Singaporean President’s visit to further intensify strategic partnership with Vietnam: ambassador
The State visit to Vietnam from October 16 to 20 by Singaporean President Halimah Yacob aims to elevate bilateral relations and further intensify the strategic partnership between the two countries, according to Vietnamese Ambassador Mai Phuoc Dung.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Singapore Mai Phuoc Dung grants an interview to the Vietnam News Agency (Photo: VNA)
Singapore (VNA) – The State visit to Vietnam fromOctober 16 to 20 by Singaporean President Halimah Yacob aims to elevatebilateral relations and further intensify the strategic partnership between thetwo countries, according to Vietnamese Ambassador Mai Phuoc Dung.
In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency ahead of the visit, thediplomat said the visit of the Singaporean State leader is a reciprocal of President Nguyen Xuan Phuc's trip to Singapore in late February 2022, and will furthersolidify the strategic partnership set up nine years ago and carry out the countries’agreements.
He noted since Vietnam reopened borders on March 15 andSingapore on April 1 after the COVID-19 pandemic had been brought under control,they have recorded a large number of people travelling between the two countries. Thereare about 20 flights connecting Singapore with big cities of Vietnam each day,along with a new air route linking the city state with Nha Trang, carryingabout 3,000 - 4,000 passengers.
Vietnam and Singapore have organised many mutual visits atall levels during which they not only shared experience in policy making and implementationbut also held investment forums and business dialogues to exchange information,seek partnerships, and devise solutions to obstacles to enterprises’ cooperation,Dung noted.
Those visits have strengthened political ties andfostered bilateral trade and investment, helping Singapore continually be thelargest foreign investor in Vietnam and fuel trade growth.
By the end of August 2022, Singapore had invested over 4.5billion USD in Vietnam. Bilateral trade turnover had reached some 15 billionUSD, rising nearly 25% from the same period of 2021, he added.
Aside from traditional cooperation areas, they have alsoworked together to develop infrastructure, build industrial parks, and trainhuman resources, the diplomat went on, saying that in President Phuc’s Statevisit last February, they also agreed to promote digital cooperation.
During President Halimah Yacob’s visit, the two countrieswill expand their collaboration to renewable energy.
Ambassador Dung expressed his hope that the agreements onenergy cooperation to be signed during the trip will give a new impulse forbilateral ties since Vietnam holds much potential for renewable energy while Singaporehas big demand for this type of energy.
A stronger energy partnership will open up a new opportunityhelping reinforce the two countries’ cooperation, he added./.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has affirmed that Singapore is one of the effective and practical partners of Vietnam in the region, especially in economy, trade, investment and education-training.
With a large workforce, lower labour costs and sizeable market, Vietnam is one of the popular destinations for Singapore’s start-ups, according to The Straits Times newspaper.
Singaporean Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies Heng Swee Keat visited Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) 1 in the southern province of Binh Duong on September 14, during which he hailed the VSIP as the most successful model in Vietnam-Singapore partnership.
Politburo member and Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen highlighted his city’s wish to further enhance substantive cooperation with Singapore while meeting with visiting Singaporean Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat on September 15.
Singapore’s President Halimah Yacob and her husband will pay a State visit to Vietnam from October 16-20 at the invitation of President Nguyen Xuan Phuc.
Long spoke highly of the dynamic, positive, and comprehensive development of Vietnam – Russia relations in recent years. He affirmed that the Vietnamese Party and State place great importance on further strengthening the comprehensive strategic partnership with Russia in a substantive and effective manner, in line with the development needs of both nations.
At the conference, participants reported that the Government has so far issued 28 decrees on the delegation of responsibilities and powers between the central Government and two-tier local administrations. Several localities have already piloted the new governance model.
Reality is the ultimate benchmark for success, he said, urging drafting agencies to work out policies that foster development, reduce bureaucratic hurdles, and respect practical conditions.
Under the official dispatch signed on June 20, ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, and chairpersons of provincial and municipal People’s Committees are requested to concentrate efforts on implementing core measures to ensure the smooth operations of the new administrative framework.
The Party chief underscored the need for the press to innovate relentlessly, evolve to keep pace with the country's development, transform into a truly professional, humanistic, and modern sector that serves the cause of the Party, the State, and the people on the path to national construction and development.
The UN Secretary-General praised Vietnam’s remarkable achievements in socio-economic development and international integration in recent years, noting that the country has emerged as a model in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), promoting international peace and security, and engaging in key UN processes.
Nghia affirmed that this is a milestone of special significance, affirming and honouring the the Vietnamese revolutionary press’s glorious tradition of 100 years of serving the revolutionary cause of the Party, serving the Fatherland, and serving the people.
The Party and State of Vietnam always attach great importance to and give top priority to the development of Vietnam–China relations. Vietnam is ready to work with the Chinese Party and State to further deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership and promote the building of the Vietnam-China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance.
Under the leadership of President Ho Chi Minh and the CPV, President Cuong said, the press has been a steadfast force on the ideological and cultural front, rallying the masses to pursue national aspirations.
NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man stressed the need to accelerate the application of artificial intelligence and smart teaching equipment, innovate teaching and assessment methods, and further improve the quality of formal education.
He also pledged that the NA will promote its ongoing supervision, making sure that every promise must lead to results, and every commitment must bring about real changes.
Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien welcomed the proposals put forward by the US side and reiterated Vietnam’s request for consideration of key areas of interest, including reciprocal tariff policies and access for Vietnamese key export products to the US market.
Deputy PM Le Thanh Long proposed countries promote shared values, including building trust, sincerity, and solidarity among nations and peoples; fostering cooperation spirit and responsible behaviour as well as upholding international law and the UN Charter; and placing people at the centre and as the goal, the key player, and the driving force of all policies.
The show, together with a grand parade to be held silmutaneously at Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi, will celebrate the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution, the National Day, and the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA).
In particular, in April 2023, the two sides successfully carried out a joint operation that dismantled a major organised, transnational drug trafficking ring involving both Vietnamese and Cambodian suspects.
The Vietnamese Embassy in Israel is closely coordinating with relevant local agencies to stay informed and provide the utmost support possible for Vietnamese nationals.
The launch of Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper in 1925, even before the founding of the Communist Party of Vietnam, is considered a testament to President Ho Chi Minh’s strategic foresight and strong belief in the guiding power of the revolutionary media.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Singapore Mai Phuoc Dung grants an interview to the Vietnam News Agency (Photo: VNA) 
