Singapore, Vietnam to deepen ties across the board with wide-ranging pact

Source: Straits Times
Article Date: 13 Mar 2025
Author: Alyssa Woo

Comprehensive Strategic Partnership will take ties to a new era: PM Lawrence Wong

Singapore and Vietnam are taking ties to a “new era”, committing on March 12 to establishing a wide-ranging pact that will deepen cooperation in security and defence as well as emerging areas such as renewable energy and the digital economy.

The new Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) will be an upgrade of Singapore and Vietnam’s Strategic Partnership established in 2013 and builds on the Green-Digital Economic Partnership set up in 2023.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said at a joint press conference with visiting Vietnamese leader To Lam: “This CSP is significant for Singapore because it is our first with an Asean member state. It reflects the high level of trust between Singapore and Vietnam, the good work that we have done together, and the potential to do even more.”

PM Wong added later during an official lunch for Mr Lam held at the Conrad Centennial Singapore that the CSP “sets out how both countries will work together in strategic areas like defence and security, combating transnational crime, and humanitarian aid and disaster relief”.

“Importantly, it also reflects our shared commitment to deepen cooperation in new and emerging areas, including renewable energy, carbon credits, subsea cable connectivity, and the digital economy.”

At the conference held at Parliament House, PM Wong and Mr Lam, who is the Communist Party of Vietnam’s General Secretary, agreed to focus special attention on a range of areas.

In addition to working closely on defence and security, such as combating transnational crimes, both sides will strengthen cooperation in international and regional forums, and support each other on issues of common interest and concern, especially in furthering the process of building an Asean community.

Both countries will also ramp up cooperation in developing talent and stronger people-to-people ties, collaborate further in technical and vocational education and training, and implement the Singapore-Vietnam Innovation Talent Exchange Programme.

Reinforcing economic cooperation and collaboration in mutually beneficial areas is also important. This includes the 20 Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Parks (VSIPs) across 14 provinces, as well as collaboration in food safety and security, cross-border QR code payments, and in capital markets.

Both sides will also work closer in the energy and green sector, towards the common goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, and strengthen cooperation on digital connectivity, cross-border data flows, cyber security and artificial intelligence.

The foreign ministries of both countries have been assigned to develop a plan of action with the relevant ministries and agencies, the two sides said in a joint statement.

Both leaders also witnessed the exchange of memorandums of understanding and agreements related to combating transnational crime, digital transformation, offshore wind power trade cooperation, and the development of VSIPs.

At the lunch, PM Wong said both countries were taking their cooperation to a “new era” with the elevation of their relationship. “We will work closely together to make concrete progress across these forward-looking areas. And our ability to do so will position both our countries well to navigate the complexities of an increasingly turbulent global environment,” he said.

PM Wong added that Vietnam’s emphasis on sustainable development, green growth and digital transformation aligns with Singapore’s own priorities.

Expanding bilateral cooperation in the renewable energy sector and digital economy will also set the foundation for regional initiatives, including the Asean Power Grid and Asean Digital Economy Framework Agreement.

In his reply toast, Mr Lam said the CSP “reaffirms our shared commitment to a robust and dynamic future”. He said: “It provides a strong foundation and a powerful impetus to elevate our bilateral relations to new heights – fulfilling the aspirations of our leaders and people alike.”

Mr Lam, who is in Singapore on a three-day official visit, added that he was deeply impressed by Singapore’s remarkable growth, forward-thinking vision and leadership in pioneering the key transformations in areas such as the green economy, sustainable development, digital transformation, energy transition and smart cities.

He said that since Vietnam’s accession to Asean in 1995, Singapore has remained a key economic partner and a steadfast companion in its journey of reform and progress.

Underlining Singapore’s longstanding friendship with Vietnam, PM Wong said the first exchange of visits between the two countries by then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and then General Secretary Do Muoi paved the way for the close partnership, which has since been nurtured by subsequent generations of leaders.

PM Wong said he had met Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh several times at regional and multilateral forums, and noted having “a good conversation” over the phone with Mr Lam in 2024. “Such regular interaction is testament to the closeness of our relationship,” said PM Wong, adding that he was looking forward to his first official visit to Vietnam as Prime Minister towards the end of March.

Bilateral trade between Singapore and Vietnam has grown over the past decade, with the value of bilateral trade in goods reaching $31.6 billion in 2024.

Vietnam’s exports to Singapore also increased significantly during the same period, said PM Wong.

As at December 2024, Singapore was Vietnam’s top foreign investor, with foreign direct investments valued at US$10.2 billion (S$13.6 billion).

A new orchid hybrid, Papilionanda To Lam Linh Ly, was named in honour of Mr Lam, his wife Madam Ngo Phuong Ly and their daughter earlier in the morning at the National Orchid Garden in the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Mr Lam became Vietnam’s top leader on Aug 3, 2024, shortly after the death of his predecessor Nguyen Phu Trong in July.

Mr Lam also called on President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, and met Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Speaker of Parliament Seah Kian Peng separately in the afternoon.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a statement that Mr Lam and President Tharman reaffirmed the warm and longstanding ties between both countries, and discussed ways to strengthen cooperation in green and digital economies and to realise the Asean Power Grid.

They also recognised the complementary nature of Singapore and Vietnam’s economies and agreed that both countries should work together for the growth and prosperity of Asean and the region, MFA added.

With SM Lee, Mr Lam exchanged views on global and regional issues of mutual concern, and welcomed opportunities to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in areas such as science and technology and renewable energy, MFA noted.

During their talk, Mr Seah and Mr Lam again reaffirmed the strong bilateral relations and said they looked forward to strengthening inter-parliamentary exchanges between Singapore and Vietnam.

Mr Lam also gave a policy lecture at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, which was chaired by Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean.

Alyssa Woo is assistant business editor at The Straits Times. She oversees coverage of the hospitality and retail sector, as well as personal finance stories for the weekly Invest pages.