Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong's itinerary for his official visit to Austria and Europe.

WAJ. On the evening of July 23rd, President Vo Van Thuong, accompanied by his spouse, Mrs. Phan Thi Thanh Tam, and a distinguished high-level delegation, commenced an official visit to the Republic of Austria. This historic visit represents the first occasion in the past 15 years that a President of Vietnam has undertaken such a diplomatic mission to Austria.

President of Austria, Alexander Van der Bellen, and First Lady host an official ceremony at the state level to welcome Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong, First Lady, and the high-level delegation from Vietnam (Photo: WAJ)

On Monday morning, July 24th (Vienna time), at the Hofburg Palace/Presidential Palace, President of Austria Alexander Van der Bellen and his spouse extended a formal welcome to President of Vietnam Vo Van Thuong, accompanied by Mrs. Phan Thị Thanh Tâm, and a distinguished high-level delegation, in accordance with the diplomatic protocol of the Austrian State. Following that, two parties engaged in a dialogue, exchanging information on the current state of affairs in their respective countries while also exploring areas for cooperation and methods to further strengthen the two nations' longstanding and amiable historic relationship.

Austrian President, Alexander Van der Bellen and Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong were at press conference. (Photo: WAJ)

After the meeting, the two heads of state witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Austria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Both parties held a joint press conference at the Hofburg Palace at approximately 12:00 PM to announce the outcomes of the discussions: Over the past 50 years, substantial and effective collaborative initiatives across various domains have been pursued, and a commitment was reaffirmed to further nurture and develop the already flourishing friendship in the years to come. While each party has different perspectives on the situation between Russia and Ukraine, they are unified in supporting the norms of international law and trying to keep the region and the globe at peace.

In the same morning, President Vo Van Thuong, and his wife met with Mayor of Vienna, Michael Ludwig, and wrote on commemorative golden books. The President of Vietnam expressed a desire to strengthen ties and collaboration between the capital city of Hanoi and various localities throughout Vietnam and the city of Vienna, particularly in areas of expertise such as tourism, cultural arts, urban management, preservation and restoration of historical sites, and environmental protection.

At 3:00 PM on the same day, Claudia Arpa, President of the Austrian Federal Council, also extended a formal reception to President of Vietnam, Vo Van Thuong, and the high-level delegation.  Both sides agreed to maintain their coordination and mutual support at various multilateral forums and international parliamentary cooperation platforms, thereby helping to the development and maintenance of collective peace in the area and around the world.

President of the Federal Council of Austria Claudia Arpa welcomed President Vo Van Thuong and the Vietnamese high - level delegation — (Photo: WAJ) 

As part of the visit to Austria, President Vo Van Thuong and the high-level delegation met with Najat Mokhtar, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); met with Hans Peter Doskozil, Governor of the State of Burgenland, and visited the Burgenland region (on the morning of July 25th, local time); and engaged with the Vietnamese Community in Austria.

After the visit to Austria, President Vo Van Thuong continued to lead the high-level delegation on an official visit to Italy and the Vatican, from July 25th to 28th.