Myanmar State Counsellor’s Vietnam visit to tighten bilateral ties
The visit to Vietnam from April 19-20 by Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi is expected to strengthen bilateral ties and tighten the Vietnam-Myanmar comprehensive cooperative partnership.
Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi (R) and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc met on the sidelines of ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit in January (Source: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – The upcoming visit to Vietnam from April 19-20 byMyanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi is expected to strengthen bilateral tiesand tighten the Vietnam-Myanmar comprehensive cooperative partnership.
This is the first official visit to Vietnamby Aung San Suu Kyi, who is also Myanmar’s Minister of Foreign Affairs andMinister of the President’s Office.
The visit, made at the invitation ofVietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, takes place in a context ofincreased political trust and cooperation between the two nations.
Vietnam and Myanmar set up diplomatic tieson May 28, 1975. However, the bilateral relationship was formed earlier. In1947, when fighting French colonialists, Vietnam opened an information agencyin Myanmar’s Yangon, which was elevated to a Governmental representative officein 1948. Myanmar’s Prime Minister U Nu visited Vietnam in 1954, whileVietnamese President Ho Chi Minh visited Myanmar in 1958.
Despite its own difficulties, Myanmarwhole-heartedly supported Vietnam during the struggle for national independenceand reunification
The two countries elevated their ties to acomprehensive cooperative partnership during a State visit to Myanmar byGeneral Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong in August2017.
They have supported each other atsub-regional, regional and international forums such as the United Nations,ASEAN, Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam cooperation, Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-MekongEconomic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) and the Greater Mekong Sub-region.
Economic, trade and investment ties havebeen maintained in agriculture, fisheries, finance-banking, aviation,telecommunications, oil and gas exploration and exploitation, mining, powerdevice production and automobile manufacturing and assembly.
Bilateral trade hit 828.3 million USD in2017, up 51 percent from 2016. Vietnam is the 7th biggest foreign investor inMyanmar with 70 projects worth nearly 2 billion USD.
During the visit to Myanmar by Party GeneralSecretary Nguyen Phu Trong in August 2017, the Vietnamese Ministry of Industryand Trade and Myanmar’s Ministry of Commerce signed a memorandum ofunderstanding on trade cooperation.
The two countries have regularly heldmeetings of the joint committee on bilateral cooperation and the jointsub-committee on trade. Trade fairs have also been held in each country tointroduce products and attract investors.
In addition, bilateral security and defencerelations have been tightened. Based on a defence cooperation agreement signedin 2011, the two armies have sped up all-level delegation exchanges and boostedcooperation in border management, and illegal migration and smugglingprevention.-VNA
Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army Sen. Lt. Gen. Pham Ngoc Minh had a meeting with Lt. Gen. Tin Maung Win, Chief of Staff of the Bureau of Air Defence of Myanmar, in Hanoi on April 5.
Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar State Counsellor, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Minister of the President’s Office, will pay an official visit to Vietnam from April 19-20 at the invitation of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.
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.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stressed that the emulation and commendation work is a vital driver, fostering patriotism, dedication, and collective momentum in the run-up to the 11th National Patriotic Emulation Congress, Party congresses at all levels, and the 14th National Party Congress.
Emphasising the need for sustainable, long-term collaboration, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man called on Japanese investors not only to bring in capital but also to share expertise and modern technology, especially in areas such as green transformation, the circular economy, and advanced corporate governance.
President Luong Cuong's activities during his state visit to Angola, the celebration of the financial sector's 80th traditional day, and the Foreign Ministry's flag-hoisting ceremony marking the 58th founding anniversary of ASEAN are among news highlights on August 8.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Pham Viet Hung praised the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ meaningful initiative, noting that the ASEAN Family Run was not only a sporting activity but also an opportunity for diplomats and their families to show unity, connection, and solidarity within the ASEAN family.
Politburo member, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on August 8 attended the first congress of the Party Organisation of Tay Ho ward of Hanoi for the 2025–2030 term, during which he called for fresh momentum to turn the ward into a model that takes the lead in all fields.
The size of the economy increased from over 5 billion USD in 1986 to over 476 billion USD by 2024, making Vietnam the fourth-largest economy in Southeast Asia and the 34th largest in the world.
The ASEAN flag-hoisting ceremony is observed by the 10 ASEAN member countries on August 8 every year, aiming to spread and promote the ASEAN identity and affirm the determination to unite and cooperate for the common aspiration of long-term peace and prosperity of Southeast Asian countries under the common roof of the ASEAN Community.
Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Manh Cuong highlighted ASEAN’s nearly six decades of development, during which the region transformed from division to harmony, from confrontation to cooperation, and from poverty to dynamic growth, becoming a global bright spot for regional cooperation.
Thirty years ago, on July 28, 1995, Vietnam’s accession to ASEAN marked a historic strategic decision, opening a new chapter in the country’s integration process and beginning its strong rise.
Ambassador Vu Le Thai Hoang has outlined specific priorities and proposals for cooperation with the UNODA in preparation for the upcoming 11th Review Conference of the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
The Vietnamese Party leader's visit is therefore expected to mark a new stage in the development of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries, with a focus on such areas as digital transformation, supply chains, semiconductors, clean energy, and maritime security, Choe assessed.
At their meeting, which took place in the Angolan capital of Luanda on August 7 as part of State President Luong Cuong’s ongoing state visit to the African nation, the two officials also agreed to make full use of existing cooperation mechanisms, particularly the Vietnam – Angola Intergovernmental Committee, and step up exchanges of delegations at all levels.
President Luong Cuong's talks with his Angolan counterrpart João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, Vietnamese leader's receptions for a delegation from the Japan – Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Alliance, and the Government's regular meeting for July are among news highlights on August 7 evening.
Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi (R) and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc met on the sidelines of ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit in January (Source: VNA) 
