(VOVWORLD) - Party General Secretary To Lam will pay an official visit to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from Tuesday to Thursday. The visit, made at the invitation of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, is the first by a General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam to the UK in 13 years. It is of great historic significance, reaffirming the strategic trust between the two nations and opening up new, practical directions for future cooperation.
 General Secretary To Lam receives British Ambassador to Vietnam Iain Frew on October 17, 2025. (Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA) |
The visit takes place as the Vietnam-UK Strategic Partnership, established in 2010, continues to grow steadily in all areas. In September 2020, the two sides issued a new joint statement on their partnership, identifying priority areas of cooperation and reaffirming their commitment to elevate bilateral ties.
The Vietnam-UK Strategic Partnership reflects a shared vision and a long-term commitment to peace, stability, and sustainable development. The UK views Vietnam as a key partner in the Indo-Pacific region, and Vietnam considers the UK one of its leading partners in post-Brexit Europe.
Economic and trade relations are the dynamic areas of bilateral cooperation. Over the past decade, two-way trade has tripled to 7 billion USD annually. The UK’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in 2023, with Vietnam’s strong support, marked a significant milestone, creating new momentum for sustainable trade and investment growth.
British Ambassador to Vietnam Iain Frew said: “This demonstrates the deepening relationship between the UK and Vietnam. Bilateral trade has grown strongly, bolstered by the CPTPP. As members of a 12-nation trade bloc, Vietnam and the UK are working together to shape progressive trade rules for the future.”
The UK currently ranks among Vietnam’s top 15 investors, with more than 500 active projects and a total registered capital of nearly 4 billion USD. Major British corporations like BP, Prudential, HSBC, Standard Chartered, and AstraZeneca have been expanding operations in Vietnam, showing strong confidence in the country’s stable and promising investment environment. The UK is actively supporting Vietnam in building a modern, transparent, and globally integrated financial system.
 Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh speaks at the UK-Vietnam Summit on the International Financial Centre on September 15, 2025. (Photo: Tran Viet/VNA) |
At a UK-Vietnam high-level meeting in September, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh said: “This is a good example of the effective economic partnership between Vietnam and the UK. We hope that the UK and the London Financial Centre will continue to support Vietnam, particularly by connecting investors and mobilizing financial resources from London to engage in Vietnam’s financial market.”
Education is one of the highlights of bilateral ties. More than 12,000 Vietnamese students are studying in the UK, one of the largest contingents from an ASEAN country. Hundreds of joint degree programs at the undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral levels are being implemented between educational institutions in the two nations.
Vietnam and the UK cooperate closely at multilateral forums and are expanding collaboration in officer training, UN peacekeeping operations, cybersecurity, and combatting transnational crime.
 At the UK-Vietnam Summit on the International Financial Centre on September 15, 2025. (Photo: Tran Viet/VNA) |
At the opening ceremony for the UN Convention against Cybercrime in Hanoi on Sunday, Ambassador Iain Frew said: "Vietnam should be very very proud that you are the host nation for this very very important convention. It will keep population throughout the world safe in the future and ensure that countries are working together to combat cybercrime."
During his visit, General Secretary To Lam and UK leaders will focus on technology, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, clean energy, among others. Committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, Vietnam and the UK are cooperating closely within the framework of the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP). The two have agreed to promote green transportation and coastal climate adaptation, establishing a new cooperation pillar to usher bilateral relations into the “green era”.