From March 30-31, 2026, in the United Kingdom, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Dang Hoang Giang, Head of the ASEAN Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) Vietnam and Ms. Christina Scott - Director General of the International Network, Head of the UK SOM - co-chaired the 5th ASEAN - UK SOM Conference. Vietnam is the country coordinating ASEAN - UK relations for the 2024-2027 term.
At the conference, the two sides agreed to continue to effectively implement the ASEAN - UK Economic Integration Program worth 25 million pounds. The UK pledged to strengthen deeper cooperation in the fields of green finance, fintech, and support key ASEAN programs such as the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement and the ASEAN Power Grid.
Co-chairing the ASEAN - UK SOM Conference, Deputy Minister Dang Hoang Giang affirmed that ASEAN and Vietnam attach importance to the partnership with the UK, the role and contribution of the UK, P5 and G7 members; thereby proposing to focus on promoting ASEAN - UK relations to develop in a substantive, effective, strategic and long-term direction... Regarding economy, the Deputy Minister emphasized that to date the UK has become the 8th largest trading partner and the 4th largest investor of ASEAN. The Deputy Minister welcomed the UK's participation in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), thereby creating additional momentum for trade and investment relations with ASEAN; affirmed that in its role as Chairman of CPTPP in 2026, Vietnam will coordinate with countries to promote CPTPP, including organizing the 2nd ASEAN - CPTPP Trade and Investment Dialogue in 2026.
The Deputy Minister wished the UK to continue to support ASEAN countries in developing and connecting international financial centers, promote the development of the ASEAN - UK Multilateral Air Transport Agreement; increase support for ASEAN to narrow development gaps, and make Mekong sub-region cooperation one of the priorities in policy with the region.
On the occasion of the ASEAN - UK SOM Conference, on April 1 in London, Deputy Minister Dang Hoang Giang had a bilateral meeting with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prosperity and Development of the UK Seema Malhotra to exchange views on the relationship between the two countries, especially the implementation of the results of General Secretary To Lam's official visit to the United Kingdom (October 2025).
Regarding economy and trade, the Deputy Minister said that the UK is currently Vietnam's third largest trading partner in Europe, while Vietnam is the UK's second largest partner in Asia. Based on the Vietnam-UK Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA) and CPTPP, bilateral trade turnover in 2025 reached 9.4 billion USD - the highest level ever.
On the UK side, Deputy Minister Seema Malhotra highly appreciated Vietnam's role in coordinating ASEAN-UK relations, welcomed the success of the ASEAN-UK SOM Conference, and affirmed that Vietnam is an important partner in Britain's strategy towards ASEAN and the Indo-Pacific region. Deputy Minister Seema Malhotra assessed Vietnam as a dynamic economy with great potential; affirmed her commitment to support Vietnam in developing financial centers, promoting cooperation in green finance, environmental protection and climate change response.
The two sides agreed to continue to strengthen coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums such as the United Nations and ASEAN... Regarding the direction of cooperation in the coming time, the two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in fields such as developing an international financial center in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang, green finance, science and technology, energy. The two sides acknowledged the positive role of the Vietnamese community in the UK in the local socio-economic life, and at the same time as an important bridge contributing to promoting bilateral relations.
