Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh presided over the welcoming ceremony for the Singaporean Prime Minister and his wife.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong review the Guard of Honour of the Vietnam People's Army. (Photo: Duong Giang/VNA)

On the morning of March 26, at the Presidential Palace, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired the welcoming ceremony for Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and his wife on an official visit to Vietnam from March 25 to 26.

Taking place just over a week after General Secretary To Lam visited Singapore and upgraded Vietnam-Singapore relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's first official visit to Vietnam as Prime Minister contributed to promoting the realization of the results of General Secretary To Lam's visit to Singapore and the new framework of relations between the two countries.

In a sincere, warm and open atmosphere, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife went to the car door to welcome Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and his wife; then the Singaporean Prime Minister and his wife received a bouquet of fresh flowers from students in Hanoi.

The two Prime Ministers walked on the red carpet to the greetings of school children holding the Vietnamese and Singaporean flags in their hands.

As the two leaders stepped onto the podium, under the flags of the two countries, the national anthems of Singapore and Vietnam were played.

In a solemn atmosphere, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong walked forward to salute the national flags of the two countries.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh invited Prime Minister Lawrence Wong to inspect the Guard of Honour of the Vietnam People's Army. The two Prime Ministers then introduced to each other the members of the two countries' high-ranking delegations attending the welcoming ceremony; and together witnessed the welcoming parade of the Guard of Honour of the Vietnam People's Army.

After the welcoming ceremony, the two Prime Ministers moved to the Government Headquarters to hold talks.

Before the talks, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong visited a photo exhibition about the country, people and good relations between Vietnam and Singapore, organized by the Government Office in coordination with the Vietnam News Agency.

Along with the talks with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, during his visit to Vietnam, Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong is expected to have meetings with senior leaders of the Party, State, and National Assembly of Vietnam and a number of other activities.

After 52 years of establishing diplomatic relations, especially after the recent visit to Singapore by General Secretary To Lam, Vietnam-Singapore relations are at a particularly good stage with increasingly consolidated political trust, close economic and investment cooperation, and close people-to-people exchanges. The two sides regularly exchange delegations, especially at high levels; and cooperate and coordinate closely at regional and international forums.

Economic, trade and investment cooperation is an area in which the two countries have achieved many successes. Singapore has always been one of Vietnam's largest partners, with trade turnover between the two countries reaching 10.3 billion USD in 2024.

Currently, Singapore maintains its leading position in ASEAN, ranking second out of 149 countries and territories investing in Vietnam, with nearly 4,000 valid projects, total registered capital of more than 84 billion USD; many projects, especially the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Parks (VSIP), are symbols of economic cooperation between the two countries.

Vietnam currently has 153 investment projects in Singapore with a total registered capital of over 690 million USD. Singapore is the first country with which Vietnam has established a Digital Economy-Green Economy Partnership.

Cooperation in education and human resource training is a bright spot in bilateral relations, with more than 21,000 mid- and high-ranking officials and managers from Vietnam having participated in training within the framework of the Singapore Cooperation Program over the past 30 years.

The Vietnamese community in Singapore currently has over 20,000 people, who comply with local laws, turn to their homeland, and are a bridge to foster Vietnam-Singapore relations.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's visit to Vietnam comes at a time when the two countries are marking important milestones. In 2025, Singapore will celebrate the 60th anniversary of Independence Day and the 10th anniversary of the death of Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew; for Vietnam, it will mark the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the 80th anniversary of National Day, the 50th anniversary of National Reunification, and the 30th anniversary of joining ASEAN; ready to enter an era of growth.

During the visit, the two sides continued to discuss the implementation and realization of the Vietnam-Singapore Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, in which the two sides shared strategic goals and issues of mutual concern to overcome difficulties, enhance resilience and rise strongly.

Based on the good relationship over the past 50 years, this official visit to Vietnam by Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and his wife will certainly be successful, contributing to making the Vietnam-Singapore Comprehensive Strategic Partnership increasingly effective and substantive./.

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