Southeast Asia Information Port News (www.dnyxxg.com) – On March 3, Le Manh Hung, Acting Minister of Industry and Trade of Vietnam, met with Ioannis Prakgiotakis, First Deputy Speaker of the Greek Parliament, in Hanoi. The two sides reached a consensus on deepening Vietnam-Greece economic and trade cooperation and expanding cooperation areas.
Le Manh Hung expressed his belief that Vietnam-Greece economic and trade cooperation will achieve greater development, noting that Greece, as an EU member state, is an important bridge for deepening and solidifying Vietnam-EU cooperation.
Prakgiotakis pointed out that Greece was one of the first countries to ratify the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), which opened up broad space for cooperation between the two countries. Since the EVFTA came into effect in 2020, bilateral trade between Vietnam and Greece has continued to grow rapidly.
Data shows that by 2025, the total value of Vietnam-Greece trade in goods will reach US$587 million, an increase of 16.42% year-on-year; of which Vietnam's exports will reach US$466 million (an increase of 18.75%), and imports will reach US$122 million (an increase of 8.85%). In January 2026, bilateral trade reached US$52.7 million, a 27.4% increase; Vietnam's exports totaled US$45.3 million (up 25.5%), while imports reached US$7.4 million (up 40.3%).
Praquiottakis stated that Greece considers Vietnam an important economic partner in Southeast Asia and is willing to provide technical and experiential support in areas such as shipping, shipbuilding, and sailor training, while also promoting the two-way opening of agricultural and food markets.
Le Manh Hung agreed, hoping that Greece would transfer shipbuilding and smart port operation technologies to enhance Vietnam's maritime competitiveness; both sides also agreed to deepen agricultural cooperation, with Greece assisting in the technological upgrading of Vietnam's agricultural and food industries. He also urged Greece to urge the European Commission to lift the IUU "yellow card" warning against Vietnamese fisheries as soon as possible.
Praquiottakis expressed support for Vietnam's proposals. Both sides agreed to strengthen mutual visits by delegations at all levels, deepen practical cooperation, and promote Vietnam-Greece economic and trade cooperation to a new level. (End)
