The meeting was attended by representatives from several units under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, including the Agency for Foreign Market Development, the Trade Promotion Agency, the Agency of Foreign Trade, and the Multilateral Trade Policy Department.

At the meeting, Acting Minister Le Manh Hung expressed his pleasure at welcoming the First Vice President of the Hellenic Parliament. He voiced confidence that trade cooperation between the two countries would continue to expand in the coming years, and that Greece, as a member of the European Union (EU), would serve as an important bridge in further strengthening cooperation between Viet Nam and the EU.

For his part, Ioannis Plakiotakis thanked Acting Minister Le Manh Hung for taking the time to receive the delegation. He noted that Greece was among the first countries to ratify the EU–Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and expressed confidence that bilateral cooperation still holds significant potential, particularly by leveraging opportunities generated by the EVFTA.

The First Vice President affirmed that Greece regards Viet Nam as an important economic partner in Southeast Asia, highlighting the country’s impressive economic growth and strong market potential. He emphasized Greece’s interest in expanding cooperation, especially in transportation, logistics, and agricultural exports.

Currently, Greece ranks first globally in maritime shipping, operating more than 4,500 commercial vessels, accounting for around 20 percent of the world’s fleet. Greece also possesses extensive practical experience in shipbuilding, ship repair, and related logistics services. Ioannis Plakiotakis stated that Greek enterprises stand ready to share expertise in maritime transport, shipbuilding, and seafarer training with Viet Nam. The Greek side also expressed a desire to further open agricultural and food markets between the two countries, particularly for products in which both sides hold competitive advantages.

Acting Minister Le Manh Hung expressed agreement with the First Vice President regarding the strong prospects for cooperation in maritime transport. He expressed hope that the two sides would strengthen collaboration, including technology transfer in shipbuilding and the operation of smart port systems, in order to enhance the competitiveness of Viet Nam’s maritime sector. He also affirmed readiness to work with Greece to expand bilateral agricultural exports and to import advanced Greek technologies for application in Viet Nam’s agro-processing and food production industries.

In addition, the Acting Minister proposed that Greece, in its capacity as an EU member state, support and advocate within the European Commission for the early removal of the IUU “yellow card” on Viet Nam’s fisheries sector. Ioannis Plakiotakis expressed his agreement with this proposal.

Both sides agreed to intensify exchanges of delegations at various levels in the coming period, with a view to deepening cooperation and elevating bilateral trade relations to a new level.

Since its entry into force in 2020, the EVFTA has contributed to significant progress in bilateral trade. Two-way trade has recorded consistent positive growth since the agreement took effect. In 2021, bilateral trade reached USD 447.2 million, up 32.6 percent year-on-year. In 2025, total import-export turnover between Viet Nam and Greece amounted to nearly USD 587.32 million, an increase of 16.42 percent. Of this, Viet Nam’s exports to Greece reached USD 465.54 million, up 18.75 percent, while imports from Greece totaled USD 121.78 million, up 8.85 percent. In January 2026 alone, bilateral trade reached USD 52.7 million, marking a 27.4 percent increase year-on-year, with exports estimated at USD 45.3 million, up 25.5 percent, and imports from Greece at USD 7.4 million, up 40.3 percent.