Indonesian President Joko Widodo and his spouse will pay a state visit to Vietnam from September 11-12, 2018. 

Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Source: Netral English)

The visit is made at the invitation of President Tran Dai Quang and his spouse, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

Vietnam and Indonesia officially established diplomatic ties on December 30, 1955. 

The two countries upgraded the bilateral relationship to the level of strategic partnership in June 2013. Since then, they have recorded numerous achievements through high-level visits and meetings, and the signing of cooperation agreements in the fields of politics, economy, and culture.

Two-way trade between Vietnam and Indonesia recorded a strong surge, increasing fourfold in the 2012-2017 period with an annual average growth of 6.5 percent. In 2017, bilateral trade hit 6.7 billion USD, representing a year-on-year increase of 16 percent.

At present, the Indonesian Government is providing scholarships for Vietnamese citizens under three programmes sponsored by the former’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ministry of Research, Technology, and Higher Education; and Ministry of Education and Culture.–VNA