Hanoi (VNA). Vietnam and Switzerland are celebrating the 55th anniversary of their diplomatic relations, established on October 11, 1971. Cooperation between the two countries has expanded across several fields since they established a Comprehensive Partnership in January 2025.
Switzerland was among the first Western European countries to establish diplomatic ties with Vietnam. Their links date back to the second half of the 19th century, when Swiss trading companies such as Diethelm and Biedermann began operating in Vietnam. Swiss scientist Alexandre Yersin, who conducted research and lived in Vietnam until his death in Nha Trang in 1943, remains a well-known figure in the country. Switzerland also hosted the 1954 Geneva Conference on Indochina, giving the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, its first opportunity to take part in multilateral diplomacy.
Over the past 55 years, political trust has been strengthened through high-level exchanges and regular meetings.
During a meeting with Swiss President Guy Parmelin in New York on September 22, 2026, on the sidelines of the high-level general debate at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam and the Swiss leader agreed to advance the Comprehensive Partnership through concrete cooperation projects.
President Parmelin expressed Switzerland's wish to become an important economic and trade partner of Vietnam and proposed joint research in agriculture, biotechnology, green energy and the digital economy. To Lam called on Switzerland to encourage its businesses to invest more actively in Vietnam, particularly in banking and finance, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and innovation, and to share expertise in fintech, building an international financial centre, digital finance, blockchain and human resources development.
The leaders set a target of raising bilateral trade to more than 2 billion USD by 2030 and agreed to strengthen coordination at multilateral forums.
Economic cooperation gains momentum
Switzerland is an important European trading partner of Vietnam, which is also among Switzerland's leading partners in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Bilateral trade reached 811.2 million USD in 2024 and 1.04 billion USD in 2025, before reaching 716 million USD in the first eight months of 2026.
Negotiations on a free trade agreement between Vietnam and the European Free Trade Association, comprising Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, concluded on July 2, 2026, after 14 years. The agreement is expected to expand trade and investment links and create new opportunities for businesses on both sides.
As of April 2026, Switzerland ranked 20th among 154 countries and territories investing in Vietnam, with more than 200 projects worth over 2 billion USD. Major Swiss companies, including Nestlé, ABB, Roche, Zurich Insurance and Holcim, operate in Vietnam and have generated tens of thousands of jobs.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Switzerland Chau Mai Anh said these results provide a solid basis for the two countries to use their complementary strengths in innovation, digital transformation, sustainable development, finance and human resources training.
Cooperation in education, culture and people-to-people exchanges also supports bilateral ties. Switzerland has contributed to Vietnamese education and training through environmental and management education programmes, as well as postgraduate courses in finance, banking and business administration. The Vietnamese community in Switzerland numbers around 10,000 people.
Various activities have been held this year to mark the 55th anniversary. A celebration during National Assembly Vice President Nguyen Thi Thanh's visit to Switzerland from September 28 to 30 reaffirmed Vietnam's commitment to deepening ties. Traditional friendship and political trust were described as the foundation of the relationship, economic cooperation as its pillar, and science, technology and innovation as drivers of development.
The 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations shows the potential for further cooperation. Vietnam and Switzerland intend to advance shared interests and strengthen their Comprehensive Partnership.
VNA
Sources: VietnamPlus / Vietnam News Agency
