such as energy, environment and climate change.
Finally, I would like to mention the large Vietnamese community in Germany with nearly 200,000 people. The Vietnamese in Germany are an important bridge between our two countries.
There is still a lot of room for cooperation between Vietnam and Germany. What is your assessment of the potential for promoting bilateral relations in the coming time?Germany wishes to continue expanding its cooperation with Vietnam in the economic and political fields. We consider Vietnam an important partner in preserving and developing the "rules-based international order". I see two potential areas of cooperation for the two countries in the near future. One is the energy transition. We want 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. The second area I would like to mention is recruiting highly skilled Vietnamese workers for Germany. The German labor market offers attractive job opportunities for Vietnamese people.
Thank you very much Ambassador!
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