President of Vietnam Tô Lâm visited Trinity last week during his official state visit to Ireland. Vietnam is a one-party state, and Lâm simultaneously holds the presidency and the leadership of the national communist party, making him “the most powerful figure in Vietnamese politics”.
He was welcomed by Vice Provost Orla Sheils and attended events in the Old Library, the Book of Kells exhibition and the Public Theatre. Minister for Further and Higher Education Patrick O’Donocan was also present.
President Lâm delivered a speech on campus entitled “A Vision for a New Era of Viet Nam – Ireland Partnership for Peace, Cooperation and International Development”.
In his speech, he said that his “past two days in Ireland have been a special experience”, adding that he is “grateful to the leadership of Trinity College Dublin and Asia Matters for organising this significant meeting”.
“Reflecting on nearly 30 years of relations, I am deeply confident that in the decades to come, and even further into the future, the relationship between Vietnam and Ireland will continue to be strengthened and elevated to new heights”, he concluded.
College wrote in a statement that “the visit builds on strong links between Trinity and Vietnam”, adding that “Trinity currently has 29 registered students from Vietnam across Dental Technology, Digital Media, Pharmacy, Physics, Engineering and Computer Science”.
While touring campus, there was a considerable visual police presence, with walkways between Front Square and New Square being closed down for periods of time.
President Lâm was also hosted by the President of Ireland at a state dinner in Áras an Uachtarán.
