Shirley Nuevo, Acting Consul General of the Philippines in Ho Chi Minh City, said the past 50 years have demonstrated how the two countries and their peoples have grown together as friends, trusted partners and close neighbours within the ASEAN family.
Commenting on General Secretary and President Lam’s keynote speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Thai scholar Supalak Ganjanakhundee said the Vietnamese leader identified three interrelated crises shaping the current global landscape - the crisis of international order, the crisis of development models and the crisis of strategic trust.
The visits also took place at a time when the Philippines is serving as ASEAN Chair in 2026, Singapore is preparing to assume the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2027, and Vietnam is set to host the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in 2027.
The Vietnamese leader urged the two sides to further promote two-way investment in highly complementary and long-term value-adding sectors, such as modern agriculture, food processing, clean energy, logistics, supporting industries, digital economy, and innovation.
Taking place as the two countries celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties, the visit, from May 31 - June 1, offers both sides an opportunity to review the past five decades of cooperation while shaping a shared vision for relations over the next 50 years and beyond, Philippine Ambassador to Vietnam Francisco Noel R. Fernandez III said.
They agreed to further elevate cooperation across all areas, including politics, diplomacy, defence, security, economy, and people-to-people exchanges, contributing to the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries (July 12, 1976 – 2026).
Party General Secretary To Lam urged the Philippine Ambassador to focus on promoting several areas of bilateral cooperation, including enhancing political-diplomatic cooperation through facilitating high-level exchanges and contacts; boosting economic connectivity for the goal of 10 billion USD in bilateral trade; strengthening collaboration in security-defence, and maritime and oceanic matters; and promoting cooperation in other fields such as culture, sports, tourism, education and training, climate change adaptation, and disaster mitigation.
Minister of National Defence General Phan Van Giang and his Philippine counterpart Gilberto Teodoro have agreed to promote the bilateral defence ties in a more practical and efficient manner during their talks in the Philippines.
Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. and his spouse are paying their two-day state visit to Vietnam at the invitation of President Vo Van Thuong and his spouse.
Vietnamese Ambassador to the Philippines Hoang Huy Chung has described National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue’s official visit to the archipelago nation from November 23 to 25 as a significant milestone in bilateral ties.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc met with Philippine Ambassador Meynardo Los Banos Montealegre in Hanoi on March 17, wishing his guest a successful term in Vietnam.
President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) Nguyen Phuong Nga met with Philippine Foreign Minister Teodoro Lopez Locsin in Hanoi on July 8, stressing people-to-people diplomacy’s contribution to the countries’ ties.
Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army and Deputy Defence Minister Sen. Lt. Gen. Phan Van Giang had meetings with senior military officers of Russia and the Philippines on the sidelines of the eighth Moscow Conference on International Security (MCIS-8) on April 24.
Politburo member and standing member of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee’s Secretariat Tran Quoc Vuong had a meeting in Hanoi on August 27 with a visiting delegation of the Philippine Democratic Party-Power of the Nation (PDP-Laban), led by its Vice President Alfonso Gaba Cusi.
President Tran Dai Quang and Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte have agreed to roll out measures to promote related mechanisms to implement bilateral agreements and improve effectiveness of existing cooperation mechanisms to enhance partnership in specific areas.
Vietnam and the Philippines should develop a mechanism for anti-piracy cooperation in the future to ensure maritime security and safety, said Deputy Chief of the General Staff Senior Lieutenant General Pham Ngoc Minh.
The Philippines and Vietnam should work to strengthen bilateral cooperation across sectors in line with the strategic partnership established in 2015, said Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.
Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Perfecto Yasay agreed to hasten the approval of the Vietnam-Philippines action programme for 2017-2022.
