EFTA and Vietnam signed a comprehensive free trade agreement in Hanoi, concluding talks that began in 2012.

On 15 October 2026, the European Free Trade Association — Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein — and Vietnam signed a comprehensive free trade agreement in Hanoi, closing negotiations launched back in 2012 and finalized in July. The deal covers trade in goods and services, rules of origin, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, technical barriers to trade, investment, intellectual property, government procurement, and dedicated chapters on sustainable development, SMEs, and capacity building. Bilateral trade between the two sides reached EUR 4.8 billion (around USD 5.5 billion) in 2025.

The agreement is highly complementary: Vietnamese businesses gain access to high-income European markets, while EFTA companies can tap Vietnam’s network of free trade agreements. Signed amid rising trade tensions and tariff uncertainty, it brings Vietnam’s total FTAs to 18 — a reminder for exporters everywhere that market diversification and rules-of-origin readiness are increasingly central to competitiveness.