General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and State President To Lam met with Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore Seah Kian Peng on May 30, as part of his state visit to the country.
Speaker Seah affirmed that Singapore highly values Vietnam’s role and standing in the region and on the international stage.
He congratulated the guest leader on his re-election as Party chief and his election as President of Vietnam.
The Singaporean leader also praised General Secretary and President Lam’s keynote address at the Shangri-La Dialogue, noting it reflects shared views and aspirations.
He said that economic, trade, and investment cooperation between the two countries has grown strongly in recent years, helping further strengthen bilateral relations. He noted that many Singaporean businesses are eager to invest and operate in Vietnam, particularly in logistics and e-commerce.
For his part, General Secretary and President Lam conveyed regards from Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Thanh Man to the Singaporean parliamentary leader.
He congratulated Singapore on its remarkable development achievements and appreciated the role and contributions of the Parliament and Speaker in building an effective system of governance, providing a solid foundation for the country's stable development over the past 60 years.
The two leaders described Vietnam-Singapore relations as a model within ASEAN and expressed satisfaction with the significant achievements recorded in the bilateral ties, including cooperation between their legislative bodies.
They noted that although Vietnam and Singapore only elevated their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in March 2025, they have witnessed remarkable progress across all sectors and at all levels in a relatively short period of time. Such developments, they said, vividly reflect their enduring and warm relationship, as well as their shared values and aspirations.
The leaders also emphasised that the many similarities between the two countries provide a strong foundation for expanding collaboration, enabling them to support one another in adaptation and development. They expressed a desire to further strengthen comprehensive cooperation between the two legislatures.
General Secretary and President Lam highlighted that political trust has remained strong, while investment, trade and connectivity have continued to deepen, with the network of Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Parks (VSIPs) standing as a symbol of the effective economic partnership between the two countries.
He also underscored that Vietnam and Singapore are among ASEAN’s leading partners in such strategic areas as digital transformation, science and technology, clean energy, carbon credit exchange, cybersecurity, emerging technologies and financial centre development.
Sharing the productive outcomes of his separate talks with President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, the Vietnamese leader said that both sides agreed to further deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and support each other in maintaining stability and adaptability amid a world undergoing profound transformations marked by growing uncertainty.
The two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in emerging and high-potential fields, including digital transformation, green economy, clean energy transition, new technologies, innovation, smart finance, supply chain resilience, financial centre development and food security.
The top Vietnamese leader appreciated the positive contributions made by the two legislatures to implementing the Vietnam–Singapore Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, thereby helping strengthen political trust and promote effective economic cooperation. He affirmed that close legislative cooperation has helped create a favourable legal framework for implementing bilateral agreements.
He proposed the two sides continue to enhance exchanges of high-level delegations, young parliamentarians, women parliamentarians and subordinate committees; and strengthen collaboration and share experience in institution-building, legal reform and policymaking in emerging areas of national development.
Speaker Seah expressed his hope that Vietnam will support Singapore during its ASEAN Chairmanship in 2027 and that the two countries will continue working together to contribute to a stronger ASEAN./.
