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Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh is in Singapore on a three-day visit from Feb. 8 to 10.

This is Chinh’s first official visit to Singapore in his current capacity after taking office in 2021.

Chinh was accompanied by a delegation, including Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son, other ministers, senior government officials and a business delegation.

He previously met with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on the sidelines of the Asean-United States Special Summit held in Washington D.C., U.S. in May 2022.

Ceremonial welcome

Chinh and his entourage were greeted at Changi Airport by Singapore’s Manpower Minister and Second Minister for Trade and Industry Tan See Leng on Feb. 8.

Chinh attended an official Welcome Ceremony at the Istana and called on President Halimah Yacob whilst there.

They discussed ways to step up regional and bilateral cooperation in various areas as well as reaffirmed the importance of multilateralism and a rules-based trading system.

Chinh then met with his counterpart PM Lee, who hosted him to an official lunch.Chinh also met with Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean and Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin, and visited the Smart Nation CityScape exhibition.

An orchid hybrid, “Papilionanda Pham Le Tran Chinh”, was named in honour of Chinh and his spouse, Madam Le Thi Bich Tran at the National Orchid Garden in Singapore Botanic Gardens on Feb. 9.

Chinh is scheduled to meet Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Finance and likely future prime minister Lawrence Wong today (Feb. 10).

Strong political trust and understanding

In his speech, PM Lee emphasised the longstanding and deep bilateral partnership between Singapore and Vietnam, saying that it is “anchored by strong political trust and understanding” between the leaders of both countries.

He also touched upon economic cooperation, congratulating Chinh on Vietnam’s remarkable economic recovery from the Covid pandemic.

“There are many opportunities for our two countries to work together in new areas,” PM Lee said, laying out examples like the digital economy, cybersecurity and renewable energy.

He noted that a series of agreements and bilateral frameworks were signed, one of them being the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the Green-Digital Economic Partnership.

Singapore and Vietnam continue to share strong economic ties, with bilateral trade growing steadily over the past decade, reaching a figure of S$31.3 billion in 2022.

PM Lee added that both countries "are committed to upholding ASEAN Centrality and unity, and deepening economic integration." He ended his speech with a toast to the “enduring friendship” between Singapore and Vietnam.

Commemoration of bilateral ties

Chinh’s visit coincides with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Singapore and Vietnam, as well as the 10th year mark of the Vietnam-Singapore Strategic Partnership.

According to an interview with Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan's by Vietnam News Agency, PM Lee has also accepted Chinh’s invitation to visit Vietnam.

Chinh's visit came shortly after the resignation of Vietnam's former president Nguyen Xuan Phuc amidst an ongoing anti-corruption drive in the country.

Phuc, who was Chinh's immediate predecessor as prime minister, was ousted in what the BBC saw as a power struggle at the top of Vietnamese politics.

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Top images via Ministry of Communications and Information