(Source: Ministry of Industry and Trade) On July 11, 2025, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Minister Nguyen Hong Dien held a meeting with Mr. Lukáš Vlček, Minister of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic, and the accompanying Czech business delegation visiting Vietnam.

During the meeting, both sides discussed the general situation of economic, trade, and investment cooperation between Vietnam and the Czech Republic. Minister Nguyen Hong Dien stated that Vietnam and the Czech Republic share a traditional and close friendship spanning many decades. Notably, in January 2025, Vietnam and the Czech Republic elevated their relationship to a Strategic Partnership, indicating significant potential for cooperation between the two countries.

Regarding bilateral economic and trade cooperation, Minister Nguyen Hong Dien noted that it remains modest and not commensurate with the potential of both nations. Specifically, bilateral trade turnover accounts for only a small proportion of the total foreign trade of both Vietnam and the Czech Republic, the structure of goods traded between the two countries is narrow, and direct investment in each other's territories remains low.

Vietnam's main export items to the Czech Republic are still traditional goods such as footwear, garments, seafood, industrial machinery, machine parts, and electrical equipment. Key import items from the Czech Republic include machinery, equipment, tools, other parts, and iron and steel products. Furthermore, the continuously improving business and investment environment in Vietnam will serve as a favorable foundation for both sides to jointly research and find solutions to strengthen investment cooperation in the industrial and energy sectors.

Minister Nguyen Hong Dien welcomed the significant investment projects in Vietnam by Czech groups such as Skoda and Sev.en. These projects not only contribute to enhancing production capacity but also create thousands of direct and indirect jobs for local people and promote the development of related supporting industries.

The two Ministers agreed on several specific solutions within cooperation mechanisms to promote economic and trade relations between Vietnam and the Czech Republic in the coming period. These include leveraging the: (i) Vietnam-Czech Republic Intergovernmental Committee on Economic Cooperation; (ii) Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA); and (iii) Vietnam-EU Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA). At the same time, the Minister also proposed that the two sides could discuss further cooperation directions as follows:

Firstly, Vietnam and the Czech Republic are two complementary economies. Vietnam is strong in agriculture, seafood, textiles, footwear, wood products, electronics, and consumer goods. Vietnam boasts a large domestic market with nearly 100 million people, a young population, rapid urbanization, a growing middle class, increasing income and purchasing power, and consistent double-digit growth in domestic consumption.

Conversely, the Czech Republic is a nation with a developed industrial base, boasting many world-renowned products and brands in mechanical engineering, machinery, automobiles, trucks, locomotives, marine engines, defense equipment, and various high-quality consumer products that Vietnam has a strong demand for. Therefore, both sides need to enhance support for businesses to grasp market information, participate in trade fairs and exhibitions, and organize trade promotion activities to effectively connect the business communities of both countries.

Secondly, both sides need to explore and promote mutual investment. Minister Nguyen Hong Dien suggested that the Czech Republic, through investment cooperation, support Vietnam in developing supporting industries and foundational industries such as mechanical engineering, processing and manufacturing, new materials, metallurgy, and chemicals.

Thirdly, in line with the trend of green development and energy transition, Czech businesses can strengthen cooperation with Vietnamese enterprises.

For his part, the Minister of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic, Mr. Lukáš Vlček, agreed with Minister Nguyen Hong Dien's remarks, emphasizing that Vietnam is both a friend and an important partner of the Czech Republic. Therefore, the Czech side wishes for the two countries to further strengthen cooperation in trade, industry, and investment.

Since 2013, the Czech government has officially recognized Vietnamese people in the Czech Republic as an ethnic minority. This community (approximately 65,000 people) actively contributes to the Vietnam-Czech friendship and serves as a highly effective bridge for the business communities of both countries. In the coming time, the Czech Republic will continue to create all conditions for the Vietnamese-Czech community to do business and develop in both countries.

On this occasion, the Minister of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic extended an invitation to Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien to visit and work in the Czech Republic as soon as possible.