Spanish PM’s visit set to elevate Vietnam – Spain ties to new height: Ambassador

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (R) meets with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Brazil in 2024. (Photo: VGP)

In an interview with the Vietnam News Agency, Vietnamese Ambassador to Spain Doan Thanh Song laid stress on the visit’s historic significance as the first official trip by a Spanish PM to Vietnam since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1977, and the first high-level visit from Spain since King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia's trip in 2006. The fact that PM Sanchez has chosen Vietnam and China as the first two Asian countries to visit in 2025 demonstrates Spain's respect for and wish to promote closer cooperation with Vietnam, and affirm Vietnam's increasing position and role in the region and the world.

As PM Sanchez recently declared in a social media statement, the two countries share a desire to strengthen political, trade, and investment relations, the diplomat said.

Song described the visit as a vivid testament to the excellent cooperation between the two countries across multiple domains, from politics to economy, trade and investment, culture, defence, security, education - training, and transport. Political and diplomatic cooperation has created a solid foundation for the countries to develop the strategic partnership, with Spain being the first EU country to establish a strategic partnership with Vietnam.

The timing of the visit is especially meaningful as it comes shortly after the two countries celebrated the 15th anniversary of their strategic partnership in 2024 and ahead of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2027. The trip has great significance for strengthening and promoting diplomatic, economic, and trade ties, he emphasised.

During his three-day visit with a series of activities in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, PM Sanchez is expected to engage in discussions on measures for advancing cooperation to enhance political trust, deepen the existing foundation of relations, and open up new opportunities in potential areas, especially in politics - diplomacy, economy - trade - investment, science - technology, infrastructure, urban transport, sustainable development, and renewable energy. The two sides are also expected to sign several documents to boost bilateral cooperation, according to Song.

Just before the visit, PM Sanchez underscored that Vietnam has become a magnet for foreign investment, while affirming that thanks to the free trade agreement between Vietnam and the European Union, Spanish companies and leaders in the fields such as infrastructure and renewable energy will be able to develop important business opportunities in Vietnam.

With the commitments, determination, and political trust between the two countries, along with the participation of executives from nearly 20 leading Spanish corporations accompanying the PM, bilateral economic and trade relations are set to witness many strong, positive, and dynamic changes in the coming period, particularly in the areas matching Spain's strengths and Vietnam's interest, including transport infrastructure, traffic system management, smart city building, and renewable energy.

Speaking about the bilateral relationship over the past half-century, particularly since the elevation of bilateral ties to a strategic partnership oriented towards the future on December 15, 2009, Ambassador Song emphasised that the relations have grown increasingly strong and comprehensive.

Political and diplomatic cooperation has created a solid cornerstone for the strategic partnership to develop. They have built strong relations and extensive collaboration with mutual trust and understanding through regular delegation exchanges and cooperation at various levels.

Cultural exchanges and people-to-people connections have been particularly vibrant in the strategic partnership, establishing a basis for enhanced understanding and trust between Vietnam and Spain. From a distant country, Vietnam became a destination for more than 85,000 Spanish tourists in 2024. Vietnamese culture, cuisine, and arts have been warmly embraced by Spanish people. Currently, about 1,000 Vietnamese children have been adopted by Spanish families, integrating well into the local community while maintaining their national cultural identity.

In the meantime, economic cooperation has always been an important pillar in the bilateral partnership, he noted, explaining that relations between Vietnam and Spain actually originated five centuries ago through trade when the first Spanish merchants arrived at Hoi An port to establish flourishing commerce in the region.

Since their strategic partnership was formed, bilateral economic and trade links have been thriving strongly. Spain has become Vietnam's 8th largest trading partner in the EU while Vietnam has emerged as Spain's largest trading partner in ASEAN. Bilateral trade has steadily increased by 15–20% annually, rising from 1.2 billion USD in the 2010s to 4.7 billion USD in 2024. Vietnam primarily exports phones and components, steel, textile - garment, and footwear to Spain, while importing pharmaceuticals, machinery, chemicals, and plastic materials for domestic processing and manufacturing industries from the latter.

Song highlighted that Vietnam and Spain are currently at a stage of sharing more common interests than ever before to deepen their strategic partnership. Both sides are looking to find, expand, and develop new markets and partners. Spain holds an important position and influence not only in Europe, particularly in Southern Europe, but also in Spanish-speaking countries, Latin America, and North Africa, and also serves as a strategic connection point between these regions. Strengthening relations with Spain will help Vietnam expand cooperation and enhance its role and prestige in these regions.

As the first country to ratify the EU – Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), Spain sees Vietnam as a promising market for its companies. The recent establishment of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Hanoi is a vivid example of Spain's determination to strengthen economic links with Vietnam.

Spain now has over 96 investment projects in Vietnam with a total investment capital of nearly 144 million USD. Recent notable investments from this European country are in renewable energy and digitalisation, which are also the areas Vietnam is eager to attract high-tech foreign direct investment to. Although an increasing number of Vietnamese businesses want to enter the Spanish market, the figure remain modest compared to the two sides' cooperation potential, which may be one of the reasons why PM Sanchez has decided to bring along many leading Spanish corporations to Vietnam during this visit.

The European country has not only focused on Latin America and Spanish-speaking countries but also become increasingly interested in business cooperation opportunities in Asia, with Vietnam considered an attractive destination, explained the ambassador.

Under the Strategic Vision for Spain in Asia approved by the Spanish Government, a strong presence in Asia is a consistent objective of this country in the coming time, he added./.