Poland sees Vietnam as gateway to Southeast Asia: government spokesman

Poland hopes to strengthen economic ties with Vietnam, which could give Polish companies greater access to markets across Southeast Asia, government spokesman Adam Szłapka said on Saturday.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk (centre) shakes hands in Hoi An, Vietnam on Saturday ahead of talks with the country’s leaders in Hanoi after the weekend.PAP/Radek Pietruszka

Szłapka was speaking in the city of Da Nang, where Prime Minister Donald Tusk arrived on a visit accompanied by representatives of Polish companies.

„Vietnam is a very large market, and Poland, as well as the European Union as a whole, need business partners,” Szłapka told reporters. „The world is unstable, and there is a lot of competition.”

He said Vietnam’s rapid economic growth could give Polish companies access to other Southeast Asian markets.

Executives from Polish companies accompanying the prime minister are scheduled to take part in business meetings in Vietnam, Szłapka said.

He said the „political climate” was important in relations with countries such as India and Vietnam because it could facilitate business contacts and the signing of agreements.

„These types of visits make the administrations of these countries much more friendly. When they are friendly, it is much easier to cooperate with individual business entities that want to enter this market,” Szłapka said.

He described Tusk’s visit to India earlier this week as a success, pointing to an announcement that the southern Indian state of Karnataka, whose capital is Bengaluru, would serve as a gateway to India for Polish businesses.

Tusk’s main engagements in Vietnam are scheduled for Monday in the capital Hanoi.

He is due to lay wreaths at the Monument to Heroes and Martyrs and at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum before meeting Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung, President Tô Lâm and parliamentary Speaker Tran Thanh Man.

On Saturday, Tusk laid flowers at a monument and plaque commemorating Polish architect Kazimierz Kwiatkowski in the central Vietnamese city of Hoi An.

Kwiatkowski, known to local residents as „Kazik,” helped save the city’s historic architecture, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage site, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.

The prime minister’s talks in Hanoi on Monday will focus on bilateral relations and a roadmap for the countries’ strategic partnership, according to his office.

In January last year, during a visit to Warsaw by then-Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, the two governments declared their intention to elevate Polish-Vietnamese relations to a strategic partnership.

Tusk’s visit is part of Poland’s efforts to strengthen ties with Southeast Asian countries. Poland joined the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia on July 24.

Trade between Poland and Vietnam approached USD 8.2 billion last year, up from USD 6.1 billion in 2024, according to the report.

Polish exports to Vietnam were worth USD 527 million, while imports from Vietnam reached USD 7.6 billion, leaving Poland with a trade deficit of USD 7.1 billion, state news agency PAP reported.

Major Polish exports to Vietnam include agri-food products, machinery and mechanical equipment, vehicles, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.

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Source: IAR/PAP

Radio Poland