European Council President Costa meets Vietnamese leaders in Hanoi

Описание: (29 Jan 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

AGENCY POOL
Hanoi, Vietnam - 29 January 2026
1. Various of European Council President Antonio Costa and Vietnamese General Secretary of the Communist Party To Lam shaking hands
2. Various of meeting
3. Costa shaking hands with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh
4. Various of meeting between Costa and Chinh
STORYLINE:
European Council President Antonio Costa held meetings with Vietnamese leaders Thursday during a visit to Hanoi to deepen ties with the Southeast Asian nation.

Costa held separated meetings with General Secretary of the Communist Party To Lam and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh before concluding his activities in Hanoi.

Earlier, Vietnam and the European Union announced to upgrade ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, Vietnam’s highest diplomatic level, as both recalibrate trade during disruptions to global finance driven by U.S. tariff pressure.

The upgrade places the EU on the same diplomatic footing as the United States, China and Russia.

The announcement comes less than a week after Vietnam reelected Communist Party General Secretary To Lam as the country’s top leader, endorsing his vision of economic growth driven by aggressive reforms.

Vietnam has been a major beneficiary of globalization, emerging as a key export hub for electronics, garments and consumer goods as multinational firms shifted production away from China.

That export-led growth has helped lift incomes and transform the economy, but Vietnam’s large and persistent trade surplus has drawn criticism, particularly from the U.S. and increasingly from Europe, where officials have raised concerns about market access.

For the EU, the deal strengthens access to one of Asia’s fastest-growing manufacturing hubs and supports efforts to diversify supply chains as trade tensions increase.

Bilateral trade in the first 11 months of 2025 reached more than $66.8 billion, up 6.6% from a year earlier.

The EU is Vietnam’s fourth-largest trading partner, third-largest export market and fifth-largest import source. Vietnam is the EU’s biggest trading partner in Southeast Asia.

Vietnam hopes to continue growth to become a rich nation by 2045 and is aggressively seeking new markets to reduce reliance on the U.S., which is its largest export destination that absorbs about 30% of the goods Vietnam sends abroad.

The two sides signed a free trade agreement in 2020.

===========================================================

Clients are reminded to adhere to all listed restrictions and to check the terms of their licence agreements. For further assistance, please contact the AP Archive on: Tel +44(0)2074827482 Email: [email protected].

Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter:   / ap_archive  
Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​
Instagram:   / apnews  


You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...