On the morning of June 5 local time (day in the same day, Hanoi time), Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife Le Thi Bich Tran, along with the Vietnamese high-ranking delegation, arrived in the capital Tallinn, starting an official visit to the Republic of Estonia from June 5-7, at the invitation of Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal.
This is the first visit of the Vietnamese Prime Minister to Estonia since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1992, aiming to promote the friendship and cooperation in many aspects between Vietnam and Estonia to a new stage of development; affirming Vietnam's consistent policy of always attaching importance to and wishing to strengthen and promote relations with countries in the European region, including Estonia.
Estonia is a traditional friendship and has many facets of cooperation with Vietnam. During the exchanges, Estonia repeatedly affirmed that Vietnam is a priority partner in Southeast Asia, wishing to further promote cooperation with Vietnam. The two countries also actively coordinate and support each other at multilateral forums.
Estonia has actively supported Vietnam in signing the Free Trade Agreement between Vietnam and the European Union (EVFTA) and is one of the first EU countries to ratify the Investment Protection Agreement between Vietnam and the European Union (EVIPA).
Economic relations as well as two-way trade turnover are still modest, with turnover below 100 million USD/year but have tended to grow steadily in recent years. The two sides are exploiting the advantages of the EVFTA Agreement, aiming to expand market access, especially in areas where both sides have demand.
Vietnam exports to Estonia many key products such as electronics, textiles, seafood, shoes and wooden furniture.
According to data from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, exports from Vietnam to Estonia in the first quarter of 2025 reached 12 million USD, up 56% over the same period in 2024, imports from Estonia were 5.8 million USD, up 108.1% over the same period in 2024. Notably, during this period, the export turnover of Vietnam's agricultural products to Estonia increased by more than 100% compared to the first quarter of 2024.
For its part, Estonia has strengths in technology and innovation, being a suitable partner for Vietnam to learn from experience and cooperate in the field of digital transformation.
Vietnam and Estonia have closely coordinated and supported each other in multilateral institutions, within the framework of the United Nations, the Asia- Europe Cooperation Forum ASEM, ASEAN-EU and other multilateral forums of which the two countries are members... in global issues such as sustainable development, cyber security, education and digital transformation.
Vietnam also asked Estonia to support the upgrading of Vietnam-EU relations, while sharing experiences and coordinating in ASEAN-EU cooperation mechanisms that both countries participate in.
VNA quoted Vietnamese Ambassador to Finland and Estonia Pham Thi Thanh Binh as saying that Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's official visit to Estonia is not only symbolic in terms of politics and diplomacy, but also has an important strategic orientation for the Vietnam - Estonia bilateral relationship in the new period, opening a new development phase in bilateral relations through both government and business channels, bringing cooperation between the two countries into deepening, more practical and effective in key areas of the 4th industrial revolution.
Within the framework of the visit, a number of cooperation documents will be signed, affirming strong political commitments in strengthening bilateral relations and creating a new boost for economic cooperation, digital transformation and education.
