President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi announced that Egypt and Vietnam have agreed to upgrade their long-standing bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, with a strong focus on economic and trade cooperation.
The announcement came during a joint press conference with Vietnamese President Võ Văn Thưởng at Cairo’s Ittihadiya Palace, marking a major step forward in relations between the two nations.
President El-Sisi noted that the Vietnamese president’s visit to Egypt is the culmination of recent efforts to deepen cooperation across key sectors, emphasizing that ties between the two countries have always been marked by close coordination and mutual understanding on both regional and international issues.
“Our discussions today focused on elevating cooperation in vital areas such as agriculture, manufacturing, trade, and investment, based on joint government and private sector efforts,” El-Sisi stated.
Both leaders emphasized the need to increase trade volume and enhance investment flows, agreeing to target $1 billion in bilateral trade in the coming period. They also discussed opening markets for agricultural products and strengthening cooperation in infrastructure, information technology, digital transformation, aquaculture, textiles, pharmaceuticals, fertilizers, food products, renewable energy, and electric vehicles.
Two Memorandums of Understanding were signed during the visit. The first, in the field of economic development, was signed by Egypt’s Minister of Planning and Economic Development Rania Al-Mashat and the Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade. The second, in local development, was signed by Egypt’s Minister of Local Development Manal Awad and Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs.
President Võ Văn Thưởng emphasized the importance of continuing political dialogue, promoting high-level exchanges, and enhancing existing cooperation mechanisms. He also proposed the formation of specialized subcommittees to focus on areas of mutual interest.
Tourism, cultural exchange, and education also featured in the discussions, with both sides agreeing to promote tourism and support Vietnamese students through scholarships provided by Egypt’s Ministry of Higher Education and Al-Azhar.
President El-Sisi added that Egypt can serve as a gateway for Vietnam to the Middle East and Africa through its network of free trade agreements, while Vietnam can similarly open up Southeast Asian markets for Egypt.
The visit signals a new chapter in Egypt-Vietnam relations, grounded in shared prosperity and strengthened by strategic economic alignment.
