Diplomatic relations between Finland and Vietnam were established on the 25th of January, 1973. Thus this Thursday 25th January, 2018 marks the 45th anniversary of Finland-Vietnam diplomatic relations.
To commemorate the occasion, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of both countries exchanged congratulatory letters. A ceremony for the anniversary year was also organized by the Vietnam-Finland Friendship Association in Hai Phong City on 17th January 2018 with the participation of the city leaders, Friendship Association members and representatives of Embassy of Finland.
The embassy will celebrate the day with a can-do attitude at work while announcing that the anniversary will be celebrated with a number of events throughout the year in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
The anniversary is also good opportunity to look back on what Finland and Vietnam have achieved together as well as identify areas for stronger future co-operation. Vietnam and Finland are enjoying good bilateral relations and growing ties in political and international issues, trade and investments as well as cultural exchange.
In 1973, the Government of Finland made the decision to include Vietnam on the list of long-term partner countries of the Finnish development co-operation. This decision soon materialized into concrete action and between 1973 and 2015 Finland has contributed approximately 470 million euros of official development assistance (ODA) to Vietnam.
During the last four decades, Finland has made an effective contribution to the socio-economic development in Vietnam. The bilateral development cooperation will come to an end in 2018, with success stories seen in forest sector, innovations and water and energy, to name a few.
In recent years, the economic and trade relations between the two sides have grown and there are also increased interests from Finnish enterprises expecting to invest or do business in Vietnam. The direct bilateral grant aid will end and the two countries will this year take steps towards a more equal partnership, an important step for both sides in a globalized economy.
45 years of co-operation has laid a firm foundation for the further development and expansion of the relations between our two countries.