Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc arrived in Hanoi on late April 28, concluding his trip to Singapore for an official visit and to attend the 32nd ASEAN Summit at the invitation of his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong.

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc was seen off at Changi airportAs part of the 4-day trip, the Vietnamese PM paid a courtesy call to President Halimah Yacob and held talks with PM Lee Hsien Loong. He also held meetings with Singaporean groups planning to invest in Vietnam, and with Singaporean scientist and intellectuals on the application of 4.0 technologies in building a constructive government.

He spent time attending the Vietnam – Singapore Business Forum and talking to lecturers and students at the Singapore Management University, one of the top establishments supporting start-ups in the country. His schedule also included a meeting with staff at the Vietnamese Embassy and representatives of the Vietnamese expatriate community, and a tour around the Vietnam’s pavilion at Food & Hotel Asia 2018 in Singapore.

During their talks, PM Phuc and his Singaporean counterpart discussed measures to capitalize on opportunities of regional economic links generated by the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) to which both Vietnam and Singapore are signatories, and the fourth industrial revolution.

They agreed to maintain trustful and close political ties through all-level delegation exchanges, boost defence-security cooperation, with attention paid to practical collaboration between naval, aviation and search and rescue forces, and in defence technology. They agreed to coordinate with each other in handling common security challenges such as piracy and terrorism, ensuring navigation security and safety, as well as cyber security.

The two PMs concurred that investment and trade cooperation is an important pillar in bilateral ties,and vowed to promote business connectivity, exploit aviation linkage potentials, and stimulating collaboration in finance and stock market management, helping Vietnamese companies list in the Singaporean securities market.

PM Lee Hsien Loong pledged that Singapore will continue investing in Vietnam and offering scholarships for Vietnamese students

The sides vowed to enhance bilateral ties at international forums, especially within the framework of the ASEAN, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, and the United Nations.

They affirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the region along with freedom of navigation and overflight in the East Sea. They reiterated their support for the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and early finalisation of an effective and legal binding Code of Conduct (COC) of parties in the waters.

On the occasion, the two PMs adopted a joint statement on the visit and witnessed the signing of several cooperation deals.

As part of his Singapore trip, PM Phuc attended the Vietnam – Singapore Business Forum and witnessed the signing of 16 cooperation pacts between firms of the two countries. He also met and held dialogues with Singaporean leading companies, to whom he stated that Vietnam welcomes Singaporean investors, who would bring to Vietnam the rich experience of the start-up nation of Singapore.

Attending the 32nd ASEAN summit, PM Phuc voiced his opinion that promoting innovation will stimulate ASEAN’s resilience power, particularly economic resilience. He announced that three major cities of Vietnam - Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang - will be part of the ASEAN network of smart cities under Singapore’s initiative.  

On the sidelines of the summit, Phuc held bilateral meetings with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, and Myanmar President Win Myint (Uyn Min), discussing measures and orientations for relations development.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s official visit to Singapore and attendance at the 32nd ASEAN Summit has contributed to fostering Vietnam – Singapore cooperation and demonstrated Vietnam’s support for Singapore’s ASEAN chairmanship in 2018.-VNA