Vietnamese President Luong Cuong welcomes his Hungarian counterpart Sulyok Tamas. (Photo: The Dai)

This marks the first visit to Viet Nam by a Hungarian head of state in 11 years, taking place in the year marking the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The visit demonstrates Hungary's regard for Viet Nam's role, position and prestige in the region and the world, alongside its determination to promote the comprehensive partnership with Viet Nam.

Hungary has always been a loyal and affectionate friend, standing alongside Viet Nam during the most difficult moments in history as well as in today's cause of national construction and development.

During the arduous war years, Hungary provided Viet Nam with invaluable assistance, actively supporting the training of thousands of cadres, specialists, engineers, and doctors — those who have made important contributions to the post-war national reconstruction effort.

The 75-year journey since Viet Nam and Hungary established diplomatic ties on February 3, 1950, has been a proud one, woven together through sincere friendship, mutual trust, and the persistent efforts of many generations of both countries’ leaders and peoples.

The traditional friendship between Viet Nam and Hungary continues to be strengthened, becoming more and more substantive and effective, while bringing practical benefits across many fields.

Among the traditional friendly countries in the Central and Eastern European region, Hungary has always been regarded by Viet Nam as one of its most important partners, in the past, present and future.

Politically and diplomatically, both sides regularly exchange delegations. In 2018, during General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's official visit to Hungary, both sides upgraded their relations to a comprehensive partnership, making Hungary Viet Nam's first comprehensive partner in the Central and Eastern European region.

In 2017, the Communist Party of Viet Nam and the FIDESZ Party signed a memorandum of cooperation, officially establishing diplomatic relations between the two ruling parties.

The two countries regularly coordinate and support each other at international forums and organisations.

Political trust serves as a solid foundation for Viet Nam-Hungary bilateral relations to achieve many positive results. To date, Hungary has 21 effective FDI projects in Viet Nam with total registered capital of 50.66 million USD, ranking 52nd among foreign investors in Viet Nam.

The projects are implemented in sectors such as manufacturing, communications and real estate business. The largest project, worth 40.1 million USD, is in the manufacturing industry in Binh Duong Province. In Ha Noi, there are 10 projects, with a total investment of 8.59 million USD. The remaining projects are in other localities such as: Thanh Hoa, Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Thap.

Education and training cooperation is a bright spot in Viet Nam-Hungary relations. Hungary has helped Viet Nam train over 4,000 specialists at university and postgraduate levels. It is currently also the largest provider of scholarships to Viet Nam in Central and Eastern Europe, with 200 per year. The community of approximately 6,000 Vietnamese people in Hungary integrates well and is positively evaluated by local authorities, serving as an important bridge promoting understanding, friendship, and solidarity between the two peoples.

The official visit to Viet Nam by the Hungarian President and his spouse clearly demonstrates Viet Nam's foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation, and diversification. It also contributes to deepening Viet Nam’s relations with its partners, especially traditional friends like Hungary. This is also evidence of Viet Nam's consistent policy of attaching importance to and promoting the comprehensive partnership with Hungary.

The focus of the visit is on strengthening cooperation in trade, investment, education and training, defence and security, culture, sports, tourism, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and environment; while also expanding into new fields such as renewable energy, nuclear energy, labour, information technology, digital transformation, and green transformation.

May Hungarian President Sulyok Tamas and his spouse’s official to Viet Nam be a great success, marking a new milestone in the 75-year history of bilateral relations and contributing to opening an even more brilliant new chapter for the traditional friendship and comprehensive partnership between Viet Nam and Hungary.