From 2 - 4 November 2025, State Secretary Sara Modig of the Ministry of Climate and Enterprise visits Vietnam with a Team Sweden delegation focused on infrastructure collaboration. The visit aims tohighlight Sweden’s commitment to advancing sustainable development, innovation, and greeninfrastructure in partnership with Vietnam.

Shaping a sustainable and resilient future together

The visit by State Secretary Sara Modig builds on the achievements of the Sectoral Strategic Partnership Agreement signed during Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s official visit to Sweden in June 2025. The goal is to deepen bilateral cooperation in science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation, thereby contributing to the realization of sustainable development objectives shared by both nations.

Under the theme “Building green ports and modern railways”, the Swedish delegation, comprising leading enterprises and experts, held working sessions with ministries, technical agencies, and private investors in Vietnam. Discussions focused on cooperation opportunities in railway development, including the North - South high-speed railway project, as well as the green transformation of seaport systems and the development of new, modern, and smart ports.

Alongside business meetings, State Secretary Modig met with representatives from over 70 Swedish companies currently operating in Vietnam, underscoring Sweden’s increasingly important role in supporting Vietnam’s modernization and green transition efforts.

“Vietnam is one of Sweden’s most dynamic and forward-looking partners in the region,” said Johan Ndisi, Swedish Ambassador to Vietnam. “From smart infrastructure to digital innovation, we see vast opportunities to jointly develop green, competitive, and inclusive solutions, shaping a flexible and knowledge-driven future together”.

Fostering innovation ecosystems and academic collaboration

In Hanoi, State Secretary Modig attended the Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe Day organized by the Delegation of the European Union to Vietnam, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Training and the Ministry of Science and Technology. The event highlighted Sweden’s vibrant innovation ecosystem, with the country ranking second globally in the 2025 Global Innovation Index released by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

Within the program framework, education exhibitions were held in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, featuring nine Swedish universities. The events aimed to connect Vietnamese students with advanced European education opportunities. Sweden and Vietnam have long maintained strong academic cooperation and joint research initiatives. The Karolinska Institute, one of the world’s leading medical universities, has signed four memoranda of understanding with Vietnamese institutions and supported 65 Vietnamese PhD candidates in successfully defending their doctoral theses.

In the autumn of 2025, 300 Vietnamese students were admitted to Swedish universities, including 11 recipients of the Swedish Institute Global Professional Scholarship (SISGP), 8 female students awarded the Women in STEM Scholarship, along with several others in climate technology and entrepreneurship programs.

During her mission, State Secretary Modig also visited Hai Phong city, where she met with the municipal People’s Committee, Swedish investors, and toured the VinFast electric vehicle plant. Several Swedish companies, including ABB, Atlas Copco, and SKF, are key partners in VinFast’s supply chain.

These collaborations demonstrate the trust, technological capacity, and high engineering standards that Swedish enterprises bring to Vietnam’s fast-growing industrial sector in the era of green transition.