According to the VNA special correspondent, at noon on October 24 (local time), General Secretary and President To Lam, along with his wife and the high-level Vietnamese delegation, departed Brussels, successfully concluding their official visit to the European Union (EU) and the Kingdom of Belgium, at the invitation of the President of the European Council Antonio Costa and the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Belgium Bart De Wever.

Seeing off the delegation at Melsbroek military airport were representatives from the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Belgian Ambassador to Vietnam and the Honorary Consul of Vietnam in Antwerp; the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Vietnam to Belgium, Head of the Vietnamese Delegation to the EU Nguyen Huong Tra, and a number of embassy staff and representatives of the Vietnamese community in the Kingdom of Belgium.

During his official visit to the EU, General Secretary and President To Lam held talks with President of the European Council Antonio Costa; and met with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen…

During the meetings, both sides welcomed the positive development of Vietnam-EU relations, especially since the upgrading of relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in January 2026.

Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to further deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership, including promoting investment within the framework of the Global Gateway initiative and the Joint Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP); they emphasized the importance of the full implementation of the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the early ratification of the Vietnam-EU Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA).

Both sides also agreed to strive towards developing cooperation on essential raw materials; and to continue strengthening cooperation in the fields of technology and innovation, education and training, green transformation, strategic infrastructure, circular economy , and blue economy.

During his official visit to the Kingdom of Belgium, General Secretary and President To Lam met with King Philippe and Queen Elizabeth II; held talks with Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever; met with the President of the Senate Vincent Blondel and the President of the Federal House of Representatives Peter De Roover; delivered a policy speech at the Royal Institute of International Relations in Egmont; and received the Minister-President of the Flanders region and the Minister-President of the Wallonia region.

The Federal House of Representatives officially voted to ratify the EVIPA on the night of October 22nd. This is vivid evidence of the potential and determination for economic, trade, and investment cooperation between the two countries.

During the meetings, both sides agreed on the need to further strengthen political trust, maintain exchanges, and understand each other’s concerns and needs in order to expand the scope of cooperation, determined to move towards elevating bilateral relations to a new level.

Regarding economics, trade, and investment, both sides agreed on the need to create new breakthroughs and promote large-scale, strategic cooperation projects in areas where Belgium has traditional strengths and Vietnam has urgent needs, such as port development, smart logistics chains, green energy, eco-industrial parks, and high-tech agriculture adapted to climate change.

Sharing the view that science and technology is a field with great potential for cooperation, both sides agreed to promote joint research projects, technology transfer, and cooperation in strategic and emerging technologies such as biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, and semiconductor chips; they also agreed to expand educational linkages, promote cultural exchange, sports, tourism, and practical cooperation between localities in Vietnam and Belgium.