Singapore Ambassador highlights global interest in General Secretary, President To Lam’s policy views
WVR - Singapore Ambassador to Vietnam Rajpal Singh affirmed that the State visit of General Secretary, President To Lam to Singapore at this time will usher bilateral relations into a new phase, jointly addressing issues for mutual benefit while minimizing external shocks.
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| General Secretary To Lam and Singapore Prime Minister, People's Action Party Secretary-General Lawrence Wong announced the upgrade of bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership on March 12, 2025. (Photo: Van Hieu) |
Could the Ambassador share the significance of General Secretary, President To Lam's State visit to Singapore and the frequency of exchange visits between the two countries recently?
First of all, Singapore is extremely honored and delighted to welcome General Secretary, President To Lam for a State visit to Singapore this weekend. This is the first State visit of General Secretary, President To Lam to ASEAN countries after Vietnam completed its high-level leadership structure. Singapore is particularly pleased as this marks the second visit of the General Secretary to Singapore in the past two years. As you know, last March, General Secretary To Lam made a very important visit to Singapore, during which the two countries upgraded their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP). Since then, both sides have maintained numerous high-level exchanges. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong also visited Vietnam and had meetings with Vietnam's senior leaders.
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| Singapore Ambassador to Vietnam Rajpal Singh. (Photo: Anh Duc) |
I believe this visit and the current frequency of high-level exchanges demonstrate three things. First, the foundation of the relationship between the two countries is built on very good relations between the high-level leaders of both sides. Second, it shows the importance both countries place on bilateral relations. Third, it reflects the strong momentum of the relationship since it was upgraded to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Looking back, Singapore-Vietnam relations have surpassed the 50-year milestone. Over more than five decades, Vietnam has changed significantly. Singapore has also changed considerably. In fact, the global political and economic order has also undergone profound transformations. We are living in a highly uncertain geopolitical and geoeconomic context. Therefore, this State visit will usher bilateral relations into a new phase, jointly addressing issues for mutual benefit while minimizing external shocks. The two countries will promote cooperation in new areas such as the digital economy, high-tech manufacturing, higher education, and training. As we enter the next phase of development and face global challenges together, Singapore and Vietnam are truly natural partners.
According to the Ambassador, which areas of bilateral cooperation have the greatest potential for growth in the coming years, especially after the two countries upgraded their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership last year?
The relationship between the two countries has a rich history and is implemented comprehensively. We have close cooperation in many fields: economic, social, cultural, people-to-people exchanges, and political. As I mentioned, the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership framework has provided additional impetus for the two countries to continue promoting deeper and broader relations. The economic relationship between the two countries is very strong and will continue to grow. Singapore has long been one of the largest investors in Vietnam. Last year, Singapore was the largest investor, contributing more than a quarter of the total newly registered foreign investment in Vietnam.
When mentioning Singapore's investment in Vietnam, I think everyone knows about the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Parks (VSIP). VSIP demonstrates that Singapore and Vietnam can collaborate on large-scale economic projects that benefit both countries. These industrial parks not only attract investment from Vietnam and Singapore but also from around the world. In the early 2000s, we only had 2 VSIPs. Today, there are 22 VSIPs, and I am confident that the VSIPs will continue to grow, bringing more benefits to Singaporean businesses as well as our Vietnamese friends. In fact, I often joke with my Vietnamese friends that if you want to travel across Vietnam, just visit all the VSIPs, and you will have covered the entire S-shaped land.
However, we also want to take bilateral economic relations further and elevate them, and I see two main priorities. First is the digital sector. We are working with Vietnam to harness the potential of the digital economy. There are already many Singaporean businesses operating in the digital sector in Vietnam and looking to further expand their investment and business here. As part of the State visit, there will be a special Tech Connect Forum, bringing together technology companies from Singapore and Vietnam to sign new agreements and projects. Second is the green and sustainable development sector. Last year, the two countries signed an Implementation Agreement on carbon credits and are now moving towards implementing projects in this field by the end of the year. We are also exploring the possibility of importing electricity from Vietnam, primarily produced from offshore wind power. This is a long-term project and holds great significance for us.
Regarding the political relationship between the two countries, we are discussing a new high-level mechanism between leaders and senior officials from both sides to exchange views on various issues such as national governance, public administration, and transformation. When upgrading the relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the two countries also reaffirmed their traditional cooperation in defense and security. As we all know, the world is currently facing many non-traditional security challenges, making cooperation in these two areas even more important. Last year, the Singaporean Minister of Defense and the Vietnamese Minister of Defense visited each other and reaffirmed the close defense cooperation between the two countries.
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| VISIP Industrial Park in Bac Ninh. (Source: Business Forum) |
Singapore is currently one of the largest foreign investors in Vietnam. How does the Ambassador assess Vietnam's current investment environment, and what do Singaporean businesses expect in the coming time?
General Secretary, President To Lam has set very ambitious growth targets for Vietnam, including a goal of double-digit growth in the next five years. At the same time, the General Secretary, President is pushing for extensive reforms in both policy and administration. I can say that Singapore is very optimistic about Vietnam's growth prospects.
As you know, we have been involved in Vietnam's economy not just now or 10 years ago, but for a long time. Singaporean businesses like CapitaLand, Keppel Land, Shopee, Grab, and Sembawang Corporation are all familiar brands in Vietnam. Singaporean businesses see the ambitious goals and strong leadership as opening up many new opportunities. We want to expand into new areas such as digitalization and the green economy, and not just focus on traditional cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Singaporean businesses see many opportunities in other provinces and cities like Da Nang, Hai Phong, Hung Yen, Bac Ninh, and Dong Nai. All of these open up valuable opportunities for Singaporean businesses to collaborate with Vietnamese partners.
Singapore has long supported Vietnam in the field of education and training. I think it's interesting that Vietnam is currently the largest recipient of support from Singapore's official training program called the Singapore Cooperation Programme. We have trained over 22,000 Vietnamese officials through this program. Now, we want to upgrade the quality of education and training for Vietnamese officials. This is similar to the new areas we are targeting. For example, last year we launched a digital governance program in Hai Phong. This year, we are organizing a course on digital transformation in public health in Ho Chi Minh City. I believe that Singapore's support, whether through investment or education and training, is a clear testament to our commitment to accompanying Vietnam in achieving its socio-economic development goals. We believe that a strong and prosperous Vietnam will bring great benefits to Singapore, ASEAN, and the international community.
How does the Ambassador assess the significance of General Secretary, President To Lam's participation and keynote speech at the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue?
This will be the first time a General Secretary, President of Vietnam delivers a keynote speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue. I believe this is a very important milestone and it holds many meanings for me.
First, the region and the world are currently very interested in the views of General Secretary, President To Lam as well as Vietnam's stance on the current geopolitical and geoeconomic situation. Second, this is an important recognition of the achievements that Vietnam has made. Vietnam joined ASEAN over 30 years ago and has since become a very active member of ASEAN, contributing to promoting political stability, economic integration, and building a cohesive community among the people in ASEAN. Third, I believe this shows that Vietnam is ready to take on a more active role in addressing the current geopolitical and geoeconomic uncertainties. As you know, the Shangri-La Dialogue is the region's leading security forum, bringing parties together to openly discuss ways to jointly address the challenges we face. The keynote speech will help guide the parties on how to continue promoting dialogue and exchange in the future.
Singapore supports Vietnam playing a more active role in this field, as the two countries share many common principles and views on international issues, such as respect for national sovereignty, adherence to international law, and resolving disputes by peaceful means. Therefore, we look forward to working more closely with Vietnam in protecting and promoting these principles.
Thank you very much, Ambassador!
