Malaysian PM’s Vietnam visit hoped to develop substantive bilateral ties

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s official visit to Vietnam from July 20-21 is expected to contribute to consolidating political trust, promoting multifaceted cooperation, and developing the two countries’ relations in a more substantive and effective manner.
Malaysian PM’s Vietnam visit hoped to develop substantive bilateral ties ảnh 1Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (R) and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in a meeting in Indonesia last May. (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) - Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s official visitto Vietnam from July 20-21 is expected to contribute to consolidating politicaltrust, promoting multifaceted cooperation, and developing the two countries’relations in a more substantive and effective manner.

This is the Malaysian leader’s first official visit to Vietnamsince he took office last December. The trip will be made at the invitation ofhis Vietnamese counterpart Pham Minh Chinh, according to an announcement of theVietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Vietnam and Malaysia set up their diplomatic ties on March30, 1973, and upgraded their relations to the Strategic Partnership level in August2015.

The two sides have regularly organised high-level meetingsand contacts and delegation exchanges, and maintained cooperation mechanisms.

Malaysian PM’s Vietnam visit hoped to develop substantive bilateral ties ảnh 2The two countries are striving to raise two-way trade to 18 billion USD by 2025. (Photo: VNA)
The two countries also approved the Action Programme on theimplementation of the Strategic Partnership for the 2021-2025 period with majororientations in order to effectively tap potential and strengths of each country,towards mutual recovery and resilient and sustainable development in thepost-COVID period.
Malaysia is currently Vietnam's second largest trade partnerin ASEAN, after Thailand, and ninth in the world, and is Vietnam's third biggestexport market in ASEAN. Meanwhile, Vietnam is Malaysia's third largest tradepartner in the association. Two-way trade reached 14.68 billion USD in 2022, up17.4% year-on-year. The two countries are striving to raise the figure to 18billion USD by 2025.

Malaysia ranks second in ASEAN and 10th out of140 countries and territories pouring capital into Vietnam, with 702 validprojects totaling 13 billion USD in 32 out of the 63 provinces and cities.

Meanwhile, Vietnam has 21 valid projects totaling 853million USD in Malaysia, ranking ninth out of 78 countries and territoriesinvesting in the country.

At present, around 12,000 Vietnamese people are working inMalaysia, accounting for nearly 1% of the number of foreign workers in thenation.

Over the past years, Vietnam and Malaysia have also promotedcollaboration in education, culture-tourism, science and technology andpeople-to-people exchange.

Currently, there are about 1,000 Vietnamese studentsstudying in Malaysia. The two sides signed a Memorandum of Understanding oncooperation in education on March 6, 2019 to replace the one inked in 2004, andanother on cooperation in the field of higher education on October 17, 2023.

Malaysia is among 10 markets seeing the largest numbers ofVietnamese tourists. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the total visitor exchange between the two countries in 2019 reached about 1 million. In 2022,Vietnam welcomed more than 170,000 Malaysian tourists, and Malaysia also servedabout 170,000 Vietnamese travellers.

In Vietnam's relationship with Malaysia, people-to-peoplediplomacy plays a particularly important role and is becoming more and moreimportant.

The Vietnam-Malaysia Friendship Association was establishedon June 5, 1994. The association has maintained regular exchangeswith the Malaysian Embassy in Hanoi and the Vietnamese Embassy in Kuala Lumpur.On March 8, 2022, the Malaysian government granted a license to establish the Malaysia- Vietnam Friendship Association.

Currently, there are around 30,000 Vietnamese people livingin Malaysia./.
VNA

See more

Vietnamese Ambassador to China Pham Thanh Binh (left) and First Secretary of the Communist Youth League of China (CYLC) Central Committee A Dong at their meeting in Beijing on April 12 (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam, China strengthen youth exchanges to deepen bilateral ties

The Vietnamese diplomat stressed that during the upcoming state visit by General Secretary and State President To Lam, the meeting between senior leaders of the two countries and youth participating in the ninth edition of “Red study tour” programme in China reflects the special attention paid by the top leaders of both Parties and countries to nurturing and educating younger generations, enabling them to carry forward the revolutionary traditions of previous generations.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico (Photo: VNA)

Slovak Prime Minister begins official visit to Vietnam

According to Ambassador Giang, the official visit by Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico marks the first by a foreign government leader after Vietnam completed the restructuring of its state apparatus following the 14th National Party Congress, and opens up opportunities for more substantive cooperation following previous high-level visits, based on the need to strengthen collaboration and high political trust between the two sides.

Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Tran Thanh Man (L) receives Vietnam’s Honorary Consul in Torino Sandra Scagliotti (Photo: VNA)

NA leader receives Vietnam’s Honorary Consul in Torino

Expressing his special impressions upon visiting Italy, a country rich in cultural traditions and beauty that maintains a longstanding friendship with Vietnam, NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man said that his visit takes place at a time when Vietnam–Italy relations are developing strongly after more than 50 years of diplomatic ties and over a decade of the Strategic Partnership framework.

General Secretary and State President Lam presents the title “Hero of the People’s Armed Forces” to Military Region 1 (Photo: VNA)

Party, State leader asks Military Region 1 to position itself as comprehensively strong force

Party General Secretary and State President Lam, who is also Secretary of the Central Military Commission, urged Military Region 1 to continue thoroughly grasping the Party’s guidelines on national defence and military strategy in the new context, maintain a firm control of the situation, and provide timely strategic advice to prevent any unexpected developments.

Prime Minister Le Minh Hung attends a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the Police Force for Administrative Management of Social Order on April 12 (Photo: VNA)

PM urges development of service-oriented administration

Prime Minister Le Minh Hung underscored that in the period of renewal and international integration, the force has continued to play a key role in advising and implementing major initiatives in state management of security and order. Its responsibilities have included population management, issuance and management of citizen identification, regulation of weapons and explosives, management of conditional business sectors, and the maintenance of public order.

National Assembly adopts a resolution introducing key provisions on environmental protection tax, value-added tax, and excise tax for petrol, oil and jet fuel on April 12 (Photo: VNA

NA adopts tax resolution on petrol, oil, aviation fuel

The resolution introducing key provisions on environmental protection tax, value-added tax and excise tax applicable to petrol, oil and aviation fuel passed by the National Assembly on April 12 takes effect from April 16, 2026, to June 30, 2026.

Wei Tao, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (Photo: VNA)

China’s Guangxi advances “three connectivity” with Vietnam

The Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China is stepping up cooperation with Vietnamese localities through three key pillars “hard connectivity” in infrastructure, “soft connectivity” in trade and investment, and “people-to-people connectivity” through cultural exchanges.

National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man (left) hands over a letter from Party General Secretary and State President To Lam to Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican (Photo: VNA)

NA Chairman meets Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican

The Party and State of Vietnam consistently create favourable conditions for the Catholic community to practice their faith while contributing to the nation, following the orientation of “living the Gospel in the heart of the nation,” said National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man.

A roundtable in Moscow reviews key outcomes of the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam. (Photo: VNA)

New cooperation directions drive Vietnam–Russia ties

As Russia pivots towards the Asia–Pacific and Vietnam deepens its global integration, Vietnam is increasingly viewed as a key bridge connecting Russia with Southeast Asia, a role expected to elevate the strategic value of bilateral ties and unlock new cooperation opportunities.

Permanent member of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee’s Secretariat Tran Cam Tu departs Techo Airport for home. (Photo: VNA)

Cambodia highlights significance of Party official’s visit

The official visit to Cambodia by Politburo member and Permanent member of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee’s Secretariat Tran Cam Tu has been described by Cambodian officials as carrying profound political and diplomatic significance, helping reinforce the traditional ties between the two Parties and countries.

Ambassador and Head of the Vietnamese Mission to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Mai Phan Dung meets with WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on April 10, 2026. Photo: VNA

Vietnam strongly supports multilateral trading system

Vietnam has always been an active and responsible WTO member, fully participating in activities, discussion sessions, and side events, while regularly making statements and contributing to major negotiation dossiers, said Ambassador and Head of the Vietnamese Mission to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Mai Phan Dung.

The welcoming ceremony is held for National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man and his spouse at Ciampino Airport in Rome, Italy. Photo: VNA

NA Chairman begins official visit to Italy

National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man's official visit to Italy is to promote ties between the Vietnamese National Assembly and the Italian Parliament, and further deepen bilateral relations in a substantive and effective manner.

Politburo member and Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung.

Senior Party official’s official visits to Laos, Cambodia successful: FM

The Party, State, and people of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia will continue the exchange of visits and delegations at all levels, especially at the high-level and via Party and State channels, to enhance understanding, strengthen trust, improve cooperation effectiveness, and jointly address emerging issues.