On the afternoon of January 30, General Secretary To Lam held phone calls with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, marking a series of high-level diplomatic exchanges following the conclusion of Vietnam’s 14th National Party Congress.

In his conversation with President Lee Jae Myung, General Secretary To Lam expressed gratitude for South Korea’s prompt congratulations on the successful 14th Congress and his re-election as Party chief.

President Lee praised Vietnam’s leadership and emphasized South Korea’s commitment to strengthening bilateral relations. He described Vietnam as a central and priority partner in Seoul’s foreign policy strategy for the region, noting that To Lam’s state visit to South Korea in August 2025 significantly deepened political trust and created new cooperation opportunities.

The two leaders agreed to bolster their comprehensive strategic partnership by increasing high-level exchanges and expanding cooperation in national defense, security, and defense industry projects. Both sides emphasized the need for breakthroughs in economic cooperation, the main pillar of bilateral ties.

President Lee voiced support for Korean businesses investing in Vietnam’s semiconductor industry, high-tech electronics, and deep-value manufacturing clusters through major South Korean conglomerates. Both countries committed to easing trade flows and opening markets to reach a bilateral trade target of USD 150 billion by 2030.

General Secretary To Lam welcomed South Korea’s continued contributions to Vietnam’s sports sector, particularly through Korean coaches, in light of Vietnam’s recent third-place finish at the 2026 AFC U23 Championship. He expressed hope for broader cultural cooperation as a symbol of deepening ties.

On multilateral issues, both leaders pledged close coordination in maintaining peace and stability in the region, including on the Korean Peninsula. General Secretary To Lam also invited South Korea to share expertise and assist Vietnam in hosting the 2027 APEC Summit in Phu Quoc, and to accelerate preparations for the next Mekong–Korea Summit.

Singapore to expand VSIP projects, boost high-tech investments

Also on January 30, General Secretary To Lam held a phone conversation with Lawrence Wong, Secretary-General of the People’s Action Party and Prime Minister of Singapore. The call took place in a friendly and deeply trusting atmosphere, reflecting the elevated status of Vietnam–Singapore relations since becoming comprehensive strategic partners in 2025.

Mr. To Lam appreciated the longstanding partnership, highlighting Singapore’s role as Vietnam’s top ASEAN investor and second-largest globally, with 4,400 projects worth $90 billion.

He proposed that Singapore continue supporting Vietnam in policymaking and leadership training. Emphasizing the importance of political trust, he called for swift implementation of the 2025–2030 Action Program, early launch of a Party-to-Party dialogue mechanism, and expanded cooperation in high-tech industries, renewable energy, and carbon credit exchange under the new VSIP 2.0 model.

Defense and security collaboration, transnational crime prevention, cultural and tourism exchanges, and data center development were also named as key areas for joint progress.

Prime Minister Wong reiterated Singapore’s strong interest in Vietnam, pledging to carry out agreed cooperation plans. He announced that Singapore would increase the number of Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Parks (VSIP) to 30 by 2026, marking the 30th anniversary of this successful economic initiative.

The leaders agreed to intensify coordination ahead of 2027, when Singapore will chair ASEAN and Vietnam will host the APEC Summit.

Tran Thuong