Following is the full text of the joint communique:

At the invitation of the President of the Republic of the Philippines, H.E. Benigno S. Aquino III, the President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, H.E. Truong Tan Sang paid a State visit to the Republic of the Philippines on October 26-28, 2011 on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

H.E. President Benigno S. Aquino III warmly welcomed H.E. President Truong Tan Sang and the delegation at the Malacanan Palace in Manila, where they held official talks, followed by a State banquet on October 26, 2011. During the three-day State visit, H.E. President Truong Tan Sang also met with Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, the Speaker of the House of Representative Feliciano Belmonte, the Secretary of Defense Voltaire T. Gazmin, and the Secretary of Energy Jose Rene D. Almendras; laid a wreath at Rizal Monument; unveiled the bust of President Ho Chi Minh at the ASEAN Garden in Intramuros, Manila; participated in the Vietnam - Philippines Business Forum and visited the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).

On this occasion, H.E. President Truong Tan Sang and H.E. President Benigno S. Aquino III witnessed the signing of four agreements, namely the Vietnam-Philippines Action Plan for the period 2011-2016, which encompasses political; defense and security; economic; maritime and ocean areas; agriculture, fisheries and forestry; environment and climate change; energy security; tourism; health; education and culture; science and technology; social welfare and development; and regional and international issues; the Memorandum of Understanding for the Enhancement of Mutual Cooperation and Information Sharing between the Vietnamese People’s Navy and the Philippine Navy; the Memorandum of Agreement on the Establishment of a Hotline Communication between the Vietnam Marine Police and the Philippine Coast Guard; and the Vietnam-Philippines Tourism Cooperation Plan for 2012-2015 between the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam and the Department of Tourism of the Philippines.

The two leaders welcomed the signing of these agreements which, in addition to the four agreements signed during H.E. President Benigno S. Aquino III’s State visit to Vietnam on October 26-27 last year, form important legal foundations for the ministries and sectors of the two countries to continue cooperation in concrete areas.

The two leaders welcomed recent outstanding developments in the socio-economic sphere and foreign relations of each country. H.E. President Benigno S. Aquino III congratulated Vietnam on the success of the 11th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the election of the 13th National Assembly. H.E. President Truong Tan Sang congratulated H.E. President Benigno S. Aquino III for his administration’s progress in implementing his social contract with the Filipino People as well as his programme of good governance.

Recognizing that Vietnam and the Philippines are working to foster an even more solid partnership in broad areas of cooperation, both countries are committed to regular exchange of visits and contacts at all levels.

In this regard, the two leaders welcomed the positive outcome of the 6th Vietnam-Philippines Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation held on October 6-7, 2011 in Hanoi.

Affirming that maritime cooperation is one of the pillars of bilateral relations, the two leaders lauded progress in this area, in particular the elevation of the Joint Permanent Working Group on Maritime and Ocean Concerns to the Vice Foreign Ministerial level, the first meeting of which will be convened in the Philippines at the earliest possible date.

Acknowledging that unregulated fishing is an issue of mutual concern for both countries, the two leaders emphasized the need to undertake more active measures to prevent, deter and eliminate such activities.

The two leaders expressed satisfaction at the increased trade of the two countries, which surpassed the target of 2 billion USD set at the 4th meeting of the Vietnam - Philippines Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation and agreed to exert more efforts to further increase the total trade value to 3 billion USD by 2016. The two leaders agreed on early resumption of the Joint Commission on Trade (JCT) in order to promote trade and investment between the two countries.

Vietnam welcomed and will consider the Philippines proposal on investment in oil and gas industry in the Philippines.

The two leaders expressed satisfaction over positive cooperation between the two sides in international and regional fora, particularly within ASEAN and its related mechanisms, as well as APEC and ASEM. They also affirmed that the two countries would continue such cooperation and support each other’s international candidatures.

The two leaders exchanged information and views on issues relating to the East Sea and reaffirmed the importance of the maintenance of peace, stability, maritime safety and security in the region. The two leaders stressed that a rules-based approach, adhering to international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), is essential to address those issues through multilateral dialogue and consultations and to resolve territorial disputes by peaceful means among the parties concerned. They also emphasized the ASEAN centrality and the importance of the full implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) signed in 2002.

Both leaders agreed to work together in regional and international fora on issues of common interest, including among others maritime security, nuclear non-proliferation, disaster management, environmental protection, and food security.

At the conclusion of their talks, H.E. President Truong Tan Sang and H.E. President Benigno S. Aquino III, noting that bilateral relations have become consistently positive and dynamic in the past 35 years, reaffirmed their commitment to advancing relations in a comprehensive manner, while endeavouring to consult further on the issue of strategic coopeartion, for the mutual benefit of their peoples, and for the peace, stability and development of the region.

H.E. President Truong Tan Sang expressed sincere appreciation to H.E. President Benigno S. Aquino III, and the Government and the People of the Republic of the Philippines for their warm welcome, excellent arrangements and most generous hospitality extended to him and the delegation during their visit to the Philippines. H.E. President Truong Tan Sang invited H.E. President Benigno Aquino III to pay an official visit to Vietnam and H.E. President Aquino expressed appreciation and accepted the invitation with pleasure. The date and time of the visit will be communicated through diplomatic channels./.