Comprehensive Scoring Analysis

The EU agreed to a "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership" with Vietnam, its biggest trading partner in Southeast Asia, d…

But Russia, China and the US have all gotten there first.

Vietnam and the European Union have elevated diplomatic relations as both sides seek secure footing amid global trade a…

The announcement of a "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership" between Brussels and Hanoi last week places the EU side by …

Vietnamese President Luong Cuong described it as a "historical milestone underlining the great achievements that the tw…

Costa pointed out that the new partnership "highlights the importance we attach to the region and to Vietnam's growing …

" "At a moment when the international rules-based order is under threat from multiple sides, we need to start to stand …

International trade: Pivot to Asia?

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The Euro…

EU late to Vietnam's party Costa was welcomed by top Vietnamese politicians after arriving in the country on January 29…

"The European Union is committed to strengthening and deepening its ties with Vietnam," Costa said in a press statement…

" "For 35 years, our partnership has grown in depth and ambition," he added.

The EU's increasingly close relationship with the communist-ruled Vietnam hinges on trade — Vietnam is now the bloc's l…

Bilateral trade surged by roughly 50% between 2019 and 2024 to reach the volume of €67 billion ($79 billion).

The available data for the first 10 months of 2025 indicates even more growth — an 8.

However, it is worth noting that the EU only established its "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership" after its geopolitic…

Other nations, Japan and Singapore, have also beaten Brussels to the punch.

These partnerships are part of a deliberate strategy by Vietnam to diversify and balance its diplomatic ties and avoid …

The US is Hanoi's largest export market, China is a close partner due to both cultural and political ties between the t…

Who's challenging Beijing in the South China Sea?

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video "For the…

This status also opens up more opportunities for regular dialogue and exchange to further strengthen the relationship,"…

Trump pushing EU and Vietnam closer together Analysts who spoke to DW said that Donald Trump administration's disruptiv…

"Both sides have a shared interest in shoring up a rules-based trading system at a moment when Washington is openly dis…

China portrays self as stable trade partner amid tariff war To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider u…

Vietnam's politics still a flashpoint The joint EU-Vietnam statement adopted on Thursday sketches an agenda that goes w…

"The baseline trajectory is stable improvement in trade and investment, because the economic logic is strong and the re…

The main recurring friction point is politics," Giang said.

A lot of this friction is generated by Vietnam's government oppressing critics inside the country.

As part of the EU-Vietnam free trade deal, which entered into force in 2020, Vietnam's government was expected to legal…

However, rights groups and labor experts say genuinely independent unions still do not operate freely, and the ruling C…

The leaked Directive 24, written by the Politburo of the Vietnamese Communist Party in 2023, claimed that "hostile and …

" Bill Hayton, associate fellow at Chatham House's Asia-Pacific Programme, told DW that Vietnam likely thinks that thro…

" "Hanoi must think there will be less pressure from Brussels to increase the space for civil society, for example," he…

Can EU use Vietnam to pressure Russia?

Another major point of contention between Brussels and Hanoi is Vietnam's stance on Russia and the Ukraine invasion.

During his Hanoi visit, Costa acknowledged that the EU and Vietnam don't see eye to eye on Russia's war in Europe, but …

" Vietnam's track record in recent years shows that its leaders are willing to risk irritating the EU in order to prese…

"Will the EU be pressing Vietnam to press Russia to end the fighting in Ukraine?

I'm sure the request will be made, but Vietnam looks likely to sign a contract with Russia to build a new nuclear power…

Is Vietnam set to replace China as the world's factory?

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Vietnam …

In the decade since then, the country has managed to avoid being sucked into the power struggle between the US and Chin…

The latest EU partnership is a major step for both sides, but seems unlikely to pull Vietnam off its non-alignment cour…

Edited by: Darko Janjevic