Vietnam, UK Agree on Action Plan for 2011

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Quoc Cuong and British Ambassador to Vietnam Antony Stokes have recently signed the Vietnam - United Kingdom Action Plan for 2011, which sets out a wide range of new initiatives against all seven pillars of the Strategic Partnership.

 

According to the agreement, the two governments will continue to deliver concrete outcomes in traditional areas of work such as education and trade and investment. Some outstanding projects include: the launch of direct flights from Vietnam to London in the second half of this year; the initial operations of the UK - Vietnam International University in Da Nang this year; and, the support from DFID to the Vietnam Anti-corruption Initiative, led by the Government Inspectorate, to help nurture innovative ideas to improve transparency and accountability, thus reducing corruption in Vietnam.

 

Also in 2011, the two sides will speed up joint activities in new and interesting areas such as people-to-people links with a focus on the development of the media, creative industries and the preparations for the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. Besides, the two nations will also sign a memorandum of understanding on defence cooperation.

 

On this occasion, Dr Antony Stokes and Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Le Danh Vinh signed on the agreed Minutes of the UK/Vietnam Joint Economic Trade Committee meeting which took place in London in late November. This event paves the way to deliver the commitments to improve the business environment made by both sides at that meeting. The UK is committed to expanding its trade and investment presence in Vietnam.