Minh Chính and the Estonian prime minister, Riigikogu president, and the minister of foreign affairs met to discuss each of their countries' interests and strengthen ties with one another, particularly in the areas of digital cooperation, trade and global security. 

"This is a historic visit," said Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform) at a press conference on Friday. "You are the first-ever Vietnamese prime minister to visit Estonia." 

Estonia and Vietnam's diplomatic relations began in 1992 and bilateral ties have steadily grown, the prime ministers said. In recent years, the two countries have become stronger trading partners after the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement went into effect in 2020.

Minh Chính emphasized a strong interest in learning from Estonia's advancements in digitalization, information technology, and startups. 

"I hope that Vietnam and Estonia will work closely together to further promote science, technology, cooperation, and innovation," he said in a speech. 

The foreign ministers of both countries signed two memoranda of understanding related to digital cooperation. Estonia has agreed to help Vietnam expand its e-government and cybersecurity projects. Experts will advise Vietnam on the digitalization process.

Beyond digital innovation and cybersecurity, Michal is hoping that Vietnam will commit to supporting Estonia against potential threats from neighboring Russia. 

"Security in our region is interconnected," he said. "For us, the outcome of Russia's war against Ukraine is existential. But it also saves the rules-based international order in which we all rely on."

While Minh Chính did not specifically mention the war between Russia and Ukraine in his speech, he did show interest in working together to tackle global issues. 

"In this current circumstance, we need to hold in harmony our international solidarity and unity to handle and resolve global issues," he said. 

He also acknowledged that the historic struggles for self-determination in both Vietnam and Estonia may translate to common interests between the two nations. 

"We share the same values in this process," Minh Chính said. "We have been through a long journey to attain national sovereignty and independence.

Michal said that he and Minh Chinh will discuss global security in addition to expanding digital cooperation and trade partnerships. 

Vietnam is also planning to host Estonian political leaders in a future diplomatic visit, Minh Chính said. 

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