Speech by President of the Republic Tarja Halonen at a banquet in honour of the state visit of President Nguyen Minh Triet of Vietnam in Helsinki on 20 May 2010

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It is a pleasure for me to cordially welcome you, Mr. President, to Finland for this state visit. Your visit brings back fond memories from two years ago, when my husband and I visited your beautiful country. 

You are here among friends. Many Finns - including private individuals, organizations and firms - have worked together with the Vietnamese for a long time. Civic organizations have actively participated in strengthening connections between our countries and peoples. Vietnam became one of Finland's first long-term development cooperation partners, and we have now been working together for four decades.

Our countries' relations have expanded considerably in recent years. Over 5,000 Vietnamese currently live in Finland, and to my knowledge they have integrated into Finnish society very well. Connections between our citizens are increasing constantly as a result of growth in trade and investments. Vietnam is also an interesting holiday destination for a growing number of Finns.

We are both cultural nations. The significance of culture for national identity and creativity has been recognized in both countries. Music is of key importance in our nations' daily lives, and folk music has a respected place.

Our cultural contacts have so far depended on individual artists. Most recently choreographer Jorma Uotinen directed a ballet at the Hanoi Opera. We should consider ways to strengthen our cultural cooperation in future.

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In the course of half a century, Finland has gone through an intense economic restructuring and developed into an industrialized country and then an information society. We have followed with great interest Vietnam's extremely rapid development and strong economic growth in recent years.

We can learn a lot from each other's experiences. We have in fact taken vigorous steps to promote our economic and commercial relations. Trade between our countries has grown steadily, but there are surely plenty of opportunities for development, and this also applies to investments.

I hope that the business delegation that is accompanying you will find Finnish partners and that trade between our countries will continue to grow. Finnish products rely on high quality and sustainable development. Cooperation with Finnish firms also draws attention to issues regarding social responsibility. This, too, is an investment in the future.

Many countries concentrate on fast economic growth without remembering that sharing the results fairly is just as important for a country's development. We have noted that Vietnam is striving to take care of balancing economic and social development. Vietnam is indeed one of the most stable countries in its region.

Social stability is built on allowing all citizens to take part in developing their country. Supporting women's equal participation and ensuring girls' educational opportunities are highly effective work in promoting peace and sustainable development.

We know that improving education is a key challenge in Vietnam. I hope that Finland's models and experiences can be of benefit in our bilateral cooperation. Education is the key to developing the information society, and it goes hand in hand with freedom of expression.

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Finland and the entire European Union want to support positive development through a dialogue with Vietnam. Relations between the EU and Vietnam will reach a new level with the negotiation of a broad partnership and cooperation agreement and free trade agreement, which is now under way.

This year Vietnam holds the chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). This is another demonstration of Vietnam's active and cooperation-oriented foreign policy and your region's trust in you.

Our countries are supporters of the international multilateral cooperation system and particularly the UN. We want to develop the world organization's ability to act on behalf of global development and security.

President Triet,

I would like to propose a toast to your honour and to wish you health and success and the Vietnamese people peace and prosperity.