(Jan 28): Vietnam and the European Union are expected to announce a comprehensive strategic partnership as European Council president Antonio Costa begins his official visit to the Southeast Asian nation on Thursday. An upgrade in relations between the EU and Vietnam to a comprehensive strategic partnership would “send a powerful signal in an unsettled world — that the EU and Vietnam are choosing long-term cooperation over short-term hedging,” Costa said in an editorial. “The geopolitical situation is quite critical,” Julien Guerrier, EU ambassador to Vietnam, told reporters in Hanoi on Monday. Vietnam and the EU have also established a Defence and Security Dialogue mechanism. Closer diplomatic ties “would provide a stronger platform to deepen cooperation in areas that matter most: green energy, advanced technologies, skills and security,” Costa wrote.

Source: The Edge Markets January 28, 2026 08:05 UTC