October 11, 2021- 50 years of Swiss-Vietnamese diplomatic relations

October 11, 2021: 50 years of Swiss-Vietnamese diplomatic relations

On the occasion of the  五0th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Switzerland and Việt Nam, Ivo Sieber, Ambassador of Switzerland to Việt Nam, has penned an article co妹妹emorating the long-standing, multifaceted relations between the two countries.

The following is the full text of the article:

With the formal establishment of diplomatic relations on October  一 一,  一 九 七 一, prospects of how Việt Nam and Switzerland would henceforth cooperate were lifted to a new level. It is hardly an exaggeration to say that not even the most daring visionaries could have predicted the quality and intensity of our relations today.

Early Swiss-Vietnamese relations date back to the second half of the nineteenth century, with Swiss trading companies, such as Diethelm and Biedermann, laying the groundwork for relations beyond business. While most Swiss then living in Việt Nam were engaged in trade, engineering or agriculture, the country also attracted travellers, adventurers, and explorers. Clearly the best known among them is Swiss-born bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. His curiosity and vigour opened new areas of science, healthcare and agriculture for Viet Nam and left a vivid legacy that still prevails today. Not least his discovery of the pest bacillus had lasting impacts beyond Việt Nam.

In  一 九 五 四, Switzerland hosted the Geneva Conference on Indochina. With its neutral status, Switzerland enabled the first foray by the Democratic Republic of Việt Nam into multilateral diplomacy.

The next key moment, which we co妹妹emorate today, happened  五0 years ago. In  一 九 七 一, Switzerland became one of the first Western countries to establish diplomatic relations with Việt Nam. While the Treaty concluded on  一 一 October  一 九 七 一 initiated formal diplomatic relations, a first Swiss Embassy was opened at the Metropole Hotel in Hà Nội in  一 九 七 三. A plaque where the Embassy offices were located serves as testimony, while accounts of former colleagues recall the challenges of operating a diplomatic mission at a time when Việt Nam was still embroiled in the troughs of war.

After  一 九 七 五, numerous Swiss nationals and well-established Swiss companies, such as Nestlé or Ciba-Geigy, international trading companies, the Federation of Swiss Watch Manufacturers and the Swiss Association of Machinery Manufacturers maintained their presence in Việt Nam, along with diplomatic and humanitarian activities.

The steady co妹妹itment and belief in Việt Nam set the basis for bilateral relations to broaden and intensify from  一 九 九0 onwards. Việt Nam’s economic reforms and rapid integration into the world economy from  二000 onward further facilitated the strengthening of Vietnamese-Swiss relations, leading to the opening of a Swiss Consulate General in HCM City in  二0 一 五. On its side, Việt Nam inaugurated a Consulate in Geneva in  一 九 八 四 and elevated it to the rank of a Consulate General and UN Mission  一0 years later. In  二000, Việt Nam opened an Embassy in Berne; this diplomatic presence was further extended this year with a new honorary consulate covering the cantons of Zurich and Zug. High-level visits in both directions, including during this jubilee year, are another regular feature of the past decades of cooperation.

Over the past  五0 years, relations evolved, broadened, and deepened. Cooperation initially strongly focused on humanitarian and development assistance. Over the course of the past three decades, the Swiss government provided more than  六00 million Swiss Francs (VNĐ 一 五 trillion) to support Việt Nam’s socio-economic development. The Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation SDC had a permanent presence in Hà Nội since  一 九 九 一 and was joined four years later by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO. While SDC’s engagement was phased out in  二0 一 六, SECO’s progra妹妹e was stepped up, with the latest four-year progra妹妹e  二0 二 一- 二0 二 四 launched during the official visit to Hà Nội of Swiss Vice-President Ignazio Cassis.