Bangladesh, Vietnam Pledge Joint Action to Combat Human Trafficking and Irregular Migration

Bangladesh and Vietnam have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation in combating human trafficking and irregular migration during a high-level bilateral meeting between the home ministers of the two countries.

The meeting was held on Tuesday at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The Bangladesh delegation was led by Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, while the Vietnamese delegation was headed by Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Long, Deputy Minister of Public Security of Vietnam.

According to a press release signed by Faisal Hasan, Director (Public Relations) and Deputy Chief Information Officer of the Ministry of Home Affairs, both sides agreed to further strengthen bilateral relations, enhance security cooperation, expand trade and investment, and work jointly to prevent human trafficking and irregular migration.

During the meeting, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed congratulated the Government of Vietnam on the successful completion of the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam in January 2026 and the election of its new leadership for the next five years.

He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, the new Government of Bangladesh is keen to further deepen cooperation with Vietnam at the bilateral, regional, and multilateral levels on issues of mutual interest.

Recalling the historic diplomatic ties established on February 11, 1973, the minister said Bangladesh attaches the highest importance to its longstanding friendship and multifaceted partnership with Vietnam. He expressed satisfaction over the significant growth in trade, investment, connectivity, and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries in recent years.

The two sides also discussed visa-related challenges faced by Bangladeshi nationals residing in Vietnam, as well as the repatriation process for irregular migrants. The Bangladeshi minister presented specific proposals to facilitate the return of irregular migrants.

He requested Vietnam to simplify and relax visa procedures for genuine Bangladeshi tourists, businesspersons, legal workers, and family visa applicants.

Emphasizing closer cooperation between the law enforcement agencies of the two countries, Salahuddin Ahmed stressed the need for stronger institutional coordination between the respective home ministries to combat human trafficking, drug smuggling, and other transnational crimes.

Highlighting that bilateral trade has already exceeded US$1 billion, the minister said the planned signing of a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) would help double trade volume in the near future. He thanked Vietnam for allowing the import of Bangladeshi potatoes and requested the country to import internationally recognized Bangladeshi pharmaceutical products at competitive prices.

The minister also invited Vietnamese entrepreneurs and investors to take advantage of Bangladesh’s attractive investment climate.

In addition, he sought Vietnam’s strong support for Bangladesh’s bid to become an ASEAN Sectoral Dialogue Partner and to secure membership in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

The Vietnamese side assured Bangladesh that the issues raised during the meeting would be given due consideration and expressed optimism that the friendly relations between the two countries would reach new heights in the coming years.