PM Lawrence Wong at the Official Lunch in Honour of Community Party of Vietnam General Secretary To Lam

Your Excellency General Secretary To Lam

Madam Ngo Phuong Ly

Excellencies and distinguished guests

Ladies and gentlemen

I am delighted to welcome the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Excellency To Lam and his delegation to Singapore.

The General Secretary’s visit comes at a significant juncture for both our countries.

This year marks the 60th and 80th anniversaries of Singapore and Vietnam’s independence.

General Secretary Lam’s visit is therefore a timely occasion for us to celebrate the breadth and depth of our relationship, and to chart the future of our bilateral cooperation.

Singapore-Vietnam relations are anchored by strong political trust between our leaders.

The first exchange of visits occurred with then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and then-General Secretary Do Muoi, and that paved the way for our subsequent strong partnership. And since then, generations of leaders have continued to nurture this relationship and to build trust on both sides.

I have met Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh several times in regional and multilateral forums.

I had a good conversation with General Secretary Lam last year over the phone and we had a productive meeting earlier today.

Such regular interaction is testament to the closeness of our relationship and of course I look forward to making my introductory visit to Vietnam in two weeks’ time

Our robust economic collaborations are the cornerstone of our relationship.

Last year, Singapore was Vietnam's top foreign investor and that reflects the high level of confidence that our businesses have in Vietnam’s potential.

And Vietnam’s exports to Singapore have also increased significantly over the same period, demonstrating the growing links between our two economies.

In particular, the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Parks, or VSIPs, have become enduring symbols of our economic partnership. And with the latest additions, we now have 20 VSIPs across 14 provinces in Vietnam. And they have evolved from traditional industrial parks to integrated developments with high value-added industries. And created good jobs for the Vietnamese people. And besides economic links, we also enjoy strong people-to-people ties.

Singapore is honoured to be able to play a part in supporting Vietnam’s human resource development.

We are also home to a large and growing Vietnamese community here in Singapore. They have contributed to our economy and enriched our cultural diversity.

It’s not just Singapore-Vietnam relations that have grown from strength to strength. Vietnam too has made immense strides in its own development journey.

Under Secretary General Lam’s leadership, Vietnam is embarking on a “new era of ascendancy”, with an emphasis on sustainable development, green growth, and digital transformation. All this aligns with Singapore’s own priorities.

So I am glad that Singapore and Vietnam are taking our cooperation into a “new era” today, with the elevation of our relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP). The CSP sets out how we will work together in strategic areas like defence and security, combatting transnational crime, and humanitarian aid and disaster relief.

It also reflects our shared commitment to deepen cooperation in new and emerging areas including renewable energy, carbon credits, subsea cable connectivity, and the digital economy. We will work closely together to make concrete progress across these forward-looking areas. And our ability to do so will position both our countries well to navigate the complexities of an increasingly turbulent global environment.

So I look forward to working closely with General Secretary Lam to take our bilateral relationship to greater heights. And I am confident this relationship will continue to flourish, bringing benefit to the people of our two countries, while contributing to the stability, peace and prosperity of ASEAN.

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, may I now invite you to join me in a toast:

To the continued good health and success of General Secretary Lam and Madam Ly;

To the peace, progress and prosperity of Vietnam; and

To the enduring friendship between Singapore and Vietnam.