Malaysian Prime Minister begins official visit to Vietnam
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad arrived in Hanoi on August 26 night, starting his official visit to Vietnam on August 27-28 at the invitation of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad (second from left) is welcomed at Noi Bai International Airport. (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad arrived inHanoi on August 26 night, starting his official visit to Vietnam on August27-28 at the invitation of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.
The visit is taking place in the context of positivedevelopments in Vietnam-Malaysia ties. Political relations are growing closeand trustful through the maintenance of visit exchanges and effective operationof bilateral cooperative mechanisms. Collaboration across the fields fromeconomics-trade to defence-security, labour and tourism, is expanding. The twocountries have effectively coordinated at regional and international forums,especially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the UnitedNations (UN).
Vietnam and Malaysia established diplomatic relationship on March 30, 1973, andthe friendly and cooperative ties between the two countries have unceasinglydeveloped in all spheres.
The two countries issued a joint statement on their strategic partnershipframework during PM Nguyen Tan Dung’s visit to Malaysia in 2015, and approved aplan of actions to implement the strategic partnership in March 2017.
Economic-trade-investment cooperation is an outstanding feature in bilateralties. The two countries are among the top 10 trade partners of each other.Bilateral trade value has enjoyed good growth, reaching 11.5 billion USD in2018, up 13.2 percent from the previous year. Vietnam exports to Malaysiamainly crude oil, rice, coffee and seafood, while importing steel, petrol,plant and animal oil, plastic materials, machineries, equipment, computers andelectronic goods.
Petro Vietnam and Petronas Malaysia have partnered up since 1991 in oil and gasexploration, processing and service. The two companies are implementing 10joint projects.
Regarding investment, as of April 2019 Malaysia had 586 investment projects inVietnam with total registered capital reaching 12.4 billion USD, ranking 8thamong 130 foreign investors in the country. Vietnamese investors poured 1.53billion USD in 19 projects in Malaysia.
The two countries have also expanded cooperation in other fields, such aslabour, education and tourism. -VNA
The forthcoming visit to Vietnam by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, the first since Mahathir took office in May 2018, is expected to further strengthen the friendship and extensive cooperation between the two countries.
The official visit to Vietnam by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on August 27-28 is expected to generate practical outcomes, solidify trust between the countries’ leaders and strengthen the two peoples’ friendship.
The National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee is scheduled to convene its 48th session on August 11-13, with August 14-15 set as a backup date, according to the NA Office.
Vietnam’s Ambassador to Brazil and Bolivia Bui Van Nghi has led an embassy delegation to attend official events marking the 200th anniversary of Bolivia’s Independence Day.
Party General Secretary To Lam met with members of the Vietnam Innovation Network in Korea (VINK) and Vietnamese experts living and working in the Republic of Korea (RoK) in Seoul on August 10 as part of his state visit to the RoK.
In an interview with Korean media on the occasion of Party General Secretary To Lam’s state visit to the RoK, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son affirmed that the visit demonstrates Vietnam’s strong resolve to further deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with the RoK, with the aim of fostering greater political trust, closer strategic coordination, more substantive and comprehensive cooperation, and stronger bonds of friendship between the two countries' people.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, who is also a Politburo member and Secretary of the Government Party Committee, attended the 4th Party Congress of the EVN Party Organisation for the 2025–2030 tenure on August 10, directing EVN to ensure power supply to meet the country’s development demands with double-digit growth set for the coming years.
Party General Secretary To Lam and his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly, along with a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam arrived in Seongnam Air Base in Seoul on August 10 afternoon (local time), beginning a state visit to the Republic of Korea from August 10-13.
General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam and his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly departed from Hanoi on August 10 morning for a four-day state visit to the Republic of Korea (RoK), which is made at an invitation of RoK President Lee Jae Myung.
As part of the ASEAN Day celebrations, the Vietnamese embassy will also host the ASEAN Family Day 2025 in Ottawa to foster solidarity and community spirit among ASEAN members in Canada.
State President Luong Cuong’s trip once again reaffirmed the Party and State’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification and multilateralisation of relations. It also reflected the strong trend of enhanced cooperation among countries of the Global South in shaping a new, more multipolar, fair and equitable world order.
The outcomes of Party General Secretary To Lam's visit will serve as a driving force and source of inspiration for the two countries to inherit, promote, and elevate their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, contributing to the national construction and development cause in each country, and to peace, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on August 9 inspected the construction site of the new Phong Chau bridge, and surveyed a planned route for the Lao Cai – Hanoi – Hai Phong railway section running through the northern province of Phu Tho.
Across print, broadcast, and online platforms, Angolan media portrayed State President Luong Cuong's visit as a warm and historic occasion, strengthening bilateral ties and boosting Vietnam’s presence in Africa through the AU.
The 500kV Lao Cai – Vinh Yen power transmission line has a total investment of over 7.41 trillion VND (282.5 million USD), and a total length of 229.5 km, passing through 31 communes in the two provinces, and comprising 468 transmission tower foundations.
The visits reflected the elevated position of Vietnam’s foreign policy in the new era—aimed at not only advancing ties with key regional partners like Egypt and Angola but also delivering a strategic message about Vietnam’s commitment to deepening relations with African nations as a whole.
At their talks and meetings, President Cuong and Angola’s top leaders affirmed that the close brotherhood and traditional friendship are a valuable shared asset and a solid foundation for the two nations to advance into a new phase of development.
The ruling People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) attaches great importance to the friendship, solidarity, and comradeship with the Communist Party of Vietnam, and voiced her Party’s wish to further deepen and expand relations between the two sides for the benefit of the Vietnamese and Angolan people.
Vietnam pledges to do its utmost to build an ASEAN of solidarity, consensus, and unity in diversity, and to foster a fast and sustainable development path for ASEAN, grounded in science, technology, and innovation, said Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.
Party General Secretary To Lam called on the criminal police force to accelerate the application of science, technology, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation in criminal investigation tasks such as crime prevention, detection, tracking and verification, ensuring that no area remains out of their reach.
Many Koreans living, studying, and working in Hanoi see the upcoming state visit to the Republic of Korea (RoK) by Party General Secretary To Lam as an opportunity to generate strong synergy in economic cooperation, people-to-people exchanges, and cultural understanding.
The achievements of the five decades of Vietnam–Angola cooperation provide a strong and enduring foundation, as well as momentum for the two sides to consolidate, expand, and bring their partnership into a new phase of development.
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad (second from left) is welcomed at Noi Bai International Airport. (Photo: VNA) 
