General Secretary To Lam’s state visit to Indonesia, official visit to ASEAN Secretariat and Singapore: A great success, with historical significance

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son gave an interview regarding General Secretary To Lam’s state visit to Indonesia, official visit to the ASEAN Secretariat, and official visit to Singapore. (Photo: Tuan Anh)

In his interview, Deputy Prime Minister Son highlighted the significance of the Party General Secretary's trip, saying that both Indonesia and Singapore, and the ASEAN Secretariat, placed great importance on the visits, offering the General Secretary, his Spouse and the Vietnamese delegation the highly dignified reception, accompanied by practical working programmes.

Regarding the notable outcomes of the trip, the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that the state visit to Indonesia, the official visit to the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, and the official visit to Singapore from March 9-13 by Party General Secretary To Lam, his Spouse and a Vietnamese high-ranking delegation was a great success, achieving all the set objectives, marking milestones in Vietnam's relations with these countries and the group. Members of the delegation also held highly effective meetings and working sessions with partners in both countries.

This is the first visit by a General Secretary of Vietnam to Indonesia in nearly eight years (since August 2017), to Singapore in nearly 13 years (since September 2012), and the first-ever official visit to the ASEAN Secretariat. The visit holds historic significance as Vietnam simultaneously upgraded its relations with two ASEAN countries, thereby deepening cooperation with both nations and further contributing to the ASEAN community, he noted.

General Secretary To Lam and President of Indonesia, President of the Great Indonesian Movement Party (Gerindra) Prabowo Subianto at the welcome ceremony. (Photo: Tuan Anh)

To date, Vietnam is the only ASEAN nation with which both Indonesia and Singapore have established a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The historical significance of the visit also lies in the fact that it marked the first time a General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) has visited the ASEAN Secretariat, underscoring the group's strategic importance for Vietnam, and reaffirming Vietnam's consistent policy of making more proactive and responsible contributions to the common cause of ASEAN, Deputy Prime Minister Son stressed.

During the visits, in five days, General Secretary Lam joined more than 40 activities, including meetings, talks, dialogues, and engagements, delivering policy speeches, meetings with the Vietnamese community, and visiting several economic and cultural institutions in the two nations. On this occasion, ministries, sectors, localities, and businesses of Vietnam and their counterparts from the two countries signed numerous cooperation agreements in many fields such as education - training, combating transnational crime, fisheries, digital economy, digital transformation, green transition, and finance.

On the afternoon of March 10, immediately after their talks, General Secretary To Lam and President of Indonesia, Chairman of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) Prabowo Subianto, co-hosted a press conference to announce the outcomes of their meeting and officially declare the upgrade of Vietnam-Indonesia relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. (Photo: Tuan Anh)

For Indonesia, building on the traditional friendship founded by President Ho Chi Minh and President Sukarno, and sharing many historical and cultural similarities, and common values, and a common vision of becoming a developed and high-income nation by 2045, in the year both countries celebrate the 100th anniversary of their founding, the two sides agreed to elevate their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, marking a milestone in the 70-year diplomatic relations and 10 years of their Strategic Partnership.

The two side agreed to further deepen political trust and swiftly develop an action plan to effectively implement and elevate cooperation in all fields; further intensify economic collaboration with the aim of soon realising the goal of 18 billion USD in trade turnover; to further enhance defence - security cooperation; and to expand cooperation into new areas such as green economy, digital economy, innovation, energy transition, developing electric vehicle ecosystems, e-commerce, smart delivery, digital payments, science - technology, digital transformation, AI, and Halal products. The two countries' leaders also concurred on strengthening people-to-people exchanges, especially among young people.

General Secretary To Lam and his Spouse, Ngo Phuong Ly, alongside ASEAN Secretary-General Dr. Kao Kim Hourn and his Spouse, Rany Khem, at the ASEAN Secretariat Headquarters on March 10, 2025. (Photo: Tuan Anh)

For the ASEAN Secretariat, Deputy Prime Minister Son stated that General Secretary Lam's visit clearly demonstrated the crucial role of ASEAN in Vietnam's foreign policy, reaffirming Vietnam's commitment to continue responsibly contributing to building the ASEAN Community, especially as the group is preparing to enter a new phase of development with a proactive stance and readiness to adapt to all opportunities and challenges.

Coinciding with the 30th anniversary of Vietnam's accession to ASEAN, the Party General Secretary's visit carries profound significance as it reflected Vietnam's consistent motto of proactivity, positivity, and responsibility in joining ASEAN, and always making every effort for a united, self-reliant, and thriving ASEAN Community; and reaffirmed that ASEAN remains the top priority in Vietnam's foreign policy in the new era, the Deputy Prime Minister noted.

For Singapore, the visit takes place in the context of the thriving Vietnam-Singapore relationship, which has been developing well for over 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties. High-ranking leaders of Vietnam and Singapore affirmed their strong commitment and high priority to further deepening the countries' friendship and mutual trust, while expanding cooperation across existing sectors. Party General Secretary To Lam and Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong agreed to upgrade bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, making fresh momentum into the countries' all-round collaboration.

General Secretary To Lam and Singaporean Prime Minister and General Secretary of the People's Action Party Lawrence Wong announced the upgrading of bilateral relations to Comprehensive Strategic Partnon March 12., 2025 (Photo: Van Hieu)

Both sides agreed to enhance political trust; further expand and deepen economic, trade, and investment ties; advance cooperation in digital transformation, innovation, green economy, and clean energy; and strengthen collaboration in defence - security, culture, education, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges. The countries will also expand the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) network under the VSIP 2.0 model, with a focus on innovation, low-carbon development, and digital transformation. Besides, cultural, sports, and youth exchanges will be promoted to bolster mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples.

During their talks and meetings, the Vietnamese Party General Secretary and leaders of Indonesia, Singapore, and the ASEAN Secretariat agreed to strengthen coordination at regional and global forums, and work closely with the ASEAN member states to step up cooperation towards the successful building of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045.

General Secretary To Lam and his Spouse, along with Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, attended the orchid-naming ceremony. (Photo: Tuan Anh)

Deputy Prime Minister Son emphasized that the visits have strengthened ASEAN’s solidarity and central role in the regional architecture. As founding members and two of ASEAN’s most developed economies, Indonesia and Singapore are key partners in ensuring ASEAN’s cohesion amid external challenges.

Indonesia, with its large domestic market-driven economy, and Singapore, with its export-oriented, high-tech, and innovation-driven economic model and its position as a regional innovation hub, are well-positioned to support Vietnam’s growth aspirations in its new era of national rise.

Additionally, the visits have strengthened ties between the Communist Party of Vietnam and the ruling parties and political parties in Indonesia and Singapore, providing a solid political foundation for Vietnam’s bilateral relations with both nations, he noted.

Deputy Prime Minister Son shared a number of measures to implement the outcomes of the trip in order to realize the expectations from upgrading relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Indonesia and Singapore, thereby further contributing to ASEAN.

The Deputy Prime Minister said that with such tangible outcomes, the immediate priority is to concretise the new partnership frameworks by swiftly developing master plans of action to implement Vietnam’s comprehensive strategic partnerships with Indonesia and Singapore.

General Secretary To Lam and his Spouse, Ngo Phuong Ly, attended a concert at the National University of Singapore'sY ong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music . (Photo: Tuan Anh)

Secondly, basing on these action plans, relevant ministries and sectors must promptly establish detailed cooperation programmes to engage with their counterparts. While continuing to promote traditional areas of collaboration, attention must also be given to emerging fields such as the green economy, innovation, science - technology, digital transformation, and green energy.

Thirdly, it is also essential to regularly review, monitor, and assess the implementation of these plans and programmes to ensure that agreements are effectively translated into action, delivering practical benefits and supporting the realisation of the development goals in the new period.

On March 10, General Secretary To Lam and ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn planted a commemorative tree at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia. (Photo: Tuan Anh)

For ASEAN, Deputy Prime Minister Son recommended Vietnam continue playing a proactive and responsible role, working with other member states to strengthen the bloc’s solidarity, resilience, and centrality, and to deepen regional integration through various cooperation frameworks, particularly the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and its strategic plans set to commence in 2026.

Vietnam should also strongly promote its key initiatives, including the ASEAN Future Forum, further prioritise efforts to bring the ASEAN Community closer to its people, businesses, and localities, and capitalise on the benefits brought about by the bloc, especially in terms of invest and trade cooperation, to mobilise more resources for national socio-economic development, the Deputy Prime Minister said.

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