June 28, 2024

Vietnam and Ireland sign MoU to boost diplomatic and trade cooperation

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Do Thanh Trung and Ireland's Minister of State Martin Heydon signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance diplomatic and trade cooperation between the two nations, Vietnam News reported.

Deputy Minister Trung, accompanied by several officials, participated in a study tour under the Ireland-Vietnam Agrifood Partnership (IVAP) programme. This programme, managed and implemented by Sustainable Food Systems Ireland (SFSI) and funded by the Embassy of Ireland, aims to support Vietnam in transforming its agri-food system. Key focus areas include sustainable primary production systems, food safety, innovation, and quality.

The visit emphasised knowledge exchange in enterprise and cooperative development as well as agri-food innovation.

Minister Heydon, speaking at the signing ceremony, stated, "We continue to pioneer improvements in agriculture in Ireland. There are lessons we have learned from transforming our agri-food systems that can be adapted to the environmental and economic challenges faced by agriculture in countries such as Vietnam."

He added, "As an EU member state, Ireland is keen to work with Vietnam to ensure that both of our countries can continue to benefit mutually from the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement. Agri-food trade between Ireland and Vietnam continues to grow, and it is a priority market for Irish beef access."

A Government of Ireland Trade Mission to Vietnam is planned for October 2024, including visits to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, with involvement from Bord Bia, Enterprise Ireland, SFSI, and DAFM.

During the week, the delegation also visited Bord Bia, NovaUCD, the Irish Cooperative Organisation Society, Tirlan, and Teagasc Moorepark. The visit is part of an ongoing programme of skills development and research under the IVAP programme.

-      Vietnam news