In particular, Halla-aho and his counterpart from the Vietnamese National Assembly, Vuong Dinh Hue, will address the strengthening of economic, trade and investment collaboration, as announced by a senior functionary of the Vietnamese Legislature.

One of the fundamental purposes of the talks between both parliamentarians will be to find ways to increase the value of bilateral trade, which last year reached almost 380 million dollars, a modest figure if one considers that the Free Trade Agreement between Vietnam and the European Union came into force from 2020.

Both sides will also discuss possible solutions to promote investment and attract more Finnish companies to Vietnam, especially in sectors such as high technology, digital transformation, education, and component production, as announced to the VNA news agency by the vice president of the Foreign Relations Commission of the National Assembly, Don Tuan Phong.

The two nations are hoping to strengthen their collaboration in the education sector since about 2,500 Vietnamese are currently studying in Finland.

The Finnish functionary arrived in Vietnam on Sunday for a three-day official visit, which is seen as the special position Vietnam occupies in Finland’s foreign policy. Halla-aho’s visit is also part of the context of the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations (1973-2023).

According to Tuan Phong himself, Finland has continuously provided non-refundable aid to Vietnam since the two countries established diplomatic ties.

Regarding investment, Phong pointed out that Finland currently ranks 58th among 140 countries and territories investing in Vietnam, with 35 valid projects worth more than 47 million dollars, which is also still a modest rate compared to the economic potential and strengths of the country.

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