The official visit to Vietnam by Prime Minister of the United Kingdom ofGreat Britain and Northern Ireland (UK) David Cameron from July 29-30,the first-ever by a British Prime Minister, is expected to intensify anddeepen the two countries’ strategic partnership that has grown inrecent years.
Vietnam and the UK set up theirdiplomatic ties on September 11, 1973. In 2010, the two nations decidedto establish a strategic partnership, focusing on seven cooperativeareas, namely politics-diplomacy, regional and global issues, trade andinvestment, development cooperation, education-training andscience-technology, security-defence, and people-to-people exchange.
In recent years, the two countries have conducted a number ofhigh-level delegation exchanges, including UK visits by NationalAssembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung in December 2011, Party GeneralSecretary Nguyen Phu Trong in January 2013 and Deputy Prime Minister VuVan Ninh in April 2014.
Visits to Vietnam have alsobeen made by UK leaders such as the Duke of York Prince Andrew in 1999,2006, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2013; Secretary of State William Hague inFebruary 2012, and former PM Tony Blair in 2012, 2013 and July andOctober 2014.
During an official UK tour in March2008, Vietnamese PM Nguyen Tan Dung and his UK counterpart Gordon Brownissued a joint statement on the partnership for development which statedthe resolve to foster bilateral relations in a result-oriented andstable manner.
The UK supported Vietnam’s accessionto the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and is currently the top Europeantrade partner of the Southeast Asian country.
Vietnam’s exports to the UK increased by 20 percent annually and reached4.5 billion USD in 2014. It has also continually enjoyed tradesurpluses with the UK in recent years.
Vietnam’s keyexports to the European nation include seafood, fruits and vegetables,cashew nuts, tea, coffee, plastic and rubber products, handbags,wallets, bamboo and rattan products, wood products, apparel, footwear,computers and electronic components.
With hundredsof UK trade representative offices and business branches in Vietnam, theUK also set up the British Business Group in Vietnam (BBGV) in 1998 inorder to boost its economic relations with and charity activities inVietnam.
The Joint Economic and Trade Commission wasset up to devise measures to strengthen economic, trade and investmentties. It has convened seven meetings rotating between Hanoi and Londonso far.
UK companies first began operations inVietnam in 1988 and initially spent 70 percent of their investments inoil and gas. At present, the UK’s investments cover various realms suchas banking, finance, manufacturing, services and garment.
Most of the UK investment projects are small- and medium-sized,operating in mining, processing, manufacturing, property, banking, andfinancial and insurance services.
By the end of June2015, the UK had 206 valid projects with a total registered capital of3.19 billion USD, ranking 16 th among 103 countries and territoriesinvesting in Vietnam.
Major British businessespresent in Vietnam include BP, BHP Billiton, Rolls-Royce, Vodafone,P&O, GlaxoSmithKline and Prudential. The UK’s HSBC and StandardChartered are the first wholly foreign-owned banks to be set up inVietnam.
Meanwhile, Vietnam is running 11 projectsworth 10.8 million USD in the UK in tourism, restaurants, food anddrink, sport services and art galleries.
The UKGovernment has been a provider of official development assistance (ODA)to Vietnam since 1994. After the countries signed an agreement on thedevelopment partnership for 2006-2015, the UK Government gave Vietnam anon-refundable aid of 250 million GBP (388.9 million USD) between 2006and 2010. About 70 percent of the sum was channelled into povertyreduction programmes and the rest financed educational, medical, cleanwater, rural hygiene and anti-corruption initiatives.
In 2011, the two sides inked a supplementary document to thedevelopment partnership agreement. Accordingly, the UK pledged to supply70 million GBP (108.9 million USD) in non-refundable assistance forVietnam from 2011 and 2015. The support is designed to help Vietnamrealise the Millennium Development Goals and objectives for primaryeducation, HIV/AIDS prevention, environmental hygiene and climatechange.
Bilateral cooperation in education-traininghas also been growing, as seen in the number of Vietnamese students inthe UK reaching 11,000 and 32 joint training programmes between theireducational establishments. The UK Government also grants 25-30scholarships for Vietnamese students each year.
Since the UK visit by PM Nguyen Tan Dung in 2008, scientific andtechnological cooperation has seen big improvements. In 2013, theVietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) and the UK Embassyin Hanoi signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperating inpeaceful uses of nuclear energy.
Last June, MoSTMinister Nguyen Quan and British Ambassador to Vietnam Giles Leversigned a governmental-level MoU on research collaboration and innovationpartnership (Newton Programme Vietnam) to boost economic developmentand social welfare in Vietnam.
The Southeast Asiancountry has also welcomed an increasing number of UK tourists, from70,000 in 2004 to over 202,000 ten years later.
Vietnamese people in the UK currently number more than 40,000 and have integrated well into the local community.
The Vietnam visit by PM David Cameron is intended to discuss measuresand directions to deepen the nations’ strategic partnership and tappotentials for stronger cooperation, especially in the fields ofinvestment, modern science-technology, finance-banking,education-training and defence.
The two sides willalso review ways to enhance their collaboration and mutual support atinternational forums and organisations.-VNA
Vietnam and the UK set up theirdiplomatic ties on September 11, 1973. In 2010, the two nations decidedto establish a strategic partnership, focusing on seven cooperativeareas, namely politics-diplomacy, regional and global issues, trade andinvestment, development cooperation, education-training andscience-technology, security-defence, and people-to-people exchange.
In recent years, the two countries have conducted a number ofhigh-level delegation exchanges, including UK visits by NationalAssembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung in December 2011, Party GeneralSecretary Nguyen Phu Trong in January 2013 and Deputy Prime Minister VuVan Ninh in April 2014.
Visits to Vietnam have alsobeen made by UK leaders such as the Duke of York Prince Andrew in 1999,2006, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2013; Secretary of State William Hague inFebruary 2012, and former PM Tony Blair in 2012, 2013 and July andOctober 2014.
During an official UK tour in March2008, Vietnamese PM Nguyen Tan Dung and his UK counterpart Gordon Brownissued a joint statement on the partnership for development which statedthe resolve to foster bilateral relations in a result-oriented andstable manner.
The UK supported Vietnam’s accessionto the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and is currently the top Europeantrade partner of the Southeast Asian country.
Vietnam’s exports to the UK increased by 20 percent annually and reached4.5 billion USD in 2014. It has also continually enjoyed tradesurpluses with the UK in recent years.
Vietnam’s keyexports to the European nation include seafood, fruits and vegetables,cashew nuts, tea, coffee, plastic and rubber products, handbags,wallets, bamboo and rattan products, wood products, apparel, footwear,computers and electronic components.
With hundredsof UK trade representative offices and business branches in Vietnam, theUK also set up the British Business Group in Vietnam (BBGV) in 1998 inorder to boost its economic relations with and charity activities inVietnam.
The Joint Economic and Trade Commission wasset up to devise measures to strengthen economic, trade and investmentties. It has convened seven meetings rotating between Hanoi and Londonso far.
UK companies first began operations inVietnam in 1988 and initially spent 70 percent of their investments inoil and gas. At present, the UK’s investments cover various realms suchas banking, finance, manufacturing, services and garment.
Most of the UK investment projects are small- and medium-sized,operating in mining, processing, manufacturing, property, banking, andfinancial and insurance services.
By the end of June2015, the UK had 206 valid projects with a total registered capital of3.19 billion USD, ranking 16 th among 103 countries and territoriesinvesting in Vietnam.
Major British businessespresent in Vietnam include BP, BHP Billiton, Rolls-Royce, Vodafone,P&O, GlaxoSmithKline and Prudential. The UK’s HSBC and StandardChartered are the first wholly foreign-owned banks to be set up inVietnam.
Meanwhile, Vietnam is running 11 projectsworth 10.8 million USD in the UK in tourism, restaurants, food anddrink, sport services and art galleries.
The UKGovernment has been a provider of official development assistance (ODA)to Vietnam since 1994. After the countries signed an agreement on thedevelopment partnership for 2006-2015, the UK Government gave Vietnam anon-refundable aid of 250 million GBP (388.9 million USD) between 2006and 2010. About 70 percent of the sum was channelled into povertyreduction programmes and the rest financed educational, medical, cleanwater, rural hygiene and anti-corruption initiatives.
In 2011, the two sides inked a supplementary document to thedevelopment partnership agreement. Accordingly, the UK pledged to supply70 million GBP (108.9 million USD) in non-refundable assistance forVietnam from 2011 and 2015. The support is designed to help Vietnamrealise the Millennium Development Goals and objectives for primaryeducation, HIV/AIDS prevention, environmental hygiene and climatechange.
Bilateral cooperation in education-traininghas also been growing, as seen in the number of Vietnamese students inthe UK reaching 11,000 and 32 joint training programmes between theireducational establishments. The UK Government also grants 25-30scholarships for Vietnamese students each year.
Since the UK visit by PM Nguyen Tan Dung in 2008, scientific andtechnological cooperation has seen big improvements. In 2013, theVietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) and the UK Embassyin Hanoi signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperating inpeaceful uses of nuclear energy.
Last June, MoSTMinister Nguyen Quan and British Ambassador to Vietnam Giles Leversigned a governmental-level MoU on research collaboration and innovationpartnership (Newton Programme Vietnam) to boost economic developmentand social welfare in Vietnam.
The Southeast Asiancountry has also welcomed an increasing number of UK tourists, from70,000 in 2004 to over 202,000 ten years later.
Vietnamese people in the UK currently number more than 40,000 and have integrated well into the local community.
The Vietnam visit by PM David Cameron is intended to discuss measuresand directions to deepen the nations’ strategic partnership and tappotentials for stronger cooperation, especially in the fields ofinvestment, modern science-technology, finance-banking,education-training and defence.
The two sides willalso review ways to enhance their collaboration and mutual support atinternational forums and organisations.-VNA
