Vietnam - Germany push energy and industrial cooperation at third Joint Committee meeting
On November 17, 2025 in Hanoi, Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan and Germany’s Parliamentary State Secretary for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Stefan Rouenhoff co-chaired the third meeting of the Vietnam–Germany Joint Committee on Economic and Commercial Cooperation to review progress, address bottlenecks, and set priority areas for the next phase.
Two sides review progress, remove bottlenecks and set new priorities
HANOI, Nov. 17 - Vietnam and Germany reaffirmed their commitment to deepening economic and trade cooperation at the third meeting of the Joint Committee on Economic and Commercial Cooperation, co-chaired in Hanoi by Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan and Germany’s Parliamentary State Secretary for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Stefan Rouenhoff.
Overview of the third meeting of the Vietnam - Germany Joint Committee on Economic and Commercial Cooperation
The session gathered representatives from Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade, Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), relevant ministries, and a large number of businesses from both countries. Discussions focused on reviewing progress, addressing existing challenges, and identifying priority areas for the coming period.
Deputy Minister Tan noted that bilateral cooperation has expanded rapidly across multiple sectors, underpinned by long-standing friendship, close coordination between government agencies, and increasingly substantive engagement between the two business communities.
Energy partnership elevated; industrial and trade ties strengthened
Energy remained a central pillar of cooperation. The two sides welcomed the upgrade to the Vietnam - Germany Energy Partnership, describing it as a comprehensive framework to drive energy transition, emissions reduction, carbon-neutrality efforts, and energy security, while expanding business-to-business collaboration. They agreed to implement the 2025–2026 Action Plan, maintain an annual High-Level Steering Committee, establish technical working groups, and enhance cooperation in training, research, and enterprise connectivity.
Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan co-chairs the third meeting of the Vietnam - Germany Joint Committee on Economic and Commercial Cooperation.
Germany’s Parliamentary State Secretary for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Stefan Rouenhoff co-chairs the third meeting of the Vietnam - Germany Joint Committee on Economic and Commercial Cooperation.
Vietnam highly valued Germany’s role in projects under the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) and called for continued collaboration to reinforce sustainable energy cooperation.
In industry and digitalization, both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in automobile manufacturing and attract German investment into supporting industries such as textiles, footwear, electronics and high-tech components. Vietnam encouraged German chemical manufacturers to explore sub-sectors eligible for incentives under the 2025 Chemicals Law and to develop green chemistry initiatives.
They also stressed the importance of technology transfer, innovation and digital transformation in industry, alongside deeper cooperation in training high-quality human resources-particularly in green skills, digital skills and Industry 4.0 management.
Deputy Minister Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan and Parliamentary State Secretary Stefan Rouenhoff sign the minutes of the third meeting of the Vietnam - Germany Joint Committee on Economic and Commercial Cooperation.
On trade, Vietnam and Germany agreed to enhance information sharing, maintain stable two-way flows, ensure resilient supply chains and maximize the benefits of multilateral frameworks, especially the EU - Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). Vietnam requested German support in helping its businesses meet EU market requirements, and encouraged German firms to invest in deep processing of agricultural and aquatic products, as well as logistics, cold storage and transshipment facilities for exports to Europe.
Delegates pose for a group photo after the meeting.
The meeting concluded in a constructive and cooperative atmosphere. Deputy Minister Tan and State Secretary Rouenhoff signed the minutes of the third session of the Joint Committee, affirming both sides’ commitment to maintaining regular dialogue and facilitating effective implementation of agreed outcomes.
