LONDON — General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Tô Lâm and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation attended the Vietnam–UK Business Roundtable in London on Thursday, as part of their official visit to the UK.

General Secretary Lâm expressed his satisfaction with the flourishing development of the Việt Nam–UK strategic partnership across areas in recent years, noting that economic, trade and investment cooperation remains a bright spot of the bilateral relations.

Việt Nam values UK associations and businesses for supporting its industrialisation and development, the Party chief said, noting UK firms have respected local laws, cared for workers’ welfare and shown strong social and environmental responsibility in their operations.

However, the Party leader noted that economic, trade and investment cooperation between Việt Nam and the UK has yet to match their fruitful political and diplomatic relations, as well as the potential, advantages and huge room for cooperation of each country.

He called on UK companies to further expand their investment and business activities in areas where the UK has expertise and Việt Nam has potential and demand, such as green economy, digital economy, knowledge economy, circular economy, high technology, AI, energy and finance and banking.

The Party chief urged UK businesses to quickly seize opportunities and promptly turn business ideas into concrete projects that benefit both sides, while making full use of bilateral dialogue mechanisms through key points of contact such as the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Vietnamese Embassy.

With “strong determination, far-sighted vision, and great aspirations”, Việt Nam’s goal of “rising in the new era” is not only a task but also a command of the times and a mission of history, requiring the partnership, cooperation, and support of international partners, including the UK, he said.

Việt Nam hopes to continue receiving support and close cooperation of international friends and partners, with foreign investors, especially those from the UK, serving as bridges to promote the country’s development and growth, the Party leader added.

At the roundtable, representatives of outstanding UK businesses highlighted the significance of the event in the context as the two countries upgraded their ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership after more than 50 years of diplomatic relations. They noted that this marks a historic milestone, with bilateral relations having passed through many important stages and achieved positive progress.

They shared candid and insightful views, focusing on measures to foster effective investment cooperation between Việt Nam and the UK in the coming time.

Echoing and broadly agreeing with the views of delegates at the roundtable, General Secretary Lâm stated that alongside negative impacts, global shifts are also creating new trends, opening up many opportunities for Việt Nam.

In this context, Việt Nam is seen as a “safe and attractive destination” due to its political stability, strategic location, strong economic growth, skilled young workforce, investor-friendly policies and an improving business environment, he said.

Việt Nam is improving institutions, reforming laws, and promoting innovation and digital transformation to boost high-quality growth, he said, adding that the private sector will be a key economic driver amid deeper global integration.

In attracting foreign investment, Việt Nam has moved from a “quantity-focused” approach to a “more selective and quality-focused” strategy, prioritising projects that bring advanced, high, or clean technologies, modern management practices, and high added value, while generating strong spillover effects and integrating into global production and supply chains.

The Vietnamese Party chief showed his hope that the UK government and businesses will offer concrete support to promote technology transfer, improve management capacity and establish linkages between foreign-invested enterprises and domestic companies, thereby helping Vietnamese businesses join more deeply in global value chains. — VNA/VNS