Berlin (VNA) – Leaders of Thuringia and a Vietnamese Embassy delegation agreed to promote cooperation between the German state and Da Nang city, as well as other Vietnamese localities, research institutes and training institutions during a working session on October 30.
The meeting in Erfurt city was attended by Minister-President of Thuringia Mario Voigt, State Secretary in its Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Rural Areas Marcus Malsch, and Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Dac Thanh.
Both sides highlighted the traditional friendship and cooperation achievements between Vietnam and Thuringia, particularly the Vietnamese community’s contributions to the state’s socio-economic development.
Voigt praised Vietnam’s economic growth and digital transformation, expressing Thuringia’s hope to expand substantive cooperation, particularly with Da Nang. He said the state is preparing a specific cooperation agreement with the central city and voiced his wish to pay an official visit to Vietnam soon.
The two sides discussed cooperation in areas matching their strengths and needs, including science – technology, innovation, optics, photonics, quantum technology, artificial intelligence, digital transformation and semiconductors.
The German side highlighted Jena city’s position as a major technology hub, home to leading companies such as Zeiss, Jenoptik and Schott.
Meanwhile, the Vietnamese delegation proposed strengthening links between Thuringia-based enterprises, research institutes and universities and Vietnamese partners, including Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park.
On human resources development, the two sides agreed to promote dual vocational training, mutual recognition of qualifications, and the exchange and training of skilled workers in healthcare, nursing, agriculture and industry, with the countries' chambers of industry and commerce playing a facilitating role.
They also agreed on the need to identify priority areas, cooperation needs and suitable business partners, while organising business-matching activities ahead of official visits to facilitate concrete projects.
Cultural, sporting and people-to-people exchanges were also emphasised during the working session. Thuringia introduced its strengths in winter sports and football training centres, expressing its readiness to host Vietnam’s national football team for training.
Both sides agreed to establish sector-specific working groups to advance the proposed initiatives, prioritising optical technology, manpower training and local-level cooperation.
While there, the Vietnamese delegation toured Carl Zeiss Meditec AG, a Jena-based subsidiary of the Zeiss Group specialising in medical technology, particularly ophthalmological diagnostic and treatment systems.
The Vietnamese side pledged to connect the company with science and technology manpower training programmes in Vietnam, creating opportunities for doctors, specialists and researchers to receive training in Germany. It also proposed working with the company to explore a pilot mobile eye examination and surgery model to improve healthcare access in remote areas of the Southeast Asian country.
The delegation also visited Friedrich Schiller University Jena and Erfurt University of Applied Sciences, and met representatives of Vietnamese associations and the student community in Jena and Erfurt cities. It also visited Vietnamese-owned stalls at a local distribution warehouse to learn about the community’s living and working conditions.
In 2025, Thuringia recorded gross regional domestic product of 80.64 billion EUR (over 90 billion USD), with per capita GRDP reaching 38,591 EUR. Its exports totalled 18.2 billion EUR, mainly machinery, electrical and electronic goods, plastics, optical and medical equipment, and other industrial products./.
