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A look at Vietnamese-German relations offers a very unusual history of diplomatic relations. The result of this unusual history: 2025 marks two anniversaries.

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Unusual because both countries were once divided — Vietnam in North and South, Germany in East and West — and are reunited. Accordingly, the beginning of diplomatic relations is ambiguous.

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50 and 75 years: Twice Germany

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This year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the Federal Republic of Germany. And also this year, Vietnam looks back on 75 years of diplomatic relations with the GDR.

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Reason enough for diplo.news to visit Vietnam's ambassador Vu Quang Minh. The high-ranking diplomat from Hanoi - he was his country's Deputy Foreign Minister and previously held posts in the USA, the UK, Ireland and the Kingdom of Cambodia - has been Ambassador to Berlin since March 2022. Ambassador Minh has known Germany since 2017, when he was chief negotiator for the Vietnamese government at the G20 summit here.

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The Vietnamese embassy is located at the Elsenbrücke in Alt-Treptow. During GDR times, it was located in Berlin-Karlshorst.

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Apart from some disturbances that have temporarily clouded the relationship, bilateral relations are running very well. This applies in particular to the economic sector. Germany is Vietnam's most important trading partner across the EU, and vice versa, Vietnam is Germany's largest trading partner within ASEAN.

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Relations between Vietnam and Germany were raised to the level of a “Strategic Partnership” in 2011. This includes cooperation projects in all areas. diplo.news will be following the anniversary year.

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ekö

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