Vietnam - Singapore Strategic Dialogue: A new qualitative development in relations between the two Parties and nations
WVR - According to Member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry's Party Committee, and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Manh Cuong, the visit of Politburo Member and Standing Member of the Party Central Committee's Secretariat Tran Cam Tu to Singapore from August 24-25, 2026, holds special significance with a number of first-time milestones.
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At the invitation of the Central Executive Committee of the People's Action Party of Singapore, Politburo Member and Standing Member of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee's Secretariat Tran Cam Tu, along with a high-level delegation of the Communist Party of Vietnam, will pay an official visit to Singapore and co-chair the first Vietnam – Singapore Strategic Dialogue from August 24-25, 2026.
On this occasion, Member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry's Party Committee, and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Manh Cuong gave an interview to the press about the significance of the visit and the prospects for the relationship between the two countries.
Could you please share the significance and purpose of the official visit to Singapore and the co-chairing of the Vietnam – Singapore Strategic Dialogue by Standing Member of the Secretariat Tran Cam Tu?
The visit holds special significance with a number of first-time milestones. This is the first time a Standing Member of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee's Secretariat to pay an official visit to Singapore. It is also the first meeting of the Vietnam – Singapore Strategic Dialogue mechanism, which was agreed upon by the leaders of both sides during the state visit to Singapore by General Secretary and President To Lam last May. Notably, Vietnam is the first Southeast Asian country to have a similar mechanism with the People's Action Party of Singapore.
These milestones reflect a new qualitative development in relations between the two Parties, while also providing a political foundation and motivation to deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The visit also demonstrates the determination of both sides to put shared understandings and high-level agreements into practice.
During this Dialogue, both sides will engage in extensive discussions on strategic issues of mutual concern and key areas of cooperation between the two Parties and countries in the future, including technology connectivity and human resource training cooperation.
I anticipate that the Strategic Dialogue will become a direct, regular, and substantive channel for exchanging experiences in Party building, policy-making, governance, and national development, as well as other strategic issues of mutual interest to both Parties and countries.
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| Member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry's Party Committee, and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Manh Cuong answers press questions. (Photo: Thanh Long) |
Could you evaluate the Vietnam – Singapore relationship in recent times?
More than half a century since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1973, Vietnam and Singapore have built an increasingly trustworthy political relationship, closely linked in interests, and dynamic in cooperation. A notable highlight is the growing political trust, which has been transformed into practical cooperative benefits, with significant milestones such as establishing the Strategic Partnership framework in 2013 and upgrading to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2025.
The visits to Singapore by General Secretary and President To Lam in 2025 and 2026, the visit to Vietnam by Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in 2025, and the current visit by the Standing Member of the Secretariat are vivid evidence of the high level of political trust between the two Parties and countries. This is an important foundation for bilateral cooperation to expand and deepen further.
Economics, trade, and investment are among the fields that clearly demonstrate the substantive nature of the relationship between the two countries. Singapore is a leading economic partner of Vietnam, the second-largest investor in Vietnam with more than 4,500 valid projects, and a total registered capital of 97 billion USD, spanning various fields such as manufacturing, logistics, finance, and high technology. A prominent symbol of bilateral cooperation is the network of 28 Vietnam – Singapore Industrial Parks (VSIP) across the country, vividly demonstrating the combination of Singapore's planning, management, and international connectivity experience with Vietnam's potential, resources, and development determination.
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| Standing Member of the Party Central Committee's Secretariat Tran Cam Tu. (Photo: VNA) |
Another important highlight is cooperation in emerging fields. Singapore is a leading nation in ASEAN in artificial intelligence, innovation, and high-quality human resource development. On this foundation, the two countries are enhancing cooperation in technology connectivity, clean energy, green finance, data centers, and semiconductor technology.
Alongside the bilateral relationship, cooperation between the Communist Party of Vietnam and the People's Action Party of Singapore is also becoming increasingly substantive. In this, training and nurturing cadres is an important area of cooperation, contributing to improving the quality of human resources to serve the development goals of each country.
What are your expectations for this visit by Standing Member of the Party Central Committee's Secretariat Tran Cam Tu?
We expect this visit to create further substantive changes in three aspects.
Firstly, it is to elevate strategic exchange and coordination between the two Parties. The visit will continue to strengthen political trust, expand exchanges on Party building, enhance leadership capacity, governance, and direct the implementation of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Through this, the Party channel will play a guiding role, promoting connections between Party, State, National Assembly, local agencies, and people's organizations of the two countries.
Secondly, it is to create breakthroughs in technology connectivity. Both sides expect to transform the “Three Houses of Two Countries” cooperation model, linking the government, businesses, and researchers of both Vietnam and Singapore, into specific projects. This approach aims not only at technology transfer but also at jointly creating technology, products, and ecosystems serving both countries.
Thirdly, it is to elevate cooperation in cadre training. Given the new development requirements of each country and the increasingly consolidated trust between the two Parties and countries, we need to make this cooperation a pillar in bilateral relations, considering cadre training as a crucial step in building high-quality human resources.
What we aim for is to transform the shared understandings between the two Parties into specific programs, projects, and cooperative outcomes. We are confident that the visit by the Standing Member of the Secretariat and the organization of the first Strategic Dialogue will provide additional momentum for this process, deepening, effectively and sustainably, the Vietnam – Singapore Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for the benefit of the people of both countries and for a united and prosperous ASEAN.
Thank you, Deputy Minister!
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