Vietnam and Poland announced on October 26 that they would upgrade bilateral relations to a strategic partnership. The joint statement was issued during Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s official visit to Vietnam from October 24 to 26, 2026, at the invitation of Vietnamese Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng.
The two countries established diplomatic relations in 1950. The prime ministers noted the development of friendly and multifaceted cooperation based on trust, equality and mutual respect. They said the new partnership would serve the interests of both countries.
Political relations
Vietnam and Poland agreed to maintain regular contacts at high level and other levels, strengthen political dialogue and develop mutually beneficial initiatives. They welcomed exchanges between the two parliaments, including visits and joint activities by parliamentary friendship groups.
The countries will also strengthen cooperation between local authorities and people-to-people exchanges. They supported cooperation frameworks involving localities, relevant authorities and organisations in accordance with each country’s laws.
Economic and trade cooperation
Economic exchange, trade and investment were identified as pillars of bilateral relations. The two sides said they were ready to reduce non-tariff barriers, including sanitary and phytosanitary requirements, improve customs cooperation and facilitate access for each other’s goods. The next meeting of the Vietnamese-Polish Working Group on Agricultural Cooperation is to be held by April 2027, with meetings planned at least every two years.
Vietnam and Poland affirmed the need to fully and effectively implement the European Union-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement. They will pay particular attention to advanced technologies, industry, agriculture, consumer goods and services.
Security and defence
The two sides agreed to strengthen defence cooperation through exchanges of experience, defence-industry cooperation, trade in defence equipment and training for military personnel. They also agreed to cooperate in multilateral settings, including UN peacekeeping operations.
Vietnam and Poland will expand cooperation against crime, including transnational crime, cyber scams, high-tech crime and drug-related crime, as well as trafficking in precursors and chemicals used to produce synthetic drugs. The statement also covers exchanges of expertise, illegal immigration, human trafficking, money laundering, critical-infrastructure security and information exchange to support information integrity and societal resilience.
Education, science and people-to-people exchanges
The countries agreed to strengthen educational cooperation through new agreements, exchanges among universities and research institutes, contacts between experts and students, and the teaching of Vietnamese and Polish at universities.
Vietnam and Poland will also expand cooperation in science, technology, research, innovation and digital transformation. They highlighted the need for closer cooperation in health and pharmaceuticals, especially between regulatory authorities, to promote joint research and innovation projects effectively and promptly.
The sides said they would create conditions for better mutual understanding and strengthen cooperation between cultural institutions, as well as in sports and tourism under a memorandum of understanding signed by the relevant ministries. They welcomed the start of direct flights between the two countries operated by LOT Polish Airlines.
Vietnam and Poland reaffirmed their commitment to facilitate residence, employment and study for each other’s citizens. They welcomed the conclusion of negotiations on an agreement amending and supplementing the agreement on the transfer and readmission of citizens of both states and stressed the importance of signing it soon.
Regional and global cooperation
Both countries stressed the central role of the United Nations and the importance of an international order based on the UN Charter and international law. They agreed to expand exchanges in regional and multilateral formats and deepen cooperation in EU-Vietnam relations after the upgrade of those relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
The sides also agreed to cooperate within the Poland-ASEAN relationship following Poland’s accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, and within the ASEAN-EU framework. Vietnam welcomed and supported Poland’s efforts to deepen its cooperation and engagement with ASEAN.
Vietnam and Poland called for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine in accordance with international law and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. The statement referred to non-use of force or the threat of force, respect for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states, and the peaceful settlement of disputes.
Both countries reaffirmed their support for the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea as the comprehensive legal framework for activities in the oceans and seas. They supported the peaceful settlement of disputes and opposed any threat or use of force contrary to international law. They also reaffirmed the importance of peace, stability, security, freedom of navigation and overflight, and unimpeded commerce in the South China Sea and worldwide. The two sides supported regional efforts to develop an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in the South China Sea in line with international law, particularly the 1982 Convention.
Implementation
To implement the strategic partnership, Vietnam and Poland agreed on a Joint Action Plan for 2026-2030. Prime Minister Donald Tusk thanked Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng and the Vietnamese people for their hospitality and invited the Vietnamese prime minister to visit Poland.
Sources: VietnamPlus / Vietnam News Agency
