Czech Senate President highlights deep-rooted ties, urges stronger business cooperation with Việt Nam

Czech Senate President highlights deep-rooted ties, urges stronger business cooperation with Việt Nam

The Senate President reaffirmed government support for deeper partnership but said businesses must drive the partnership and seize opportunities for mutual benefit.

At the meeting. — VNA/VNS Photo

President of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic Milos Vystrcil on Thursday met with Czech and Vietnamese enterprises in Hà Nội as part of his official visit to Việt Nam.

The event was organised by the Czech Embassy in Hà Nội, in coordination with the Czech Chamber of Commerce and CzechTrade. It took place at a time when the two countries are celebrating the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

Speaking at the meeting, Vystrcil emphasised the closeness of the bilateral ties despite geographical distance, describing the Czech Republic as the “heart of Europe” and noting that although Việt Nam and the Czech Republic are 8,800km apart, the two nations are truly very close.

He highlighted three key foundations underpinning this special relationship: the 75-year history of diplomatic ties since the former Czechoslovakia became the first European country to establish relations with Việt Nam; the presence of more than 300,000 Vietnamese who speak or understand Czech; and a community of around 50,000 people of Vietnamese origin who have become an officially recognised ethnic minority in the Czech Republic. These factors create favourable conditions for expanding economic and business cooperation.

The Senate President reaffirmed that both governments strongly support deeper partnership. However, he stressed that the main driving force must come from businesses themselves, expressing his hope that enterprises from both sides will seize opportunities and generate mutual benefits.

At the meeting. — VNA/VNS Photo

Nguyễn Anh Tuấn, deputy director of the Foreign Investment Agency under the Ministry of Finance, reported that bilateral trade reached US$1.6 billion in the first nine months of 2025.

As of October 2025, the Czech Republic had 46 valid investment projects in Việt Nam with total registered capital of about $91.5 million, ranking 52nd among 153 countries and territories investing in the country.

Tuấn cited the joint venture between Czech automaker Škoda Auto and Việt Nam’s Thanh Cong Group to develop car manufacturing in Quảng Ninh Province as a symbol of the growing partnership.

Despite these positive results, Tuấn noted that cooperation has yet to match its full potential. He identified priority areas for collaboration, including manufacturing and processing technologies, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, high-tech industries, green and clean energy, finance, information technology, telecommunications and tourism.

He affirmed that Việt Nam is pushing ahead with breakthroughs in institutions, infrastructure, and human resources to achieve its goal of becoming a high-income developed nation by 2045. The Southeast Asian country is committed to building a fair, transparent, open, competitive and predictable investment environment, he stressed.

The meeting also featured presentations by Czech companies accompanying the Senate President and a B2B networking session connecting enterprises from both sides. 

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