Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong and Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen hold a press conference on July 24, 2023. (photo: VOV)

President Vo Van Thuong said Austria is always among the top 10 export markets of Vietnam in Europe, while Vietnam is Austria's important trading partner in Southeast Asia. Cooperation in other fields, such as culture, education, science and technology has also developed substantively and effectively.

“I am confident that my visit to Austria will create a new impulse, strengthen mutual understanding and trust, and lay the foundation for stronger development the Vietnam-Austria relationship. President Alexander Van der Bellen and I agreed on measures to further strengthen bilateral relationship in multiple fields from politics to foreign affairs, trade and investment, culture, sport, tourism, science and technology and people-to-people exchanges,” said Mr. Thuong.

While discussing regional and international issues, Mr. Thuong affirmed: “Vietnam follows the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification, and multilateralisation. Vietnam wants to be a friend, a reliable partner of all countries, an active and responsible member of the international community.”

President Alexander Van der Bellen said that Vietnam and Austria have huge potential for cooperation. Vietnam has a high proportion of young people and a very attractive market, which is an area that many Austrian businesses are interested in. He affirmed that Vietnam is an important partner of the EU in Asia, especially since the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) took effect. EU-Vietnam cooperation is not only limited to economy, but also in climate change response, environment, and human development.