08 Dec 2016
His Excellency Dao Viet Trung, Minister, Chairman of President's Office,
His Excellency Vu Hong Nam, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Your Excellencies,
Fellow Singaporeans and Dear Friends,
Thank you for joining us this evening to celebrate Singapore’s 51st National Day. I would like to thank Minister Trung and Vice Minister Nam for gracing our reception. I also want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the presence of Vice Ministers from various Ministries and the National Assembly as well as leaders from a number of provinces. I would also like to thank the children from SolArt Choir for their wonderful performance of two iconic Singapore songs.
2 National Day is close to the heart of every Singaporean. It is a time when we celebrate our past but at the same time look towards the future. This year’s National Day is also special as it marks the beginning of the next chapter of Singapore’s development, after we commemorated 50 years of independence last year. It is therefore apt that the theme for Singapore’s National Day this year is “Building Our Singapore of Tomorrow”.
3 This theme would also be relevant back when Singapore became independent in 1965, except that we would literally be concerned with what would happen “tomorrow”. At that time, few believed that Singapore could survive as a small nation with no natural resources. Against all odds, we managed to prosper. This was possible because we constantly sought to improve ourselves and make ourselves relevant to others. It was also possible because the Southeast Asia that we live in has been relatively peaceful, stable and prosperous. ASEAN has played an important role in fostering this conducive environment for growth and that is why one of the key goals of Singapore’s foreign policy is to maintain a cohesive, strong and autonomous ASEAN. The formation of the ASEAN community at the end of last year is a significant milestone, but we should not stop there. We should continue to strengthen and unite ASEAN so that the region will continue to prosper.
4 Within ASEAN, Vietnam has been a close and long-standing friend of Singapore. We elevated relations to a Strategic Partnership in 2013. Our leaders visit each other regularly and also meet often at multilateral forums. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has held bilateral meetings with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc twice in the short few months after the leadership change in Vietnam. Last month, our Senior Minister of State Mrs Josephine Teo made a working visit to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. We are expecting more Singapore leaders to visit Vietnam over the next few months. We are also looking forward to welcoming the new Vietnamese leaders to make their introductory visits to Singapore.
5 Our economic ties are also excellent. Singapore is the third largest investor in Vietnam, with a cumulative investment of US$38 billion. In some cities such as Ho Chi Minh City and Danang, Singapore is the largest investor. Many Singapore companies such as Capitaland, Sembcorp, Ascendas, Keppel Land and Mapletree have been in Vietnam for many years. We are also seeing more Singapore SMEs investing in Vietnam in recent years. This year, we are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park, or VSIP, which is an iconic project strongly supported by both governments.
6 Apart from the traditional sectors of real estate and manufacturing, Singapore companies are also looking at newer areas of investments, such as in the high-tech, banking, telecommunications and healthcare industries. With the many opportunities brought about by Vietnam’s further integration with the global economy, I am confident that Singapore companies will want to continue investing in Vietnam and be part of Vietnam’s growth story.
7 Apart from our good economic links, we also enjoy close people-to-people ties. Many Singaporeans visit Vietnam, not just to the traditional tourist destinations of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, but also to other provinces that are off the beaten path. Many Vietnamese also visit Singapore, many of whom are return visitors looking to explore the new sights in Singapore. There are also extensive educational exchanges between our countries, such as the scholarships that we give to bright Vietnamese students to further their studies in Singapore, and the training courses that we have provided to some 17,000 Vietnamese officials under the Singapore Cooperation Programme.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
8 As we embark on building our Singapore of tomorrow, we are optimistic in large part because of our close cooperation with friends like Vietnam. We look forward to continue working closely with our Vietnamese friends to strengthen our cooperation bilaterally, regionally and internationally.
9 May I now invite all of you to join me in a toast:
To the good health of His Excellency President Tran Dai Quang;
To the good health of His Excellency President Tony Tan Keng Yam;
To the good health of His Excellency Minister Dao Viet Trung;
To the good health of His Excellency Vice Minister Vu Hong Nam;
To the continued prosperity of Singapore and Vietnam; and to many more years of fruitful cooperation between our two nations.
10 Thank you.