NA Chairman begins official visit to UK

National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vương Đình Huệ arrived at Heathrow Airport in London on Tuesday afternoon, beginning his official visit to the UK. — VNA/VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

LONDON — National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vương Đình Huệ arrived at Heathrow Airport in London on Tuesday (UK time), beginning his three-day official visit to the UK at the invitations of Speaker of the UK House of Lords John McFall and Speaker of the House of Commons of the UK Lindsay Hoyle.

The visit aims to maintain and deepen the cooperative relations between the two countries and affirm the importance Việt Nam attaches to the Việt Nam – UK Strategic Partnership.

Through meetings and working sessions with the UK’s authorities, businesses and the Vietnamese community in the UK, Việt Nam expects to attract more resources for its post-pandemic socio-economic development.

During his visit, NA Chairman Huệ will hold talks with McFall and Hoyle, and have meetings with other high-ranking officials of the UK government and parliament; and representatives from the business community and major economic, finance and education corporations.

The visit is expected to contribute to further strengthening the Việt Nam-UK Strategic Partnership in various fields and at all levels, promoting cooperation between the two countries’ legislative bodies; and expanding cooperation in potential fields such economy, trade – investment, finance – banking, health care, education – training, defence – security, climate change adaptation, aviation, pharmaceuticals, and renewable energy in line with the Joint Declaration on the Việt Nam- UK Strategic Partnership.

The focus of the visit is to promote bilateral economic and trade cooperation, and speed up the development of legal policies for economic cooperation between the two countries through the parliamentary channel, towards effectively implementing the UK-Việt Nam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA).

A seminar on educational cooperation will be held with the participation of representatives from leading universities, corporations and educational organisations of both sides to seek ways for further strengthening cooperation in education and training between the two countries.

National Assembly Chairman Vương Đình Huệ had a meeting with officials and staff from the Vietnamese Embassy, and representatives of the Vietnamese community in the UK in London on Tuesday. — VNA/VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

After his arrival, the Vietnamese top legislator had a meeting with officials and staff from the Vietnamese Embassy, and representatives of the Vietnamese community in the UK.

He suggested Vietnamese associations and organisations in the UK continue to play an important role in building an increasingly stable and developing community, becoming a solid bridge for the Việt Nam-UK strategic partnership.

The legislator expressed his hope that the network of Vietnamese experts and intellectuals in the UK will continue to closely connect with the homeland, contributing valuable knowledge and human resources to the country.

Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK Nguyễn Hoàng Long said that there are currently about 80,000 Vietnamese people living, working and studying in the UK. In the past 2 years, the overseas Vietnamese communities in the UK have actively contributed to Việt Nam’s COVID-19 prevention and control efforts, with donation of more than $3.5 million in 2021 alone.

Middlesex University professor, Chairman of Việt Nam Intellectuals Association Nguyễn Xuân Huấn shared that intellectuals living in other countries and in the UK all want to contribute and dedicate themselves to their homeland, and expects to have a channel to bring the skills and knowledge of overseas Vietnamese experts and intellectuals to the home country. — VNS