First day of the official visit to Luxembourg of the Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Phạm Minh Chính

The Vietnamese head of government was welcomed by the Prime Minister, Minister of State, Xavier Bettel, at the Place Clairefontaine. After the military honours and the presentation of the delegations, the two counterparts had a bilateral meeting at the Hôtel Saint-Maximin. A working meeting extended to the delegations was also on the agenda. The discussions focused on bilateral relations and relations between the European Union and Vietnam. Exchanges on relations between Luxembourg and Vietnam were marked by a desire on the part of both countries to strengthen their economic ties, among other things in the fields of logistics, green finance, as well as in the field of academia and research. Exchanges of best practices in green growth, sustainable finance and the fight against climate change were also on the agenda. During this meeting, Xavier Bettel emphasised that "the fields of finance and in particular sustainable finance and the green economy offer us countless opportunities for collaboration".

The two Prime Ministers had the opportunity to continue their exchanges during an official lunch hosted by Xavier Bettel in honour of the Vietnamese delegation at the Château de Senningen, which was also attended by the Minister for Family Affairs and Integration, Minister for the Greater Region, Corinne Cahen, the Minister for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, Minister for Tourism, Lex Delles, and the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development, Joëlle Welfring.

In the early afternoon, Phạm Minh Chính had a meeting with the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Fernand Etgen, as well as an exchange with members of the Bureau and members of the Committee on Foreign and European Affairs, Cooperation, Immigration and Asylum.

The Vietnamese delegation also visited the Luxembourg Stock Exchange, where it was introduced to the sustainable finance activities by the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Alain Kinsch, and the Director of International Capital Markets, Arnaud Delestienne.

This was followed by the Vietnam-Luxembourg Business Forum at the Chamber of Commerce, jointly organised by the Chamber of Commerce and the Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in Brussels. Speaking at the forum, Lex Delles stressed that "like the Luxembourg government, the Vietnamese government attaches great importance to the tourism sector, defining it as a key factor for economic development. However, the Vietnamese tourism sector is faced with a lack of skilled labour. I am therefore particularly pleased that a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the Ecole d'hôtellerie et de tourisme du Luxembourg (EHTL) and the Hong Quang Business Consulting Company Limited (HQBC). The Memorandum of Understanding provides for the establishment of a cooperation project to promote vocational training in the field of tourism and hotel management in selected provinces and cities in Vietnam. This agreement is an important step for our mutual relations. I am convinced that Luxembourg and Vietnam will continue to work closely together in the future."

The first day of the visit ended with a dinner hosted by Minister of Finance Yuriko Backes in the "Halle des poches à fonte" in Esch-Belval in honour of the Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Phạm Minh Chính. On the sidelines of the dinner gathering representatives of the financial sector, a cooperation agreement in the field of sustainable finance was signed between the Luxembourg Stock Exchange and the Vietnam Stock Exchange in the presence of the Prime Minister of Vietnam and the Luxembourg Minister of Finance. During the dinner, Yuriko Backes recalled that "relations between our countries have become increasingly stronger in recent years, both in economic and financial terms. Today, sustainable finance represents an opportunity to further strengthen these relations. Thanks to its international financial centre and its expertise in sustainable investment and blended finance, Luxembourg can support Vietnam in its efforts to decarbonise its economy. In this context, I welcome the MoU on sustainable finance that the stock exchanges of Vietnam and Luxembourg have just signed".

On Saturday 10 December, the Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam was received in audience by H.R.H. the Grand Duke at the Grand Ducal Palace.

As part of his official visit to Luxembourg, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and his delegation visited the European Investment Bank (EIB) for a working meeting in the presence of EIB Vice-President Kris Peeters. The meeting was followed by the signing of an MoU between the EIB and Vietnam Electricity (EVN).

Phạm Minh Chính also had the opportunity to meet the Vietnamese community.

Press release by the Ministry of State / the Government's Information and Press Service (SIP)