THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIET NAM
Government News
To Lam accorded official welcome ceremony in Brussels
VGP - Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever hosted an official welcome ceremony for General Secretary and President To Lam at Egmont Palace in Brussels on October 23 (local time).
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever (R) hosts an official welcome ceremony for General Secretary and President To Lam at Egmont Palace, Brussels, October 23 (local time), 2026 - Photo: VNA
Following the ceremony, the two leaders held a summit meeting to review bilateral cooperation and chart major orientations for advancing Viet Nam-Belgium relations.
More than five decades after establishing diplomatic relations in 1973, Viet Nam and Belgium have continuously strengthened their friendship and expanded cooperation across various fields.
As an active supporter of the EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), Belgium remains an important partner in helping Vietnamese goods access the European market.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Belgium is Viet Nam's sixth-largest trading partner, fifth-largest export market and seventh-largest import market within the EU.
Viet Nam, meanwhile, is Belgium's largest trading partner in ASEAN. Bilateral trade averaged US$3.44 billion annually between 2015 and 2025.
In the first eight months of 2026, bilateral trade volume increased by 4.7 percent year-on-year to US$3.1 billion. Viet Nam's exports reached US$2.7 billion, up 10.4 percent, while imports fell 22.3 percent to US$398.8 million.
The Viet Nam–Belgium partnership is entering a new phase of strategic significance, with considerable untapped potential for cooperation in renewable energy, green technology, logistics, agriculture, innovation and multilateral diplomacy, Belgian Ambassador to Viet Nam Pieter Leenknegt said.
He stated that the Vietnamese leader's visit is not only an opportunity to recognise past achievements but also to establish an ambitious agenda for the future./.