Within the framework of the official visit of General Secretary To Lam and his wife and the Vietnamese high-ranking delegation to Finland at the invitation of Finnish President Alexander Stubb from October 20-22, the two sides issued a Joint Statement on the establishment of a Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and Finland.
Lao Dong respectfully introduces the full text of the Joint Statement:
At the invitation of Finnish President Alexander Stubb, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam To Lam paid an official visit to Finland from October 20-22, 2025.
Within the framework of the visit, General Secretary To Lam and President Alexander Stubb agreed to upgrade the relationship between the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Republic of Finland, established in 1973, to a Strategic Partnership.
The Vietnam - Finland Strategic Partnership is built on the foundation of 52 years of friendship and cooperation in many fields, based on trust, equality and mutual respect, with the aim of deepening bilateral and multilateral relations for the benefit of the people of the two countries.
The Strategic Partnership between the two countries also contributes to promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the world, on the basis of compliance with the United Nations Charter, international law and the principles of respect for independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference in each other's internal affairs.
The two sides agreed to further increase bilateral high-level visits and contacts across all channels of the Party, State, Government, National Assembly, local governments of Vietnam and the government of Finland, in order to strengthen political cooperation and enhance mutual understanding.
The two sides agreed to establish an annual strategic consultation mechanism on regional and international issues, coordinate in addressing traditional and non-traditional security challenges, as well as review and update cooperation activities in bilateral relations, including bilateral discussions in the fields of national defense and security.
The two sides emphasized the importance of close cooperation in regional and international organizations, affirmed support for multilateralism and full respect and compliance with international law, and peaceful settlement of disputes on the basis of international law.
Key areas of cooperation include:
1. Political - diplomatic cooperation
The two sides pledged to increase exchanges of high-level delegations at all levels to strengthen political trust and mutual understanding. At the same time, the two sides emphasized the need to continue to cooperate closely at international and regional organizations, support multilateralism, resolve disputes by peaceful means and comply with international law.
2. Economic - trade - investment cooperation
The two sides agreed that economic cooperation is an important pillar in the Strategic Partnership. The two countries will promote two-way trade and investment turnover, taking advantage of existing bilateral and multilateral agreements.
Finland will be a bridge to help Vietnamese goods access the EU market, and at the same time, Vietnam will be a strategic destination for Finnish enterprises in Asia.
The two sides are committed to promoting a transparent, fair and non-discriminatory trade and investment environment; enhancing meetings, business exchanges as well as financial access.
3. Science - technology cooperation, innovation and digital transformation
The two sides will promote cooperation programs in the fields of e-government, online public services, circular economy, artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductor technology, 5G/6G telecommunications network and green technologies.
The two sides expressed their desire to strengthen the creative startup ecosystem, innovation acceleration programs, as well as improve capacity in the fields of digital governance, smart infrastructure and emerging technologies.
4. Cooperation in education - training, labor, development
The two sides expressed their desire to promote exchange programs, academic exchanges, scholarships and implement joint programs and projects in the fields of: fostering management capacity, leadership, educational technology, retraining and training to improve capacity and skills.
Development cooperation will focus on the following areas: innovation, sustainable environmental development and climate change response, through the exploitation of Finland's preferential credit programs to implement projects in Vietnam, prioritizing initiatives on innovation and green development.
5. Agricultural - environmental cooperation, energy, infrastructure, transportation
The two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in the fields of agriculture, forestry and aquaculture and circular economy, focusing on digital transformation, resource management and climate change response.
The two sides also agreed to strengthen energy cooperation to promote Vietnam's transition to renewable energy, focusing on energy efficiency and emission reduction. In the fields of infrastructure and transportation - transportation, the two sides committed to promoting cooperation in developing smart cities, green seaports, aviation and logistics, focusing on the application of high technology and automation.
6. People-to-people exchange, local cooperation
The two sides agreed to promote partnerships, cooperation between businesses, cultural exchanges and people-to-people exchanges to strengthen friendship and enhance mutual understanding. The two sides also pledged to promote the signing and implementation of cooperation agreements between localities of the two countries.
7. Deployment and next steps
General Secretary To Lam thanked President Alexander Stubb, the leaders and people of Finland for their warm welcome and respect to President Alexander Stubb for his personal visit to Vietnam.
Based on the content of the Joint Statement, the Foreign Ministers of the two countries will be responsible for coordinating with relevant ministries and branches to develop an action plan as soon as possible to achieve the above goals.
