On the afternoon of March 25, Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and his wife, Loo Tze Lui, arrived in Hanoi, marking the start of their official visit to Vietnam at the invitation of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife.

Welcoming Prime Minister Wong and his delegation at the airport were Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Hung, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Manh Cuong, Vietnamese Ambassador to Singapore Tran Phuoc Anh, and other senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Accompanying Prime Minister Wong and his wife were several high-ranking Singaporean officials, including Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan; Minister of Manpower and Second Minister for Trade and Industry Tan See Leng; Minister of State for Health and Minister of State for Digital Development and Information Rahayu Binte Mahzam; Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Albert Chua; Singapore Ambassador to Vietnam Jaya Ratnam; and Singapore Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Pang Te Cheng.

Strengthening bilateral cooperation

During his visit, Prime Minister Wong is scheduled to meet with senior Vietnamese leaders, witness the signing of several cooperation agreements, and attend the groundbreaking ceremony of the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) in Thai Binh Province.

Both sides are expected to discuss important cooperation priorities, including industrial infrastructure development, science and technology innovation, digital transformation, human resource quality improvement, cultural and sports exchanges, and youth engagement.

The visit follows the recent trip by General Secretary To Lam to Singapore less than two weeks ago, reflecting the increasingly positive bilateral relationship.

The two nations have elevated their ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, creating broader and deeper cooperation opportunities.

The visit also underscores the ASEAN tradition of newly appointed government leaders visiting fellow member countries, highlighting the continued strengthening of regional relations.

Expanding economic collaboration

Vietnam and Singapore have immense cooperation potential, especially in traditional sectors such as trade, investment, defense, culture, education, and people-to-people exchanges.

The two countries are working to increase bilateral trade from the current $23 billion to $30 billion by 2028.

Singapore is currently the second-largest foreign investor in Vietnam, with accumulated FDI exceeding $84 billion.

The Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) network, comprising 18 parks, continues to expand and upgrade to the VSIP 2.0 model.

This next-generation model focuses on innovation, low-carbon emissions, and sustainability, attracting high-quality foreign investment and green, sustainable, and technology-driven businesses.

Tran Thuong