On November 4, Deputy Minister Le Van Tuyen met with Portuguese Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Ana Isabel Xavier.
Reviewing the positive results of diplomatic relations over the past more than 50 years, the two sides agreed that the decision to open embassies in each other’s capitals had marked an important milestone, laying a foundation for broader and deeper cooperation, particularly in law enforcement, security and public order.
The Deputy Minister proposed increasing delegation exchanges at all levels and sharing information and experience in preventing and combating crime, particularly organized crime, transnational crime, hi-tech crime, economic crime, drug-related crime and migrant smuggling.
To establish a solid legal foundation for substantive cooperation, he called for negotiations toward agreements on extradition, the transfer of sentenced persons and mutual legal assistance in criminal matters.
Agreeing with the proposals, Secretary of State Ana Isabel Xavier affirmed that Portugal was actively studying the draft cooperation documents, while pledging to encourage relevant agencies, including the Ministries of Internal Administration and Justice, to expedite their reviews and provide official responses.
The two sides also agreed to coordinate closely in preparing for upcoming key diplomatic activities, particularly Prime Minister Le Minh Hung’s official visit to Portugal and the next round of Deputy Ministerial Political Consultations between the two Foreign Ministries, scheduled for 2027.
Both sides pledged to creat favorable conditions for citizens of one country to live, study, work and travel legally in the other, thereby contributing to strengthening friendship and people-to-people exchanges and building a firm foundation for lasting cooperation.
On the same day, the Vietnamese delegation met with Director-General for Reintegration and Prison Services Orlando Manuel de Figueiredo Carvalho, and visited Carregueira Prison to exchange experience in criminal judgment execution, detention facility management, and inmate education and rehabilitation.
Deputy Minister Le Van Tuyen emphasized that the Ministry of Public Security of Viet Nam attaches particular importance to improving inmate management, education and rehabilitation and ensuring security and safety at detention facilities, alongside vocational training and support for community reintegration after release.
He also commended the Portuguese side for its great expertise in sentence enforcement and correctional and social rehabilitation programs.
Presenting Carregueira Prison’s organizational model, the Portuguese side explained that inmates are assigned to separate units, and their individual rehabilitation progress is continuously assessed to support gradual transition to a semi-open regime. Corrections, vocational programs, specialized psychological therapy, sports and social activities are central to helping inmates reconnect with the community after their imprisonment.
The Deputy Minister proposed regular information exchanges and sharing of practical experience in detention management, electronic monitoring, digital transformation in sentence enforcement and personnel capacity building.
Director-General Orlando Manuel de Figueiredo Carvalho strongly advocated the proposals and emphasized the importance of establishing working-level communication channels to develop concrete cooperation activities.
During the visit, the delegation also met with Secretary of State for Digitalization Bernardo Correia of the Ministry of State Reform and leaders of Portugal’s Agency for Technological Reform of the State.
Deputy Minister Le Van Tuyen hailed Portugal's achievements in modernizing public administration, reforming administrative procedures and developing digital government.
Outlining Viet Nam’s digitalization progress, he emphasized the Ministry’s pivotal role in developing the National Population Database, electronic identification and authentication, ensuring cybersecurity and protecting personal data.
Secretary of State Bernardo Correia said Portugal took pride in being among the world’s leaders in digital governance, ranking third in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Digital Government Index.
He explained that Portugal’s digital transformation roadmap rests on four pillars: developing citizens’ digital skills, digitizing businesses, digitizing public services and building infrastructure for data interoperability.
Recognizing Portugal’s strengths, Deputy Minister Le Van Tuyen proposed stronger exchanges of experience in developing and operating national identification systems, online public services and shared digital platforms. He also sought cooperation in National Data Center governance, information security and managing risks to critical infrastructure.
The two sides agreed to explore specialized training, expert exchanges, workshops and the transfer of technical solutions in electronic identification, data governance, digital government architecture and cybersecurity.
During the visit, Deputy Minister of Public Security Le Van Tuyen and his delegation also met with staff at the Vietnamese Embassy in Portugal. Ambassador Nguyen Manh Thang briefed the delegation on bilateral relations and the activities of the Vietnamese community in Portugal.
Deputy Minister Le Van Tuyen commended the embassy staff for their diplomatic work and efforts to strengthen ties between Viet Nam and Portugal. He urged the embassy to take the initiative in proposing ways to expand bilateral cooperation across a range of areas. He also called on the embassy to continue providing consular protection to Vietnamese citizens, promptly address difficulties facing the local Vietnamese community and safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.
The visit by the high-level delegation from Viet Nam’s Ministry of Public Security helped strengthen friendship, mutual understanding and trust between the two countries and opened up new opportunities for practical cooperation between the ministry and Portuguese authorities.
