Participants included a delegation from Lang Son led by Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Hoang Quoc Khanh, representatives of the Greek Foreign Ministry in charge of international cooperation with businesses, leaders of associations and chambers of commerce and industry, the Hellenic–ASEAN Business Council, and Greek businesses operating in trade, investment, agriculture, education and culture.

Addressing the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Greece Pham Thi Thu Huong stressed that as a bridge between Vietnamese localities and partners in host countries, the embassy’s organisation of the dialogue was among its key economic diplomacy activities in 2026. The initiative aims to support localities in strengthening ties with Greek partners, particularly businesses, thereby contributing to their socio-economic development and that of the country as a whole.

For his part, Khanh and other provincial representatives introduced the province’s potential, strengths, cooperation needs and priorities with Greece. Greek businesses raised numerous questions and put forward specific proposals for cooperation with Lang Son in the coming period.

As part of the visit, the Vietnamese Embassy also facilitated a meeting between the Lang Son delegation and the authorities of Kalavryta, including Mayor Athanasios Papadopoulos, to discuss cooperation potential between the two localities.

Mayor Papadopoulos expressed his hope that, drawing on their similarities and complementary strengths, Lang Son and Kalavryta would step up cooperation, particularly in sustainable economic development based on local advantages, linking the economy with tourism, trade, local products and the development of geoparks.

The delegation also worked with the management board of the Chelmos-Vouraikos Global Geopark, one of 10 UNESCO Global Geoparks in Greece, to exchange experience in managing, preserving and promoting the value of geoparks. The two sides agreed to establish a cooperation channel, including the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Chelmos-Vouraikos Global Geopark and the Lang Son Global Geopark.

The embassy’s organisation of the dialogue and its facilitation of connections between the Lang Son delegation and Greek partners represented a practical step in implementing the outcomes of the 22nd National Conference on Foreign Affairs, themed “Elevating local external relations and effectively mobilising international resources for development”, held in Hanoi in early August./.