HANOI: Singapore welcomes Vietnam’s support for Singaporean companies to grow their presence in the country, as both sides expand their cooperation under a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP), said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Tuesday (Mar 25).
Speaking on the first day of his visit to Hanoi, Mr Wong described Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh as “a friend and a like-minded and forward-looking partner”.
He noted that Mr Chinh’s plan to transform Vietnam through three “strategic breakthroughs” – institutional reform, digital infrastructure and human resource development – closely aligns with Singapore’s own priorities.
These initiatives, along with Vietnam’s push in areas like the green economy, are also aligned with the CSP agenda, said Mr Wong during an official dinner hosted by Mr Chinh.
“We welcome your encouragement for Singapore companies to invest and grow their presence here in Vietnam in sectors like low-carbon power, and we look forward to the Vietnam government’s support for such projects,” he said.
Earlier, Mr Wong had arrived at Noi Bai International Airport at 5.30pm, and was received by Vietnam’s Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Hung.
HIGH LEVEL OF TRUST
In his speech, Mr Wong noted that it was his first visit to Vietnam since becoming prime minister in May last year.
He had met with Mr Chinh several times in the past year in regional and multilateral meetings, such as on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in November.
Two weeks ago, Communist Party of Vietnam’s general secretary To Lam visited Singapore, where he had “a good discussion” with Mr Wong. Both sides announced an upgrade of bilateral relations to the CSP during that visit.
“These regular engagements demonstrate the high level of trust between our two countries,” said Mr Wong.
They also show how the relationship between Singapore and Vietnam has grown, since the very first exchange of visits between the countries’ early leaders – founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew and former Communist Party of Vietnam’s general secretary Do Muoi.
Singapore marked the 10th anniversary of Mr Lee’s death on Sunday.
BILATERAL TIES STRONGER THAN EVER
Mr Wong said in his remarks that bilateral ties between both countries are at a high point, with both sides enjoying strong people-to-people ties, he added.
“We have a steady flow of people travelling between our two countries for tourism, work and studies,” he said.
“The growing Vietnamese community in Singapore has also enriched the diversity of our island state, and they have also brought their culture to our Singapore traditions.”