London (VNA) – Party General Secretary To Lam’s upcoming visit to the UK can help not just further develop existing cooperation between the two countries, especially in education, but also allow a forum for the UK to learn from Vietnam’s rapid pace of development.
British researcher of Vietnamese politics and history and member of the Communist Party of Britain (CPB), Kyril Whittaker, made the above remark in a recent interview with the Vietnam News Agency’s correspondent in the UK ahead of General Secretary To Lam’s official visit to the UK from October 28-30 at the invitation of Prime Minister Keir Starmer. This is the first visit of a General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) to the country since 2013.
According to the British researcher, it can be said that ever since the start of relations between the two countries in 1973, relations have continuously expanded to the benefit of both countries. The strategic partnership the two countries signed in 2010 have seen their cooperation further expanded than had been done in previous decades.
He pointed to the positive relationship in many areas, including trade, education and scientific cooperation. According to the UK government’s statistics, in the four quarters to the end of the first quarter of 2025, bilateral trade reached 9 billion GBP (over 12 billion USD), an above 30% increase from the same period last year and more than double that in 2011. Vietnam is the UK’s 34th largest trading partner, said Whittaker, believing with further enhancement of relationship supported by the Strategic Partnership, two-way trade may soon exceed 10 billion GBP.
The two countries have also improved cultural links, the British scholar said, citing many events taking place each year in the UK, with the Vietnamese community in the UK showcasing food, culture, knowledge and the beauty of Vietnam. Around the UK, Vietnamese culture is becoming more popular as its world renowned cuisine, style and history are seen by more and more people each year. In Vietnam, the UK also has a cultural impact through its teaching of English as well as through sports and certain cuisine.
Recalling Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s trip to the UK in 2013, the first by a Vietnamese Party chief, he said the UK government was impressed by Vietnam’s economic growth at a remarkable rate of 6% per year, which the government stated created a positive business environment for the UK. Such growth ever since has continued, even with challenging international events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the US tariffs disrupting international markets.
According to the British research, this only highlights even more that the relationship between the two countries can continue to grow and become stronger than ever.
He believed the concept of “The Era of the Nation’s Rise” will provide opportunities for further cooperation between the two countries, given Vietnam’s continued and rapid growth, paired with its large-scale infrastructure projects such as the Can Tho-Ca Mau expressway and the eradication of all temporary and dilapidated housing across the country.
With the UK government's increased investments in renewable energy and the construction of a new nuclear power station in Suffolk while Vietnam is developing its own nuclear energy capacity and shows a positive example of a large-scale green transition, much could be shared in expertise and knowledge between the two countries.
Vietnam can also provide positive examples for knowledge-sharing in their famed reforestation and environmental efforts and their world-renowned education system, where there already exists much cooperation.
Speaking about the relationship between the two Parties, the British researcher said the Communist Party of Britain (formerly the Communist Party of Great Britain), and the Communist Party of Vietnam had established relations from a very early time with the former General Secretary, John Gollan, meeting with both President Ho Chi Minh in 1965 and former General Secretary Le Duan. In Britain, comrades are aware of Ho Chi Minh’s time here, spending several years working and sending letters to Vietnamese compatriots. During the war against the US, comrades from the Party regularly held demonstrations, published pamphlets, articles, posters and leaflets supporting the Vietnamese people’s independence and just struggle and donated bicycles and other aid to the Vietnamese people. The Young Communist League even bought a coach and went on a donation drive around the country to raise money for bikes and medical aid, which would be donated through comrades attending the World Festival of Youth in Bulgaria. Recently, CPB General Secretary Robert Griffiths also went to Vietnam to celebrate the 80th anniversary of National Day, and met with members of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee. The British General Secretary remarked that communists and people around the world can learn from Vietnam’s inspirational history and solidarity.
The two parties have also met several times to discuss expanding relations and cooperation in terms of knowledge-gathering and history-sharing. Theoretically, CPB attaches great importance to the theoretical developments of the CPV and has published articles of Vietnamese General Secretaries in its theoretical journal which shares the same name as its Vietnamese counterpart ‘Communist Review’. In addition, CPB and its publications regularly write about Vietnam and comrades have given talks on Vietnam in lectures. According to Whittaker, communists in the UK will take great interest in the General Secretary’s visit and will continue to study and learn from Vietnamese developments in both theory and practice of Vietnamese socialism.
He said just as Vietnam-UK relations continue to be enhanced and have great opportunities to be further enhanced, so do relations between the two parties.
He concluded the Vietnamese General Secretary’s visit will prove to be a new stage in the continued development of relations between the two countries and allow the UK and Vietnam to increase friendship and cooperation, and that, as a result, the people of the UK are able to learn more about and from Vietnam./.
