HANOI: Prime Minister Le Minh Hung presided over an official welcome ceremony for his visiting Liechtenstein counterpart Brigitte Haas in Hanoi on Sunday (Oct 18) morning.
Attending the ceremony were Politburo member and Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung; Member of the Party Central Committee, Minister and Chairman of the Government Office Dang Xuan Phong; Member of the Party Central Committee and Minister of Finance Ngo Van Tuan; Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Luong Hoang Thai; and Vietnamese Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein Chau Mai Anh.
In a warm and friendly atmosphere, PM Hung welcomed PM Brigitte Haas, who leads a high-ranking Liechtenstein delegation on a three-day official visit to Vietnam from Oct 17-19, at the red carpet.
This is the first visit to Vietnam by a high-ranking Liechtenstein leader since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 2008.
It takes place at a time when bilateral relations are presented with new opportunities for development, particularly in the fields of economy and trade, investment, science and technology, and innovation.
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Liechtenstein have been maintained and developed positively.
The two countries share many commonalities in upholding multilateralism, international law, and cooperation for peace, stability, and sustainable development. Economic and trade cooperation between the two countries has made positive progress.
In recent years, both sides have actively promoted negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Vietnam and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), which comprises Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein. The negotiations concluded on July 2, 2026.
This agreement will provide an important framework for further expanding Vietnam's economic relations with Liechtenstein and other EFTA countries, creating more favourable conditions for trade, investment, and business connectivity.
What distinguishes Liechtenstein is not the size of its domestic market, but its ability, despite being a very small economy, to develop highly technologically capable and deeply specialised enterprises that can compete in global markets.
PM Brigitte Haas's first official visit to Vietnam marks an important milestone, demonstrating Liechtenstein's high regard for Vietnam while providing fresh impetus for deeper, more substantive, and more effective bilateral relations.
It offers an opportunity for the two countries to strengthen political trust, promote the effective implementation of bilateral and multilateral agreements to which both countries are parties, and further leverage Vietnam's role as a bridge to Southeast Asia.
Following the welcome ceremony, the two leaders led their respective high-level delegations in talks to review the results of bilateral cooperation in recent years and propose directions for future collaboration.
They also witnessed the signing ceremony of a tax agreement between Vietnam and Liechtenstein. - Vietnam News/ANN
