HANOI: Vietnam and the European Union pledged to deepen economic and security cooperation on Thursday (Jan 29), upgrading their diplomatic relationship to hedge against an increasingly unpredictable United States. President Luong Cuong, speaking at a joint press briefing, called the upgrade to Vietnam's highest-level partnership a "new landmark" reflecting "sincere and mutual trust". Loading LoadingVietnam and the EU signed a free-trade deal in 2019, with bilateral exchange growing by around 40 per cent since then. The two sides agreed on Thursday to deepen cooperation on trade, technology, energy and security, according to a joint statement. "Science, technology and innovation" should become the "pillars of bilateral ties", Cuong said, adding that Vietnam also sought cooperation on security and defence, especially at sea and in the cyber domain.