Vietnam, Singapore leaders discuss deepening cooperation in new economic fields

Vietnamese President To Lam met with Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in Singapore on May 29, aiming to bolster the already strong bilateral relationship. Wong welcomed Lam, noting Vietnam's development achievements and the potential for deeper cooperation following the upgrade of relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in March 2025.

Lam expressed his pleasure at visiting Singapore in his capacity as the leader of Vietnam's Party and State. He congratulated Singapore on its continued development and affirmed Vietnam's commitment to fostering friendship and multifaceted cooperation. Lam stated that his visit sought to enhance mutual understanding and create significant opportunities for collaboration, injecting new momentum into bilateral ties.

During the talks, Lam emphasized Vietnam's strategic focus on building a socialist rule-of-law state and its determination to develop a new growth model driven by the knowledge economy, digital economy, and green economy. Science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation are identified as key drivers for this new model, and these are precisely the areas Vietnam wishes to prioritize for cooperation with Singapore. He also shared Vietnam's plans to reform its administrative system for greater efficiency, mirroring Singapore's successful model.

The leaders reviewed past achievements, particularly in trade and investment, noting a bilateral trade turnover of nearly $12 billion in 2025 and Singapore's position as Vietnam's second-largest investor with nearly $100 billion in cumulative capital. The Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Parks (VSIP) were highlighted as a successful model, with plans to reach 30 VSIPs by 2026. They also acknowledged progress in defense, security, education, science, technology, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges. Looking ahead, they agreed to strengthen political trust through high-level exchanges and to elevate their strategic cooperation to match the new partnership framework, including establishing a dialogue mechanism.

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His past statements are not, at this moment, a reason to deny him entry.