Hungarian Ambassador to Vietnam Tibor Baloghdi. (Photo: VNA)  

The official visit to Vietnam from May 27 - 29 by Hungarian President Sulyok Tamas and his spouse at the invitation of Vietnamese State President Luong Cuong marks an important milestone in the bilateral relations and reflects the Central European nation’s highest-level diplomatic commitment, Hungarian Ambassador to Vietnam Tibor Baloghdi has said.

Talking to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)'s reporter on the threshold of the visit, the diplomat highlighted the fruitful development of the Hungary - Vietnam diplomatic relations, stressing that this was built on a solid foundation of mutual respect, cooperation, and long-lasting ties.

According to the ambassador, since the two countries established diplomatic ties on February 3, 1950, Hungary has always supported Vietnam across fields, and they have now become important partners of each other. Over the past decades, Hungary has played a vital role in training Vietnam’s workforce, especially in engineering, medicine, and natural sciences, with thousands of Vietnamese students having studied in the European nation.

Two-way trade reached 1 billion USD, with a significant growth rate of 17% over the past year. Many Hungarian businesses have been expanding their presence in Vietnam in the fields of pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, food, agriculture, and defence industry.

Regarding key milestones in bilateral cooperation, Baloghdi highlighted the establishment of the Comprehensive Partnership in 2018 as a significant step forward, reflecting both sides’ commitment to strengthening multi-faceted cooperation, from trade and investment to education, healthcare, science, and technology.

Following the upgrade of the relations, bilateral trade has grown steadily, making Hungary one of Vietnam’s key partners in Central Europe. The two sides continue to benefit from this effective partnership.

The diplomat recalled Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s visit to Hungary in January 2024, saying that it gave fresh momentum to the bilateral ties, reaffirming the commitment to boosting economic, political and cultural cooperation between the two nations, with several important agreements signed.

Meanwhile, the visit to Vietnam by Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto in March this year contributed to further enhancing the effectiveness of comprehensive cooperation between the two nations, he noted.

The diplomat also mentioned upcoming cooperation programmes between Vietnam and Hungary, particularly in the areas of economy, trade, education - training, and climate change response.

The deep historical ties between the two countries' people remain a solid foundation for the bilateral relations, he stressed, suggesting stepping up cultural and educational exchange activities to further strengthen this relationship.

Hungary remains committed to offering scholarships to Vietnamese students under the Stipendium Hungaricum programme, helping to attract young talents from Vietnam, he said.

He added that beyond education, promoting tourism and cultural programmes is also essential, and that encouraging direct exchanges between artists, writers, and scholars will help deepen mutual understanding.

The Hungarian Embassy also pledges to organise cultural weeks, film screenings, and exhibitions to showcase Hungary’s rich cultural heritage to the Vietnamese public, contributing to bridging the cultural gap between the two countries, he noted, stressing the opportunity for future cooperation between the two sides in training and transferring civilian nuclear technology.

For future cooperation programmes with Vietnam to support the Southeast Asian nation in realising its development goals, Baloghdi said Hungary highly values Vietnam’s commitment to achieving development goals through knowledge-based growth and economic advancement, expressing his belief that this approach will help increase Vietnam’s global competitiveness and improve the quality of life for its people.

With its strengths in science and technology, Hungary sees great potential for cooperation with Vietnam in the areas of hi-tech agriculture, digital transformation, water resource management, medical technology, and artificial intelligence, the ambassador said, affirming that the Central European nation is ready to support Vietnam through joint research and development projects, as well as through technology transfer programmes and partnerships in education and training, including scholarships and academic exchanges.

In addition, Hungary aims to strengthen cooperation with Vietnam in developing the private economic sector, helping to promote innovation and supporting Vietnam in its transition toward a high-value knowledge-based economy, the ambassador added./.