Relationship Overview
Relations established
8 November 1972 (per Pakistan MOFA)
Sub-region
Mainland Southeast Asia
Vietnam is the ASEAN relationship with the clearest current institutional momentum: both countries formally launched negotiations on a bilateral Preferential Trade Agreement (VPPTA) in 2025-26, aiming to multiply trade currently under $1 billion by 5-10 times.
Embassies: Pakistan's Embassy in Hanoi is also concurrently accredited to Laos.
Diplomatic Ties & High-Level Visits
Relations were established on 8 November 1972. Pakistan's MOFA cites growing cooperation in aviation, tourism and sports alongside the core trade relationship, with both sides describing the tie as cordial and committed to reaching its "full potential."
No verified high-level visit record available yet for this relationship.
| Agreement / Mechanism | Date | Scope |
|---|
| Vietnam-Pakistan Preferential Trade Agreement (VPPTA) | Negotiations launched 2025-26 | Officially launched negotiations aimed at increasing bilateral trade turnover — currently under $1 billion/year — by 5-10x within a few years. |
Trade & Economic Relations
Trade has grown steadily: roughly doubling from $331M (2013) to $705M (2023), and reported at over $850M for the most recent full year available, with the VPPTA negotiations explicitly framed by both governments as the mechanism to break past the $1 billion ceiling.
| Year | Trade volume | Source |
|---|
| 2013 | $331M | Modern Diplomacy / Vietnam+ reporting |
| 2021-22 | $907M | Pakistan MOFA (mofa.gov.pk) |
| 2023 | $705M | Modern Diplomacy, Oct 2025 |
| most recent full year | ~$850M+ | Vietnam+ (VietnamPlus), 2026 reporting |
Pakistan exports to Vietnam
- Corn
- Cotton yarn
- Pharmaceutical products
- Textiles
- Leather and footwear materials
Vietnam exports to Pakistan
- Tea
- Mobile phones
- Fisheries products
- Chemicals
Investment & market notes: Both trade ministers have called for advanced business-to-business linkages and joint ventures in textiles, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, IT and energy -- the VPPTA is explicitly designed to leverage what officials describe as complementary economic strengths.
Opportunities for Business, Education & Collaboration
Vietnam is the single most actionable near-term ASEAN opportunity given the live VPPTA negotiation -- a business or policy audience engaging now is engaging ahead of a trade architecture still being written, not reacting to one already locked in.
Business & Trade
- The VPPTA negotiation itself is the headline opportunity: firms and trade bodies engaging with Pakistan's Ministry of Commerce now can help shape sectoral coverage before terms are finalised.
- Textiles, agriculture and pharmaceuticals were named explicitly by both trade ministers as priority joint-venture sectors.
- Mobile-phone and electronics supply-chain links with Vietnam's manufacturing base are a growth channel for Pakistani component/software suppliers, given Vietnam's position as a major electronics exporter to Pakistan already.
Education
- No dedicated Vietnam-Pakistan scholarship scheme was identified in current research -- an open gap rather than a curated opportunity; academic literature (see sources) suggests Vietnam is an understudied case in Pakistan's own "Vision East Asia" strategy.
Collaboration
- Aviation and tourism cooperation are officially named growth areas.
- IT and energy sector cooperation were raised at ministerial level alongside the VPPTA talks.
- Academic research collaboration: a peer-reviewed case study on "The Political Economy of Pakistan's Vision East Asia Strategy — The Case of Vietnam" exists in Pakistani-published literature, suggesting an active (if niche) research community IPDS could engage.
Security, Culture & People-to-People Ties
Sports and aviation cooperation are the most concretely named people-to-people/institutional links beyond trade.
Defense & security
- No verified information available yet.
Culture & people-to-people
- Growing cooperation in aviation, tourism and sports named by Pakistan's MOFA as part of the broadening relationship beyond trade.
Sources & Methodology
This page is compiled from open-source, primarily official material (Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, mission/embassy pages, and government-to-government meeting readouts), cross-checked against reputable news reporting and, where available, peer-reviewed academic research. Where sources gave differing figures for different years, both are kept rather than silently reconciled. Items are marked as an open gap where no verified information could be found, rather than estimated. This tracker is a living document, updated as new agreements, visits or data are published.
Disclaimer: This tracker presents open-source research compiled by the IPDS Centre for ASEAN Studies research desk. It does not represent an official position of the Government of Pakistan, and does not constitute an endorsement by IPDS of any state's position on unresolved disputes referenced herein.
