Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Thanh Man and his spouse Nguyen Thi Thanh Nga departed Hanoi this afternoon for an official overseas mission - his first in 2025 - to attend the 150th General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU-150) and pay official visits to Uzbekistan and Armenia.

The trip follows invitations from the President and Secretary-General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the Chairwoman of the Senate of Uzbekistan Tanzila Narbaeva, and the Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia Alen Simonyan. The working visit takes place from April 2 to 8.

Accompanying Chairman Tran Thanh Man are Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Quang Phuong; Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha; Secretary-General and Chairman of the National Assembly Office Le Quang Tung; Chairman of the Committee for National Defense, Security, and Foreign Affairs Le Tan Toi; Chairman of the Committee for Culture and Social Affairs Nguyen Dac Vinh; Chairman of the Committee for People’s Aspirations and Oversight Duong Thanh Binh; Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the National Assembly Vu Hai Ha; Permanent Vice Chairman of the Economic and Financial Committee Le Quang Manh; Deputy Minister of National Defense Vo Minh Luong; and Deputy Minister of Public Security Tran Quoc To.

Also joining the delegation are Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia and concurrently Ambassador to Armenia and Uzbekistan Dang Minh Khoi; Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang; and leaders from various National Assembly committees, ministries, and local authorities.

This marks the National Assembly Chairman’s first multilateral diplomatic activity of the year.

With the theme "Parliamentary action for development and social justice," IPU-150 convenes at a time when the world is facing numerous challenges, emphasizing the need for coordinated actions and stronger multilateral cooperation among nations.

At the forum, the Vietnamese National Assembly will engage in dialogues with parliaments worldwide, sharing development experiences and promoting both bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

Chairman Tran Thanh Man is expected to deliver a keynote speech at the General Debate and hold bilateral meetings with leaders of the IPU Secretariat, parliamentary representatives, and international organizations.

During the official visits to Armenia and Uzbekistan, the Chairman and leaders of both countries will discuss measures to boost cooperation in trade, investment, and the economy. Chairman Tran Thanh Man is also scheduled to meet with leading enterprises in both countries to promote market access and investment opportunities in sectors such as processing and manufacturing, textiles, energy, transport, and science and technology.

The visits also aim to enhance cooperation in culture, sports, education and training, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.

Armenia and Uzbekistan are both long-standing traditional friends of Vietnam. Despite geographical distance, the people of Vietnam and both countries have long maintained close, friendly ties.

In 2024, bilateral trade between Vietnam and Armenia reached nearly USD 500 million, a 40% increase over 2023. Trade with Uzbekistan totaled USD 202 million, up 26.5% from the previous year.

To further promote trade, investment, tourism, and cultural exchange, the countries plan to enhance transportation connectivity - via rail, road, sea, and air.

Vietnamese exports to Armenia and Uzbekistan do not directly compete with local goods, offering strong potential for growth. Key Vietnamese exports such as agricultural products, seafood, textiles, footwear, and electronics can be exported to these markets and beyond through East–West and North–South trade corridors.

There is also significant potential for cooperation in education, science and technology, digital innovation, clean energy, and advanced materials.

Tran Thuong