Vietnam seeks deepened ties with Brunei, Singapore
The upcoming State visits to Brunei and Singapore by President Tran Dai Quang aim to realise the foreign policy set forth by the 12 th Party Congress and deepen relations with the two countries.
Hanoi (VNA) –൲ The upcoming State visits to Brunei and Singapore by President Tran Dai Quang aim to realise the foreign policy set forth by the 12th Party Congress and deepen relations with the two ASEAN member countries.
Vietnam and Brunei established diplomatic ties on February 29, 1992. Since then, the two countries regularly exchanged visits and high-ranking meetings.
Bilateral economic, trade and investment cooperation has made big strides with two-way trade jumping from 24.2 million USD in 2010 to 73.7 million USD in 2015. The figure hit 17 million USD as of June 2016.
Vietnam mainly exports seafood and rice to Brunei while importing chemicals from the country.
As of June 2016, Brunei has run 205 projects valued at more than 2.18 billion USD in Vietnam, ranking 18th out of 116 countries and territories investing in the country and fourth among other ASEAN investors, behind Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.
Vietnam has one project worth 650,000 USD in Brunei, specialising in metals and chemicals.
The two countries also hold a lot of potential for cooperation in fisheries, real estate and education-training.
Of note, they inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on educational cooperation in April 2014. Apart from scholarships granted to Vietnamese students to study in Brunei, the country has also offered oil and English scholarships to Vietnam.
The two sides have also signed a range of agreements and MoUs on affiliation in tourism, aviation and trade.
The President’s trip to Singapore from August 28-30 is crucial and meaningful, said Vietnamese Ambassador to Singapore Nguyen Tien Minh.
Singapore is one of the first countries President Tran Dai Quang has visited after he took office, which manifests the importance Vietnam has attached to the country’s role in the region as well as the bilateral ties, the diplomat said.
During the trip, representatives of the two countries’ new leaderships will seek measures to enhance bilateral cooperation and help each other reach their set targets in the time ahead.
The relations between the two countries began in the 1990s and developed into strategic partnership in 2013.
Two-way trade grew 12 percent annually in the past three consecutive years. Singapore now is Vietnam’s third largest investors, just behind Japan and the Republic of Korea, with a total investment at 36 billion USD, Minh noted.
Singapore has prioritised its investments in manufacturing, processing and real estate in Vietnam, he said, suggesting Vietnam seek ways to lure more Singaporean investments in other fields while enhancing the bilateral collaboration in politics, security, national defence, culture and sports.
Mentioning the Vietnam-Singapore Agreement on Economic Connectivity signed in 2005, the ambassador described economic connectivity as a strategic step since the two economies are reciprocal.
Singapore has capital and experience in economic development and nation-building while Vietnam boasts an abundant labour force and rich natural resources, he further explained.
Joining hands with each other, the two countries aim to access not only the respective markets but the ASEAN Economic Community, ASEAN’s six partner countries and members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreements at large, he noted.-VNA
Vietnam and Brunei have expanded their defence cooperation across levels, as viewed by the two countries’ officers at the 55 th founding anniversary of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces.
A charity foundation established by a group of Vietnamese expats living in Singapore has presented scholarships to nearly 120 Vietnamese disadvantaged students with excellent academic results.
A number of Singaporean firms have expressed their keen interest in investing in high technology in the central city of Da Nang – one of Vietnam’s most vibrant localities.
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.
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.
President Tran Dai Quang (Source: VNA)
