Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife Le Thi Bich Tran wave as they are about to leave Hanoi for Singapore and Brunei on Wednesday
Moon Desk: Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife have left Hanoi for official visits to Singapore and Brunei on February 8-11.
The visits are made at the invitation of Singaporean PM Lee Hsien Loong and Brunei king Hassanal Bolkiah to bolster the relationship between Vietnam and the two nations.
The visits mark Chinh’s first trip to the two Southeast Asian countries in his position as prime minister.
They also mark the first visit of a Vietnamese prime minister to Singapore in the last five years and to Brunei in the last 16 years.
Joining Chinh’s delegation are Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son, Minister-Chairman of the Government Office Tran Van Son, Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung and Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien.
“The visits will create a strong impetus and deepen the strategic partnership with Singapore and the comprehensive partnership with Brunei,” said deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hong Viet. “They also carry the message of close neighbors joining hands to develop for the sake of regional peace, stability and prosperity.”
During his stay, Prime Minister Chinh will discuss with the leaders of Singapore and Brunei methods to boost cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, investment, security and national defense.
The three countries will also expand cooperation in emerging fields such as innovation, digital economy, green economy, sustainable development and clean energy.
The trade turnover between Vietnam and Singapore reached $8.3 billion in 2021 and increased to about $9 billion last year.
Singapore, which established diplomatic relations with Vietnam in 1973 and strategic partnership in 2013, is Southeast Asia’s largest investor in Vietnam. It ranks second out of 141 countries and territories investing in Vietnam with 3,095 projects and a total registered capital of $70.8 billion.
Vietnam and Brunei established diplomatic relations in February 1992 and upgraded the relations to a comprehensive partnership in March 2019. In 2022, bilateral trade turnover reached $725.8 million, up 134% year-on-year and far exceeding the target of $500 million set for 2025 by the leaders of the two countries.
Brunei is currently ranked 26th out of 141 countries and territories investing in Vietnam, with 157 projects and a total registered capital of $971 million in the fields of processing industry, manufacturing, construction and real estate.
