On the morning of March 21, 2023, the workshop “50 years of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the UK: Achievements and prospects" co-organized by UEB, the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO), the British Embassy in Hanoi, the Vietnam - UK Friendship Association on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the UK.
The workshop consisted of 3 discussion sessions with the following contents: Overview of Vietnam - UK relations; Economic cooperation, trade and investment between Vietnam and the UK; People-to-people exchange and cooperation in the fields of culture and society between Vietnam and the UK.
The workshop attracted the participation of delegates from the British Embassy in Vietnam, the British Council, the British Chamber of Commerce, the British Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations, the Vietnam -UK Friendship Association, the representatives of central agencies, ministries, universities and research institutions, mass organizations and representatives of some British businesses in Vietnam.
As a co-organizer, UEB had the participation of Nguyen Truc Le - Secretary of the Party Committee, President of the Board of Trustees; Nguyen Anh Thu – Vice Rector; Ha Van Hoi - Dean of Faculty of Economics & International Business; and lecturers.
In the opening speech, Phan Anh Son - Vice President and General Secretary of VUFO, reviewed the important milestones of the relations of the two countries. Vietnam and the UK officially established diplomatic relations on September 11, 1973. During the past 50 years, that relationship has been continuously strengthened and developed. Especially after the two countries signed the Joint Statement officially raising the relationship to a Strategic Partnership in September 2010, opening up many cooperation frameworks and mechanisms between the two countries. The two countries constantly promote cooperation in important fields such as security - defense, development cooperation, education - training, science and technology, sustainable development, people-to-people exchange, creating a platform solid foundation for the development of bilateral relations. Son affirmed that the friendship between the two countries is in a very good development period.
Speaking at the conference, Marcus Winsley, Deputy Ambassador, British Embassy in Vietnam affirmed: “We are living in a time when things are becoming increasingly unpredictable. So it's important to have dialogue to understand each other and that's one of the things we're doing today. Vietnam and the UK have a lot in common, not only being maritime nations, we also strongly support the free trade system that creates the prosperity of our two countries. And I think both of our countries are open to new ideas, to sharing experiences."
Deputy Ambassador Winsley highly appreciated the benefits that the Strategic Partnership has brought to the two countries over the past 13 years. The two countries continue to cooperate closely on global issues such as climate change, following Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's visit to the United Nations Climate Change Summit - COP26 in Glasgow last year, where the Prime Minister made a historic commitment to net zero emissions by 2050, and the two countries are also working together towards the Just Energy Transition Program (JETP). Bilateral trade progressed like never before with total trade in goods and services between the UK and Vietnam now £5.9 billion, up 12.4% year-on-year, people-to-people diplomacy between the two countries is also promoted in many different fields, there are about 15,000 Vietnamese students currently in the UK.
Before the official discussions began, representatives of the UEB, Nguyen Truc Le; Nguyen Anh presented books on economics published by the university to representatives of co-organizers and speakers participating in the seminar.
Discussion session 1 with the topic " Overview of Vietnam - UK relations" was chaired by Phan Anh Son - Vice President cum Secretary General of VUFO with the participation of delegates: Deputy Ambassador of the Kingdom Brother Marcus Winsley; Mr. Bui The Giang, Former Director of Western Europe - North America Department, Central Committee for External Relations, Former Deputy Head of the Vietnamese Delegation to the United Nations; Mr. Ben Bland, Director of Asia-Pacific Program and UK-Vietnam bilateral relations, Chatham House and Ms. Hoang Le Thuy Duong, Deputy General Secretary of the Vietnam-UK Friendship Association. At this discussion session, the speakers reviewed the main developments and memorable milestones in the two countries' diplomatic relations, especially since the two countries established the strategic partnership in 2010. In terms of relationship overview, expert Ben Bland offers 3 recommendations to further develop the relationship, including honesty between the parties about their desires and goals, secondly focusing on areas The third is the cooperation of not only government agencies but also research groups, education, and other organizations in the fields.
The discussion session on economy, trade and investment between Vietnam and the UK was chaired by Nguyen Quang Vinh, Vice President of VCCI, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam - UK Friendship Association with the participation of delegates. : Mr. Ta Hoang Linh, Director of the European - American Market Department, Ministry of Industry and Trade; Ms. Julia Sutherlands, Deputy Director General of Southeast Asia Department, UK Department of Foreign Affairs & Development; Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Truc Le, Secretary of the Party Committee, Chairman of the Council of the University of Economics and Business - VNU; Associate Professor Dr. Ha Van Hoi, Dean of the Faculty of Economics and International Business, University of Economics and Business - VNU. At the discussion session, trade agreements were mentioned as an outstanding achievement, suggesting a lot of potential for cooperation. Experts all believe that there is still plenty of room for the two countries to continue working together in the near future, notably green transition and renewable energy. Agreements such as UKVFTA have had a great impact on Vietnam's import and export activities, contributing to pushing the two-way trade turnover between Vietnam and the UK to grow again after the pandemic.
The third session with the theme People-to-people exchange and cooperation in the field of culture and society between Vietnam and the UK took place under the chair of Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Truc Le, Secretary of the Party Committee, Chairman of the Council. University of Economics and Business - VNU, Vice President of Vietnam - UK Friendship Association and the discussion of Dr. Nguyen Phuong Hoa, Director of International Cooperation Department, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Giang, Head of the European Department - VUFO and Ms. Donna McGowan, Director of the British Council in Vietnam.
At the discussion session, Nguyen Phuong Hoa affirmed that cultural exchange between the two peoples has many advantages such as the English language is widely taught and learned from primary school level in Vietnam and considered as one of the means for international integration; the large Vietnamese community in the UK with a large number of Vietnamese international students is the cultural bridge between the two countries; direct flights between Vietnam and the UK are geographical connectivity conditions, bringing the people of the two countries closer together. Hoa emphasized that in the current context, people-to-people exchanges are increasingly attractive through art and culture in which "people are creative subjects" for people, always aiming for beauty, the good, the human values of humanity thereby connecting people with people and playing an important role in connecting people between countries and peoples, enhancing mutual understanding and, promote cooperation in other fields.
In her presentation, Nguyen Thi Thu Giang, Head of the Europe Department - VUFO said: "People's diplomacy is soft power and I highly appreciate the development orientation of people-to-people diplomacy in the activities of the Friendship Association. Vietnam - UK conference. I believe that, through the activities of people-to-people exchanges and cooperation in the fields of culture and society, Vietnam and the UK will become an important resource in promoting cooperation between the two countries. This soft power must be attractive and attracted through cultural and educational activities to the public of both countries on a strong and regular basis”.
As an educational organization that plays an important role in the development between the two countries Vietnam - the UK, Ms. Donna McGowan, Director of the British Council in Vietnam shared: “The year 2023 will also be the 30th year of the British Council operating in Vietnam as well as 30 years of British Government Chevening Scholarship in Vietnam. We will always support and look forward to cooperation projects between the British and Vietnamese governments to further promote English learning in the best way for Vietnamese students and students. there are support policies for young Vietnamese researchers who wish to study and research in the UK.” Ms. Donna McGowan also shared that the UK-Vietnam Friendship Year in the UK will include more than 50 events on trade, investment, education-training, culture, tourism, etc. London and more than 10 major localities, in order to further strengthen the relationship between regions, cities and communities of this country and localities of Vietnam.
Summarizing the discussion session, Le reviewed the achievements in cultural exchange between Vietnam and the UK and said that people-to-people diplomacy will be the guideline for the friendship association's activities. Vietnam – UK in the future. Le said that in order to promote cultural exchanges between the two countries in the coming time, it is necessary to mobilize the synergy of associations, businesses, educational and training institutions, and cultural institutions, a large number of students and media agencies.
In the closing speech, Truc Le emphasized: “The issues mentioned in the workshop today will continue to be the premise for the two countries to cultivate, strengthen, develop, meet aspirations, bring practical benefits to the two peoples, and at the same time contribute to maintaining peace, stability and development cooperation in the region and in the world; constantly consolidate and develop in important fields such as security - defense, development cooperation, education - training, science and technology, sustainable development, people-to-people exchange, creating a platform firmly for the development of bilateral relations.”