HCM City (VNA) 𒉰 - Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayaka left Ho Chi Minh City on May 6, successfully concluding his state visit to Vietnam and attendance at the United Nations Day of Vesak celebrations held from May 4-6 at the invitation of State President Luong Cuong.
While in Hanoi, President Dissanayaka laid a wreath in tribute to late President Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum. He also laid a wreath at the Monument to Heroic Martyrs on Bac Son street.
Party General Secretary To Lam hosted a reception for the Sri Lankan President, while President Luong Cuong presided over an official welcome ceremony, held talks, joined a press briefing, and hosted a banquet for the guest. The two Presidents also witnessed the signing of cooperation agreements and visited the President Ho Chi Minh relic site. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man also met separately with the Sri Lankan leader.
At these meetings, the Vietnamese leaders welcomed the Sri Lankan President's visit, which coincided with the 55th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties. They highly valued his attendance and keynote speech at the Vesak 2025 opening ceremony, and expressed their appreciation for his congratulatory message on the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the South and national reunification. The Vietnamese side stressed the historical importance of this milestone, not only for the Vietnamese people but also for international friends such as Sri Lanka, which stood in solidarity with Vietnam during its struggle for national independence.
President Dissanayaka, on his first trip to a Southeast Asia country since taking office, expressed his admiration for Vietnam’s transformation since national reunification. He highlighted Vietnam as one of the fastest growing economies in the world, now among the world’s top 32 economies by GDP, and its growing role and position in the region and the world.
He emphasised the Sri Lankan leaders and people’s admiration for President Ho Chi Minh and Vietnam’s resilient spirit in both wartime and national construction, expressing his desire to draw lessons from Vietnam’s development experience.
In wide-ranging discussions, the leaders reviewed the strong traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation forged since diplomatic ties were established on July 21, 1970. They expressed their satisfaction with the trust and vibrant people-to-people ties underpinning the relationship and issued a joint statement outlining key priorities to elevate the Vietnam-Sri Lanka partnership.
Within the framework of the trip, President Dissanayaka visited Bai Dinh Pagoda in the northern province of Ninh Binh and the headquarters of Vingroup, a major Vietnamese conglomerate. In Ho Chi Minh City, he delivered a keynote address as a chief guest at the Vesak celebration, reaffirming the Buddhist connection between the two nations.
The state visit underscored the commitment of Vietnam and Sri Lanka to cherish their longstanding friendship and expand all-around cooperation. Both sides expressed a shared vision to advance a more dynamic, expansive, and groundbreaking partnership built on mutual interests and untapped potential for the benefit of their people./.
Leaders of Vietnam and Sri Lanka discussed and agreed on key directions to uplift bilateral relations to the next level during the state visit to Vietnam by Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Disanayaka on May 4-6.
Noting that Vietnam and Sri Lanka still have great potential in economic, trade and investment collaboration, the two leaders vowed to take stronger measures to increase two-way trade and investment, aiming for bilateral trade turnover of 1 billion USD, and considering the possibility of negotiating and signing a bilateral free trade agreement when conditions permit.
President of Sri Lanka, Anura Kumara Dissanayaka, is paying a state visit to Vietnam and participating in the 20th United Nations Day of Vesak celebrations from May 4 to 6, at the invitation of his counterpart, Vietnamese President Luong Cuong. The visit coincides with the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
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.
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.
