75 years of bilateral relations, from the slogan “We are with you, Vietnam” to a growing Comprehensive Partnership

This year, 2025, will see the two countries organise many activities to celebrate the 75th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations. The President and Speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary are expected to visit Vietnam. On the Vietnamese side, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son will visit Hungary. Many delegations at the level of Deputy Ministers from ministries, branches and localities of Vietnam are scheduled to visit Hungary and the Embassy of Vietnam in Hungary plans to organise many celebrations.

The embassy in Budapest anticipates that these activities will further strengthen political trust, mutual understanding and exchanges between the people of the two countries, creating new, positive and more effective steps for the bilateral partnership.The embassy says the relationship is built on a foundation of deep political trust, empathy, sincere sentiment and mutual understanding, which have been maintained and nurtured throughout the past period of struggle for national liberation and reunification of Vietnam and in the current period of renovation and national construction.

Hungary has provided significant and valuable aid to North Vietnam through donations that help train many military students, experts, engineers and doctors who later have become leading experts in relevant industries.

During Vietnam’s struggle for reunification, Hungary continued to offer support by practical actions such as supportive articles, telegrams of sympathy, marches and demonstrations against the war, calling for peace. The slogan “We are with you, Vietnam” was popular in political life in Hungary at that time and remains in the memories of many Hungarians and Vietnamese people today.

The Party, State and citizens remember and are grateful for this valuable and effective help from Hungary. Currently, despite the geographical distance and changes in the world, Vietnam values and wishes to further develop this traditional friendship.

When the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Nguyen Phu Trong, visited Hungary in 2018, a Joint Declaration to upgrade bilateral relations to Comprehensive Partnership was declared, making Hungary the first Central Eastern European country to have such a partnership with Vietnam.

Since then, other high-level visits have enhanced political trust and mutual understanding, with many cooperation documents in various fields. Notably, the Communist Party and Fidesz signed a Memorandum of Understanding on strengthening cooperation between them in 2017.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s official visit to Hungary in early 2024 created a strong spillover effect at all levels and sectors of both countries, forming a new momentum to promote cooperative relations in all fields. Since then, two-way trade has grown, with Vietnam continuing to be Hungary’s leading trading partner in ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Two-way trade turnover in 2024 reached USD 932 million. Hungary’s foreign direct investment into Vietnam recorded USD 72.36 million, ranking 54th out of 147 countries and territories investing in the Asian nation.

Vietnam has invested in Hungary in two projects with a total capital of USD 5.8 million and currently is applying for an investment licence for a project in Hungary worth more than USD 80 million.

Cooperation in education and training continues to be a bright spot. Every year, Hungary provides up to 200 Stipendium Hungaricum scholarships to Vietnamese students, and many Vietnamese pursue their study in Hungary as self-funded students. Other fields of cooperation such as culture, sports and tourism, justice, agriculture, health, natural resources and environment have positive developments.

Vietnam-Hungary relations have gone through a history of 75 years of friendship, cooperation and development. The two countries always share aspirations for peace and progress, mutual support and close coordination in international forums, especially at the United Nations, and have now become comprehensive partners of each other.