 | This article'slead sectionmay be too short to adequatelysummarize the key points. Please consider expanding the lead toprovide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article.(January 2022) |
 | |
 Greece |  Vietnam |
|---|---|
Republic of Greece and theSocialist Republic of Vietnam have bilateral relations. Greece hosts the Vietnamese embassy inAthens, and Vietnam hosts its Greek counterpart inHanoi.
While the two countries did not have many historical links in the past, the ancientFunan that occupied southern Vietnam andCambodia did maintain trade with Greek merchants. Greeks viewed Funan as one of the most prosperous civilizations, and many of its gems were brought back to Greece in response.[1] However, with the fall of Funan and the later rise of other ancient states (likeĐại Việt,Champa, and theKhmer Empire) direct relationships with Greece disappeared.
Trade and commerce of oriental products (silk, brocade, spices,Edible bird's nest, pearls, exotic wood, etc...) from Vietnam only made it to Roman Empire (and later on the Greek dominated Byzantine Empire) throughSilk Road andIndian Ocean trade routes, not by direct contact with Greeks.
With theFall of Constantinople, it was not until the 20th century that the two countries established ties.
During theFirst Indochina War between the Vietnamese led byViệt Minh andFrance, a Greek who deserted from French Army,Kostas Sarantidis, sought destiny by fighting on the Vietnamese side against the French.[2] He eventually adopted his Vietnamese name, "Nguyễn Văn Lập", and married a Vietnamese woman, became fluent on theVietnamese language as well. Due to his efforts on liberating Vietnam from the French, he was rewarded "Friendship Order and Vietnamese nationality" in 2011.[3] In 2013, he was named aHero of the People's Armed Forces, he is the only foreigner who has taken this title.[4] He was also awarded several other honorary titles by both the Vietnamese Party and State, including the Victory Medal, Third Class, and the Resistance War Medal, Second Class.[5]
While theVietnam War was not Greece's priority,Greek Australians formed a part of theAustralian Defence Force and fought againstNorth Vietnam on the side of theSouth.[6]
With Vietnam'sĐổi Mới reforms, Greece and Vietnam established official relations, and it has been perceived as good to excellent. Vietnam has attached increasingly tie with the Greeks, particularly in recent years, with Greece supports Vietnam's FTA withEuropean Union, in which Greece is a member.[7] Diplomatic tie has also been increased as well.[8]
During theCOVID-19 pandemic, Greece donated 250,000 vaccines to Vietnam.[9]
|  | |||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Africa |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Americas | ||
| Asia | ||
| Europe | ||
| Oceania | ||
| Former | ||
| Multilateral relations | ||
| Memberships | ||
| Related topics | ||
