On the afternoon of April 22, at the Government Headquarters in Hanoi, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung held talks with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Estonia Margus Tsahkna on the occasion of his official visit to Vietnam.

Also attending the meeting were leaders of the Government Office and the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Industry and Trade, and Science and Technology.

The Prime Minister warmly welcomed Minister Margus Tsahkna and the accompanying Estonian business delegation. He congratulated Estonia on its recent development achievements, particularly its emergence as an information technology hub in Central and Eastern Europe and one of the world’s leading countries in e-government development.

He affirmed that Vietnam always attaches importance to strengthening and developing relations with traditional friends, with Estonia identified as a priority partner in the Baltic region and an active member of the European Union. He also conveyed greetings and extended an invitation to the Estonian Prime Minister to soon pay an official visit to Vietnam.

Based on the sound relations between the two countries and substantial potential for cooperation, the Vietnamese Prime Minister proposed that both sides strengthen exchanges and high-level delegation visits, especially at the highest level, to further enhance political trust. He called for more substantive progress in economic, trade, and investment cooperation, aiming to further increase bilateral trade turnover in the coming period.

He also urged Estonia to support and advocate for other EU member states to soon ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), thereby creating a breakthrough in bilateral trade and investment relations. He further requested continued support for the European Commission to lift its “yellow card” warning on Vietnamese seafood exports, and encouraged Estonia to actively promote key pillars of bilateral relations, including digital transformation, digital economy, and innovation, as well as cooperation in defense, security, education, and training.

Regarding priority areas, the Prime Minister highly valued Estonia’s strengths in technology, artificial intelligence, innovation, and digital transformation. He proposed that Estonia enhance experience sharing, technology transfer, and support for Vietnam in priority fields, particularly e-government development, comprehensive digital transformation, construction and operation of data centers, cybersecurity and network safety, as well as cooperation in robotics, smart manufacturing, industrial automation, and AI applications, thereby contributing to improving labor productivity and Vietnam’s economic competitiveness.

Minister Margus Tsahkna expressed his appreciation to the Prime Minister for the reception and stated his honor as the first EU foreign minister to pay an official visit to Vietnam following the country’s completion of its high-level leadership consolidation and Government restructuring.

He warmly congratulated Prime Minister Le Minh Hung on being elected by the National Assembly for the 2026 - 2031 tenure, expressing confidence that Vietnam would continue its strong development and achieve the socio-economic goals set by the 14th National Party Congress, including double-digit growth targets.

The Estonian Foreign Minister affirmed that Estonia attaches great importance to relations with Vietnam, considering Vietnam one of its most important partners in Southeast Asia. He expressed the desire to further strengthen comprehensive cooperation, making the traditional friendship and multifaceted partnership between Vietnam and Estonia more substantive and effective.

He agreed with the major orientations proposed by the Vietnamese Prime Minister and affirmed Estonia’s readiness to coordinate in effective implementation. He emphasized Estonia’s willingness to support Vietnam in training and developing high-quality human resources, particularly in information technology, the digital economy, and artificial intelligence.

He also noted that the delegation accompanying him included representatives of around 10 leading Estonian enterprises operating in various strengths, demonstrating Estonia’s strong interest in cooperation with Vietnam in a more substantive and effective manner, focusing on areas aligned with Vietnam’s development needs such as the digital economy, green economy, circular economy, and energy.

On this occasion, Minister Margus Tsahkna conveyed the invitation from the Estonian Prime Minister to Prime Minister Le Minh Hung to pay an official visit to the Republic of Estonia at a mutually convenient time.