VIET NAM - SWEDEN RELATIONS
I. DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS
1. Introduction
- Sweden was the first Western country to recognize and establish diplomatic relations with Viet Nam (January 11, 1969). Sweden is also the Western country with the strongest and earliest movement supporting Viet Nam during the war (1965). In October 1968, the National Front for the Liberation of South Viet Nam established an information office in Stockholm.
- In June 1970: Sweden established an Embassy in Hanoi and in July 1970: Viet Nam established its Embassy in Stockholm.
- In September 4, 1982: The Communist Party of Viet Nam officially established relations with the Swedish Social Democratic Party.
- In November 2012, Business Sweden was opened in Hanoi.
Sweden is a Western country that has taken the lead in supporting Viet Nam in implementing the reform process right from the first years in the fields of economy, finance, banking, administration, laws... and actively supported Viet Nam to open relations with international financial and monetary organizations (IMF, WB...).
2. Exchanged visits
Exchange of high-level delegations between the two sides:
- Swedish senior leaders visited Viet nam: Minister of Foreign Affairs Krister Wickman (June 1973), Minister of Foreign Affairs Karin Söder (April 1978), Minister of Social Affairs Karin Söder (March 1981), Prime Minister Carl Bildt (1994), Riskdag Deputy Speaker Birgitta Dahl (October 1995), Deputy Prime Minister Lena Hjelm-Wallén (January 1999), Minister of Culture Marita Ulvskog (June 2000), Minister of Trade Leif Pagrotsky (September 2001), H.M King Carl XVI Gustav and H.M Queen Silvia (February 2004), Prime Minister Göran Persson and Foreign Minister Laila Freivalds (September 2004), Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt (February 2007), Minister for International Cooperation Gunilla Carlsson (April 2007), Deputy Foreign Minister Frank Belfrage (March 2014), Riskdag Speaker Urban Ahlin (April 2015), Prime Minister Stefan Löfven (May 2016), Minister of Foreign Affairs Margot Wallström (Nobember 2017), Crown Princess Victoria Ingrid Alice Desiree (May 2019), Deputy Foreign Minister Robert Rydberg (June 2022).
- Vietnamese senior leaders visited Sweden: Prime Minister Pham Van Dong (1974), Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Nguyen Duy Trinh (1976), Foreign Minister Nguyen Co Thach (1989), Deputy Prime Minister Tran Duc Luong (July 1993), National Assembly Chairman Nong Duc Manh (October 1993), Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet (June 1995), General Secretary Le Kha Phieu (July 1999), Prime Minister Phan Van Khai (September 1999), Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Manh Cam (November 2001), Foreign Minister Nguyen Dy Nien (June 2002), Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan (September 2003 and November 2004), National Assembly Vice Chairman Uong Chu Luu (December 2013), Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh (April 2014), National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan (April 2017), Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (May 2019), Standing Committee of the Secretariat of CPV, Head of the Central Organizing Committee Truong Thi Mai (October 2023).
II. ECONOMIC RELATIONS
Ever since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1969, Sweden has been supporting to Viet Nam. Sweden has made uninterrupted and effective contribution to the national construction and socio-economic development in Viet Nam. The total amount of ODA from Sweden to Viet Nam up to date is over 3 billion USD. Initially, the focus was on humanitarian assistance and infrastructure projects. Over the years the focus has been shifted to supporting the Doi Moi reform process.
According to statistics from the General Department of Viet Nam Customs, in 2022, import-export turnover between Viet Nam and Sweden will reach 1.61 billion USD. Of which, Viet Nam exported to Sweden 1.26 billion USD, an increase of 5.4% and imported from Sweden 353.4 million USD, an increase of 9.9% over the same period in 2021. According to Swedish statistics, the two countries' trade turnover in 2022 has reached 1.9 billion USD.
According to statistics from the Foreign Investment Department under the Ministry of Planning and Investment, Swedish businesses invested nearly 168 million USD in Viet Nam in the first half of 2023, including 5 newly registered projects worth 154,000 USD. 6 million USD. Many famous Swedish companies such as ABB, AstraZeneca, Atlas Copco, Electrolux, Ericsson, IKEA, Oriflame, SKF, Volvo and Tetra Pak are all present in Viet Nam.
III. CULTURAL, EDUCATIONAL AND SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL RELATIONS
Previously, with the support of SIDA (Swedish International Development Agency), cultural, educational and scientific and technological cooperation between the two countries developed strongly. Sweden has helped us train experts, engineers, and PhDs in the fields of forestry, paper, energy (hydropower, thermal power, nuclear energy...), biotechnology, medicine, and journalism. Universities and research institutes of the two countries have established close cooperative relationships in training and exchanging students, graduate students and academics (Hanoi Medical University, Karolinska Institutet, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Stockholm Royal University of Technology, Lund University, Umea University, Malmo Maritime University...), cultural and artistic exchange activities (cinema, painting, ballet, literature...) take place very actively.
IV. VIETNAMESE COMMUNITY IN SWEDEN
According to data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), by the end of 2022, there were 21.874 people of Vietnamese origin immigrating to Sweden, of which 11.910 were women and 9.964 were men. The average number of Vietnamese immigrants to Sweden is 500 - 700 people/year. Vietnamese community ranks 27/39 of the foreign community immigrating to Sweden... In terms of distribution, the Vietnamese people mainly live in the southern and western provinces of Sweden (Skåne, Goteborg) and around the capital Stockholm.
The number of Vietnamese international students in Sweden is not much, only about 116 people (SCB data in 2022), mainly studying natural sciences and engineering, concentrated in a few large universities ( such as Lund, Uppsala, Goteborg, KTH...)./.