The Speaker of the National Assembly departs to attend IPU-138 and visit the Netherlands.

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.

On the morning of March 24, at the invitation of the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Gabriela Cuevas Barron, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Khadija Arib, a high-level delegation of the Vietnamese National Assembly, led by Politburo member and National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, departed Hanoi to attend the 138th General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU-138) in Geneva, Switzerland, and to pay an official visit to the Kingdom of the Netherlands from March 24-30.

The high-level delegation of the Vietnamese National Assembly included members of the Central Committee of the Party and members of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly: Chairman of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs Committee Nguyen Van Giau; Secretary General of the National Assembly and Head of the National Assembly Office Nguyen Hanh Phuc; Chairman of the National Assembly's Ethnic Council Ha Ngoc Chien; Chairman of the National Assembly's Science, Technology and Environment Committee Phan Xuan Dung; and Chairman of the National Assembly's Finance and Budget Committee Nguyen Duc Hai.

Also attending were Bui Thanh Son, Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam and Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs; Tran Don, Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam and Lieutenant General, Deputy Minister of National Defense; Duong Thanh Binh, Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Secretary of the Ca Mau Provincial Party Committee and Head of the National Assembly Delegation; Nguyen Xuan Tien, Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam and Secretary of the Lam Dong Provincial Party Committee; Doan Hong Phong, Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Secretary of the Nam Dinh Provincial Party Committee and Head of the National Assembly Delegation; and Vo Thanh Hao, Secretary of the Ben Tre Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Ben Tre Provincial People's Council.

The delegation also included representatives from various ministries and agencies to assist with professional matters.

Attending IPU-138 in Switzerland is a top priority in the National Assembly's multilateral parliamentary diplomacy activities, aimed at promoting and protecting Vietnam's vital interests, consulting international perspectives, expressing national viewpoints on common global concerns, and conducting bilateral activities on the sidelines with partners with whom Vietnam has limited opportunities for formal bilateral engagement. It is also an opportunity for Vietnam to inform and promote the country to a wider international community, strengthen its presence, and contribute to enhancing the position of the National Assembly in particular and Vietnam in general on the international stage.

The high-level delegation of the Vietnamese National Assembly attending IPU-138 affirmed its commitment to actively and proactively participate in Vietnam's multilateral parliamentary diplomacy activities; to continue to promote the role and position of the Vietnamese National Assembly at the IPU forum, thereby contributing to promoting the State's overall diplomatic efforts for national interests, in harmony with regional interests.

Following their participation in IPU-138, the high-level delegation of the Vietnamese National Assembly, led by National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, will pay an official visit to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. This marks the first official visit by the National Assembly Chairwoman to the Netherlands. The visit is of significant importance, aiming to further consolidate and strengthen the multifaceted friendship and cooperation with the Netherlands, especially as Vietnam and the Netherlands celebrate the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2018 (April 9, 1973 - April 9, 2018). It also represents a new milestone in strengthening and developing the friendship and cooperation between the Vietnamese National Assembly and the Dutch Parliament.