Ireland has signed a memorandum of understanding for enhanced cooperation with Vietnam’s Ministry of Planning and Investment.
The agreement was signed on behalf of Ireland by Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon, whose remit includes new market development, although the agreement does not directly pertain to Irish market access to Vietnam.
On the Vietnamese side, the agreement was signed by Vice Minister Do Thanh Trung, who was in Ireland on a study tour this week.
The visit of the Vietnamese delegation formed part of the Ireland-Vietnam Agrifood Partnership (IVAP) programme, which is managed and implemented by Sustainable Food Systems Ireland (SFSI) and funded by the Irish embassy in Vietnam.
The agreement underscores a strengthening diplomatic and trade relationship between Ireland and Vietnam, the department said.
The IVAP aims to support Vietnam to “transform” its agri-food system in the areas of sustainable primary production systems, food safety, innovation, and quality.
The Vietnamese visit was focusing on knowledge exchange in enterprise, cooperative development and agri-food innovation.
During the week, the delegation from the south-east Asian country also visited Bord Bia, the Irish Cooperative Organisation Society (ICOS), Tirlán and Teagasc Moorepark.
The visit from the Vietnamese government side was part of an ongoing programme of skills development and research under the IVAP programme.
Commenting on the agreement, Minister Heydon said: “We continue to pioneer improvements in agriculture in Ireland. There are lessons we have learned from transforming our own agri-food systems that can be adapted to the environmental and economic challenges faced by agriculture in countries such as Vietnam.
“As an EU member state, Ireland is keen to work with Vietnam to ensure that both of our countries can continue to benefit mutually from the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement,” he added.
“Agri-food trade between Ireland and Vietnam continues to grow and it is a priority market for Irish beef access.”
Minister Heydon said that an Irish trade mission to Vietnam is planned for October 2024 to include Hanoi (its capital) and Ho Chi Minh City (its largest city) with involvement from Bord Bia, Enterprise Ireland, the SFSI and the department.