Vietnam and Ireland Elevate Agri-Food Cooperation to Strategic Policy Partnership

New Era of Cooperation Unveiled

Hanoi, Vietnam – Vietnam and Ireland have officially elevated their collaboration in the agri-food sector, establishing a strategic policy partnership aimed at transforming sustainable food systems. This significant development marks a shift from previous project-based cooperation to a more comprehensive and policy-driven approach. The new phase of partnership was underscored during the Vietnam-Ireland Bilateral Conference on Agri-Food System Transformation held in Hanoi on November 4, 2025.

The conference, co-hosted by Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and the Embassy of Ireland in Vietnam, served as a platform to evaluate the progress of the existing Ireland-Vietnam Agri-Food Partnership (IVAP) program and to chart a forward-looking roadmap for enhanced collaboration. Nguyen Do Anh Tuan, Director General of the Department of International Cooperation under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, emphasized the event's importance as a pivotal moment in the evolving relationship between the two nations.

Foundations of the Partnership

The strategic alliance builds upon earlier agreements, including a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in June 2024 between Ireland's Minister of State Martin Heydon and Vietnam's Vice Minister Do Thanh Trung of the Ministry of Planning and Investment. Further solidifying ties, another MoU was signed on October 3, 2024, by Vietnam's Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan and Ireland's Minister for Agriculture, Food, and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, during an official state visit of General Secretary and President To Lam to Ireland.

The Ireland-Vietnam Agri-Food Partnership (IVAP), a five-year program that commenced in September 2023, is managed by Sustainable Food Systems Ireland (SFSI) and funded by the Embassy of Ireland in Vietnam. IVAP aims to support Vietnam in transforming its agri-food system through technical assistance, knowledge sharing, training, and skills development.

Key Areas of Collaboration

The partnership focuses on several critical areas designed to bolster Vietnam's agricultural sector and align with global sustainability goals:

• Sustainable Production and Climate Resilience: Implementing sustainable farming practices, climate change adaptation, and climate-resilient primary production. This includes supporting Vietnam's initiatives like the '1-million-hectare high-quality, low-emission rice project' and circular agriculture.
• Food Safety and Quality: Promoting improvements in food safety systems, traceability, and quality innovation. Ireland will share expertise in establishing and implementing high safety standards, utilizing tools such as its national sustainability certification program, Origin Green.
• Digital Transformation and Biosecurity: Advancing digital transformation in agriculture and enhancing biosecurity strategies, particularly in the livestock sector, including livestock disease prevention.
• Capacity Building and Knowledge Exchange: Providing scholarships for Vietnamese students, such as the three scholarships totaling 2.2 billion VND for master's degrees at Galway University, and facilitating knowledge exchange in enterprise, cooperative development, and agri-food innovation.
• Cooperative Development: Introducing and piloting new-generation agricultural cooperatives, drawing on Ireland's experience in transforming local producers into global food companies.

Economic and Strategic Importance

The collaboration is set against a backdrop of growing bilateral trade, which reached USD 3.5 billion in 2024, with a target to increase to USD 5 billion by 2026. Both nations aim to mutually benefit from the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). Vietnam's agricultural sector is vital to its economy, contributing nearly 12 percent to the national GDP and supporting over 60 percent of the population. Ireland, with its experience in transitioning to a modern industrial country with advanced agricultural technology, offers valuable insights for Vietnam's agricultural modernization and sustainability efforts.