Full Breakdown
EU-Vietnam Deepening Ties Amid Trade Gains and Human-Rights Scrutiny
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event: To Lam’s October 2026 EU Visit
On 22 October 2026, Vietnam’s Communist Party General Secretary and President To Lam arrived in Brussels for an official visit to the European Union (EU) and Belgium. He met European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President António Costa, and European Commission Vice-President Kaja Kallas.
Background & Context
The Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) entered into force on 1 August 2020, eliminating tariffs on most goods and expanding market access. In January 2026, the EU and Vietnam upgraded relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the first such framework for a Southeast Asian country. The partnership builds on the 2012 Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation (effective 2016) and underpins cooperation in trade, investment, science, technology, green transition, and security.
Data & Statistics
- Bilateral goods-trade reached €76 billion in 2025, up from roughly €24 billion in 2019.
- The EU’s goods-trade deficit with Vietnam stood at €51.7 billion in 2025.
- EU investment in Vietnam exceeds US$38.4 billion, ranking Vietnam sixth among the EU’s global investment destinations.
- Vietnam’s exports to the EU in 2025 totaled US$56.2 billion, while EU imports from Vietnam were US$14.7 billion.
- The EVIPA has been ratified by Germany (Feb 2024) and Poland (Apr 2024) but remains pending in France, the Netherlands, and several other member states.
Official Statements & Responses
Kaja Kallas discussed expanding security cooperation, especially in maritime safety and cybersecurity.
Verbatim Quotes
- “We have also seen an uptick in investments by European businesses in Vietnam, despite the lack of an Investment Protection Agreement being in place,” — Chris Humphrey, executive director of the EU-ASEAN Business Council
- “The Vietnamese government has broken its pledges of reform and continues to crack down on basic freedoms,” — Patricia Gossman, senior associate Asia director at Human Rights Watch
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- While the joint EU-Vietnam statement affirms a commitment to human-rights dialogue, HRW’s assessment indicates that concrete improvements have not materialised, revealing a gap between diplomatic rhetoric and on-the-ground practice.
- The EVIPA’s ratification status remains uneven: Germany and Poland have completed ratification, but several major economies have not, leaving the agreement’s legal effect uncertain.
What’s Next
- Accelerated ratification of the EVIPA by all EU member states is a stated priority in the joint statement.
- The EU-Vietnam special task force on EVFTA implementation will continue to monitor compliance with labour and environmental standards.
- Ongoing high-level meetings, including the annual Vietnam-EU Joint Committee, are expected to address trade-balance concerns and expand cooperation on critical raw materials, green transition, and digital technologies.
The October 2026 visit thus marks a pivotal moment: it consolidates expanding economic ties while exposing persistent tensions over human-rights obligations, setting the agenda for the next phase of EU-Vietnam engagement.