Post by Thomas Gass

That exciting moment, when you see the light at the end of a long tunnel... I was extremely encouraged to join State Secretary Helene Budliger Artieda and her delegation in her high level meetings in Hanoi, this week. After 14 years and 19 rounds of negotiations, the conclusion of the free trade agreement between Vietnam and the 4 EFTA countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) is now within reach, and may well become the main deliverable of this year's 55th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Vietnam 🇻🇳 and Switzerland 🇨🇭. The two-and-a-half day visit was packed with substantive and engaged encounters, including with Minister of Foreign Affairs Lê Hoài Trung and Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan, as well as Deputy Ministers of Finance, Agriculture and Environment, Home Affairs, and Science and Technology. We were also honored to be received by the Policy and Strategy Commission of the Party. Evening programs included discussions with CEOs of Swiss companies based in Vietnam and large private and government-owned Vietnamese Groups - all already building strong bridges between our two countries. The quality of the meetings was further enhanced by the participation of Stefan Brupbacher (CEO of Swissmem) and Dr. Philipp Rösler (President of Swiss-Viet Economic Forum). A final round is now scheduled in Hanoi for the week of 20 April, concurring with a visit of EFTA Parliamentarians.. Watch this space, for more exciting news... 📢 As Head of Mission, I am very grateful to State Secretary Budliger, for her energy and determination, but also that she took the time to meet my Embassy Team. She even found time for a picture by the Famous Hoa Kiem Clock - the symbol of friendship between our two capitals and our peoples.