Vietnam’s Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh visited Finland on 16–19 October on Prime Minister Juha Sipilä’s invitation. During her visit, Vice President Thinh also meet Speaker of Parliament Maria Lohela, Minister of Education Sanni Grahn-Laasonen and Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Kai Mykkänen. In addition to having these meetings, the Vice President wanted to congratulate Finland on the centenary of its independence.
Prime Minister Sipilä and Vice President Thinh held bilateral discussions on Tuesday 17 October at Kesäranta. The Prime Minister and the Vice President discussed the countries’ bilateral relations, the relations between the European Union and Vietnam, including the forthcoming EU–Vietnam free trade agreement, cooperation on international forums, and regional questions.
The Vice President was accompanied by a delegation consisting of representatives of several sectoral ministries. The Vice President and her delegation learned about Finland’s education system and visited Tekes, the Finnish Meteorological Institute and Finnish companies.
Next year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Finland and Vietnam. Finland seeks to focus on the strengthening of its commercial and economic relations with Vietnam, which is one of the fastest growing economies in Asia.
Photo credit: UN Photo / Jean-Marc Ferré