By Faith Anisiobi, The Sight News
ABUJA — Nigeria and Vietnam have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations, with emphasis on political and diplomatic engagement, trade, investment and people-to-people exchanges.
The commitment was made when the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Dunoma Umar Ahmed, received the Ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, H.E. Bui Quoc Hung, at the Ministry in Abuja on Thursday.
The meeting was significant as 2026 marks the 50th anniversary of the formalization of diplomatic relations between Nigeria and Vietnam.
Discussions focused on strengthening political and diplomatic cooperation, particularly the establishment and operationalization of an annual political consultation mechanism between the two foreign ministries.
The two sides also underscored the importance of sustaining high-level visits and institutional exchanges to maintain momentum in bilateral relations.
On economic cooperation, the meeting highlighted opportunities to expand trade and investment, building on Vietnam’s position as Nigeria’s third-largest trading partner in Asia, with bilateral trade exceeding US$1 billion in 2025.
Both countries expressed interest in improving market access and promoting trade in key commodities, while encouraging increased Vietnamese investment in Nigeria, particularly in agriculture, manufacturing, processing, mining, renewable energy and textiles.
Ahmed emphasized Nigeria’s interest in attracting investments that would support domestic production, value addition, employment generation and technology transfer.
He encouraged Vietnamese businesses to explore opportunities to process Nigerian raw materials, including cashew nuts, to develop competitive value chains and position Nigeria as a manufacturing and distribution base for the wider African market.
The meeting also reviewed the implementation and conclusion of outstanding bilateral instruments covering agriculture, defence, investment protection, avoidance of double taxation, consular and visa matters, extradition, trade and investment, South-South Triangular Cooperation, and political and diplomatic consultations.
The Permanent Secretary stressed the need for clear timelines and effective follow-up mechanisms to ensure that bilateral agreements and commitments translate into concrete and measurable outcomes
The discussions further identified opportunities for enhanced Nigeria-Vietnam cooperation within the broader Nigeria-ASEAN relationship, including Nigeria’s potential role as a gateway for ASEAN engagement with ECOWAS and the African market.
Vietnam’s position as a bridge between Nigeria and the ASEAN and Asia-Pacific regions was also recognized as an avenue for expanding market access and increasing trade volumes between the two countries.
At the multilateral level, Nigeria and Vietnam reaffirmed shared interests in peace, disarmament, climate change and migration, while underscoring the importance of continued consultation and mutual support on appropriate international candidatures.
They also encouraged stronger engagement between the Chambers of Commerce of both countries to facilitate business-to-business cooperation and deepen trade and investment relations.
The two sides expressed confidence that the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations would provide an important opportunity to consolidate existing partnerships and chart a course towards a higher level of bilateral cooperation.
Both countries reaffirmed their commitment to translating their longstanding diplomatic goodwill into tangible outcomes in trade, investment, agriculture, defence cooperation, political consultations and people-to-people exchanges.
