SINGAPORE - Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will make a three-day official visit to Singapore from Wednesday, as both sides eye further cooperation in the green and digital economies.
The visit takes place as both countries celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations in 2023, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said on Tuesday.
It also marks the 10th anniversary of a strategic partnership agreement signed in 2013, which had upgraded ties and opened new areas of cooperation.
This is Mr Chinh’s first official visit to Singapore since he took office in 2021. He will receive a ceremonial welcome at the Istana on Thursday and call on President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who will host him to an official lunch.
Both prime ministers will witness the signing of bilateral agreements that will further strengthen the multifaceted cooperation between Singapore and Vietnam, particularly in the digital and green economies, said MFA.
Mr Chinh will meet Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong, Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean and Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin.
He will be accompanied by his wife, Madam Le Thi Bich Tran; Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son; Minister-Chairman of the Government Office Tran Van Son; Planning and Investment Minister Nguyen Chi Dung; Industry and Trade Minister Nguyen Hong Dien; senior officials and a business delegation.
Mr Chinh and his wife will have a new orchid hybrid named in their honour, said MFA. He will also visit the Smart Nation CityScape exhibition at the Singapore City Gallery in Maxwell Road.
His visit comes on the back of high-level meetings between both sides in 2022, such as Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat’s visit to Vietnam last September and Madam Halimah’s visit last October.
Singapore and Vietnam have strong economic ties, with bilateral trade growing steadily over the past decade to reach $31.3 billion in 2022. As at May 2022, Singapore was the second-largest cumulative investor in Vietnam, with investments totalling $94.5 billion.
A major component of economic engagement is the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Parks. There are now 12 such parks, which have attracted US$17 billion (S$22.6 billion) in investments and created 300,000 jobs.
Technical cooperation through the Singapore Cooperation Programme is another key area of engagement. So far, more than 20,900 Vietnamese officials have attended courses under the programme on various development topics.
In an interview with the Vietnam News Agency ahead of Mr Chinh’s visit, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan described Singapore and Vietnam as “longstanding friends and close partners” that cooperate in many areas, both bilaterally and at multilateral fora.
Asked about a possible framework for digital and green economy partnership that was being studied, Dr Balakrishnan said there is great potential for both countries to work together in these two fields.
He said Vietnam is keen to build up the use of digital platforms and services in the country – similar to Singapore’s Smart Nation strategy that seeks to drive digitalisation across the economy, government and society.
On the green economy, both Singapore and Vietnam have set the same target of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, he said. Both countries are keen to work together on harnessing renewable energy.
“Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has also accepted Prime Minister Chinh’s invitation to visit Vietnam. We are confident that Prime Minister Chinh will have a fruitful and productive visit to Singapore.”
