Senior Minister (SM) and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean has concluded his Official Visit to Hanoi, Vietnam from 15 to 17 November 2023. SM’s visit was at the invitation of Minister of Public Security General To Lam, and coincides with the 50th anniversary of bilateral relations and 10th anniversary of our Strategic Partnership this year.
On 16 November, SM met Minister To Lam who also hosted SM to an Official Lunch. SM and Minister To Lam reaffirmed the longstanding friendship and excellent relations between Singapore and Vietnam. Both leaders highlighted the growing bilateral cooperation in the areas of trade and investment, green energy, security and combatting transnational crime, and human resource development over the years. SM also met Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Quang Phuong. Both leaders took stock of the positive and wide-ranging bilateral agenda, as well as the strong people-to-people ties between the two countries.
On 17 November, SM called on Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and met Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Dang Quoc Khanh. SM and Minister Khanh discussed Singapore and Vietnam’s common interest to collaborate in the green economy, including in renewable energy and carbon credits. They agreed to pursue carbon markets piloting activities, aligned with Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, at the earliest opportunity, while working towards signing a legally binding Implementation Agreement when Vietnam’s national carbon markets framework is ready. This proposal was supported by Prime Minister Chinh. SM and Prime Minister Chinh also took stock of Singapore and Vietnam’s strong bilateral relations and close cooperation at multilateral fora, including ASEAN. Both leaders welcomed the proposal to upgrade bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and looked forward to stepping up substantive cooperation, particularly in the green and digital economies.
At the invitation of Minister To Lam, SM visited Vietnam’s National Centre for Population Database (NCPD) and met Deputy Minister of Public Security Nguyen Duy Ngoc. SM welcomed further cooperation and exchanges between Singapore and Vietnam in the areas of digital economy, combatting cybercrime, and data policies.
SM also visited the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics (HCMA), where SM and HCMA President and Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Politburo Member Nguyen Xuan Thang witnessed the signing of the Letter of Commitment (LOC) on the Potential Leaders’ Programme (PLP). The PLP is a joint programme between the NUS Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and HCMA, supported by Temasek Foundation. It will provide support for a series of six training programmes for 180 senior CPV cadres and government officials from 2024 to 2025, focusing on the areas of good governance, digital transformation, and green transition. SM and HCMA President Thang looked forward to the continued deepening of people-to-people ties and mutual sharing of experiences between Singapore and Vietnam, through regular high-level platforms such as the PLP.
SM returns to Singapore today.
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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
17 NOVEMBER 2023