The second Session of the Vietnam-Armenia Intergovernmental committee and Rela

On May 15, 2026, in Armenia, Deputy Minister Phan Thi Thang and Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Mnatsakan Safaryan co-chaired the plenary session of the second meeting of the Vietnam – Armenia Intergovernmental Committee on Economic, Trade, and Scientific-Technical Cooperation.

The Vietnamese delegation included representatives from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Finance, and Health; leaders of several units under the Ministry of Industry and Trade; the Vietnamese Trade Counsellor in Russia concurrently accredited to Armenia. 

The Armenian side included the Deputy Minister of High-Tech Industry, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Armenia to Vietnam, and representatives from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Economy, Finance, High-Tech Industry, Health, Education, Science, Culture and Sports, and Internal Affairs.

The second session of the Vietnam-Armenia Intergovernmental Committee took place nine years after the first meeting held in 2017. Both sides assessed that the second session plays a particularly important role in opening up cooperation opportunities in trade, investment, economy, construction, healthcare, and many other fields of mutual interest.

In his opening remarks, Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Mnatsakan Safaryan stated that political and diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Armenia have developed very positively and hold strong prospects for the future. He emphasized that the bilateral intergovernmental cooperation mechanism and the Free Trade Agreement between Vietnam and the Eurasian Economic Union (VN-EAEU FTA), of which Armenia is a member, will serve as an important foundation for the two countries to promote comprehensive cooperation and achieve broader goals set by their governments and peoples.

Deputy Minister Phan Thi Thang expressed sincere appreciation for the thoughtful preparations and warm hospitality extended by the Armenian side to the Vietnamese delegation. She noted that ahead of the meeting, the Vietnamese government delegation had held meetings and working sessions with Armenian agencies, leaving the delegation with highly favorable impressions of Armenia’s people, investment environment, and development potential.

During the session, both sides conducted a comprehensive review of the implementation of bilateral cooperation activities in recent years. Against the backdrop of steadily developing political and diplomatic ties, bilateral trade turnover between 2021 and 2025 increased more than 50-fold, from USD 11 million in 2021 to USD 564 million in 2025. 

In particular, the VN-EAEU FTA, signed on May 29, 2015 and entering into force on October 5, 2016, has created strong momentum for trade cooperation between Vietnam and the Eurasian Economic Union in general, and between Vietnam and Armenia in particular.

However, both sides acknowledged that bilateral economic and trade cooperation, despite positive progress, still falls short of the countries’ potential, needs, and strong bilateral relations. Bilateral trade currently accounts for only 1.6% of Armenia’s total import-export turnover and 0.06% of Vietnam’s. The main reasons include limited mutual understanding among businesses and high transportation and logistics costs. Both sides agreed that, for Vietnam, Armenia is not merely a market of three million people but also a gateway to the EAEU market and neighboring countries. For Armenia, Vietnam serves as a gateway for Armenian enterprises to access ASEAN markets and other markets linked through Vietnam’s free trade agreements.

In addition to traditional areas of cooperation, the two sides exchanged views on new cooperation orientations in fields of mutual interest, including industry, agriculture, transport, defense, science, information technology, healthcare, culture, sports, tourism, education, and training. Notably, the two sides also discussed emerging areas aligned with global trends aimed at enhancing national competitiveness and integration into global supply chains, such as artificial intelligence and innovation. Expanding the scope of bilateral cooperation, they noted, would help boost the economic scale of both countries while contributing to a more balanced trade relationship.

At the session, Deputy Minister Phan Thi Thang proposed that the two sides align cooperation orientations by leveraging one side’s strengths and the other’s needs and aspirations, focusing on several key areas.

First, both sides should promote exchanges of delegations at all levels to strengthen connectivity and support businesses in sectors where the two economies have complementary strengths.

Second, the two countries should continue coordinating closely to effectively implement the VN-EAEU FTA and address obstacles arising during the agreement’s implementation in order to maximize its benefits.

Third, the two sides should facilitate market access for key agricultural products of both countries.

Fourth, cooperation in science and technology should be enhanced, particularly in information technology, innovation, digital transformation, and artificial intelligence, sectors where Armenia has strengths and Vietnam has strong development demand. The Vietnamese side also expressed strong interest in cooperating to establish innovation technology centers in Vietnam based on Armenia’s renowned TUMO Center for Creative Technologies model.

Fifth, in education and training, a traditional and effective area of cooperation between the two countries for many years, both sides expressed interest in effectively implementing the education cooperation agreement signed in 2019, considering the signing of an agreement on mutual recognition of diplomas, and strengthening exchanges of lecturers and students.

Sixth, the two countries should intensify the organization of cultural and artistic activities on the occasion of major national celebrations in order to strengthen people-to-people exchanges.

At the conclusion of the session, Deputy Minister Phan Thi Thang and Deputy Foreign Minister Mnatsakan Safaryan signed the minutes of the second session of the Vietnam-Armenia Intergovernmental Committee on Economic, Trade, and Scientific-Technical Cooperation in the presence of representatives from ministries and agencies of both countries, as well as Armenian media organizations.

Earlier, on May 14, 2026, Deputy Minister Phan Thi Thang held meetings with Babken Tunyan and Arman Khojoyan.

During the meetings, both sides assessed that Vietnam – Armenia relations have recorded positive developments since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1992. The two countries have built a relationship of political trust through exchanges and high-level visits, notably the official visit to Vietnam by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in 2019, the official visit to Vietnam by Armenian National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan in November 2024, and the visit to Armenia by Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly Tran Thanh Man in April 2025. These visits were seen as clear evidence of the determination of the two countries’ senior leaders to elevate bilateral relations to a new level. The two countries have also maintained close coordination and mutual support at international forums.

Leaders of Armenian agencies and ministries affirmed their commitment to actively coordinating and supporting the implementation of measures aimed at enhancing economic, trade, investment, and scientific-technical cooperation in a practical and effective manner, commensurate with the longstanding traditional friendship between the two countries.