Vietnamese State President Luong Cuong and Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah have agreed to further promote the relationship between the two countries, thus bringing tangible benefits to their people and contributing to peace, stability, and cooperation in the region and the world.
Meeting with Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah on October 31 on the sidelines of the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Gyeongju, the Republic of Korea, President Cuong welcomed the Sultan’s upcoming visit to Vietnam in 2025 and reaffirmed Vietnam’s readiness to maintain high-level contacts and exchanges across all channels.
The State leader called for continued implementation of bilateral cooperation mechanisms and effective realisation of the Action Plan on the implementation of the Vietnam-Brunei Comprehensive Partnership in the 2023-2027. He emphasised enhanced cooperation in the four priority areas of oil and gas, chemicals, Halal food processing, tourism, and people-to-people exchange.
President Cuong affirmed commitment to facilitating Bruneian investment and business expansion, urging both countries to accelerate the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Halal cooperation. The President urged Brunei to support Vietnamese enterprises in production and certification for agricultural and Halal products, which, he said, will enable Vietnamese goods to access the Bruneian market and integrate into the global Halal supply chain.
For his part, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah expressed his high regard and hope for stronger development of the relations with Vietnam, including in the areas of economy, trade, energy, oil and gas, culture, and people-to-people exchange.
Congratulating Vietnam on its re-election to the UN Human Rights Council for the 2026–2028 term, the Sultan praised Vietnam’s increasingly active role in promoting multilateral cooperation in the world. He affirmed that Brunei will continue supporting Vietnam through capacity-building programmes, including English language training.
Both leaders concurred to promote solidarity, unity, and maintenance of ASEAN’s central role in the region. They pledged to strengthen cooperation in regional and international issues of mutual concern, including the East Sea issue, the acceleration of negotiations for a substantive and effective Code of Conduct in the East Sea in line with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
