Deputy head of the German Embassy in Hanoi, Simon Kreye spoke at the reception on the occasion of the German Unity Day, which was organised at the ambassador’s residence, that the relationship between Vietnam and Germany has improved, even in the pandemic.

Germany has donated more than 10 million vaccine doses and valuable, life-saving medical equipment to Vietnam. This collaboration will continue.

“As a result, Germany and Vietnam have not distanced themselves from each other during the pandemic, but have come closer to each other. The German-Vietnamese friendship has stood the test of time during the pandemic,” he said.

In recent months, there has been a welcome revival in travel between countries, including official delegations, such as Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son's trip to Germany last week. In addition to Federal Foreign Minister Baerbock, Minister Son also met Federal President Steinmeier and Federal Council President Ramelow. Other high-level encounters will follow in the coming weeks and months.

In total, more than 350 German companies have invested almost $3 billion in Vietnam and provided employment to more than 50,000 people. The trend is positive, as can be seen from the many expressions of interest in just the last few weeks.

“Besides this, we congratulate Vietnam on its ambitious goals, as announced by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at last year's COP26 conference: carbon neutrality by 2050 and phase-out of coal-fired energy by the 2040s. Germany is willing to make significant efforts to support Vietnam in achieving these goals. We want to get involved with others in a Just Energy Transition Partnership with Vietnam. Germany is building on years of development cooperation in the areas of energy and environmental protection,” Kreye said.