EU trade relations with Vietnam. Facts, figures and latest developments.
The European Union and Vietnam signed a Trade Agreement and an Investment Protection Agreement on 30 June 2019. The European Parliament subsequently gave its consent to both Agreements on 12 February 2020 and the Free Trade Agreement was concluded by Council on 30 March 2020.
The Trade Agreement entered into force on 1 August 2020.
The Investment Protection Agreement will enter into force when it is ratified by all EU Member States. As of June 2024, 18 EU Member States had ratified it.
EU-Vietnam Trade Agreement | Investment Protection Agreement
In place | Being adopted or ratified
The trade agreement between the EU and Vietnam entered into force on 1 August 2020. The Investment Protection Agreement will enter into force after ratification by all EU Member States. The agreements with Vietnam are the second (following those with Singapore) to have been concluded between the EU and a Southeast Asian country, and represent stepping-stones to a greater engagement between the EU and the region.
The trade and investment agreements develop the commercial dimension of bilateral relations between the EU and Vietnam that find their foundation and are governed by the EU-Vietnam Framework Agreement on Partnership and Cooperation (PCA) that entered into force in October 2016.
Vietnam is one of the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and has become the EU's most important partner in the region for trade in goods. It is the EU's second-most important ASEAN partner for trade in goods and services combined (after Singapore). An increasing number of European companies are establishing in the country to set up hubs to serve the Mekong region.
The EU and Vietnam meet regularly to discuss issues and best practices and oversee the proper functioning of the Agreement.
