Vietnam and Malaysia have defined major orientations to speed up cooperation in all fields in the coming time following the fine, rapid developments in their ties.

This came from the talks in Hanoi on October 17 between Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan and Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin during the latter’s working visit to Vietnam.

Deputy PM Nhan said he hopes the visit made by his counterpart at a time when the two countries are celebrating the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties will help further promote mutual understanding, trust and the growing cooperation between the two countries.

He congratulated Malaysia on its recent achievements and expressed his belief that Malaysia will succeed in implementing its new economic model and 2020 vision to earn an increasingly important position in the region and the world.

The Malaysian Deputy PM said he is impressed with the positive changes Vietnam has made nearly 30 years of pursuing the renewal process, in particular the achievements in human resources development and poverty reduction.

Both spoke of the two countries’ closer political ties, reflected by the exchange of visits and high-level contacts, and agreed to instruct relevant ministries and agencies to soon convene the fifth session of the joint committee.

They showed their satisfaction at the efficient cooperation in economics, trade and investment. Two-way trade between the two countries has spiraled year to year, hitting nearly 8 billion USD in 2012.

Deputy PM Nhan suggested Malaysia boost investment in the construction of hotels and new urban areas, the manufacturing of electronic equipment and electrical appliances, and seafood processing in Vietnam, affirming to facilitate Malaysian investors’ activities.

The Malaysian leader said he supports the continued import of Vietnamese rice, which will be done through a to-be-signed agricultural cooperation agreement. He agreed to deploy high-level deals reached in the fields of security-defence, labour, oil and gas, education-training, agriculture, aquaculture, and sea issues.

The two sides gave high estimations to education and training cooperation, considering it a potential field that will generate practical benefits for the two countries, especially at a time when both need to develop high-quality human resources to serve their socio-economic development strategies from now to 2020.

Following the talks, Deputy PM and Minister of Education Yassin signed a memorandum of understanding on tertiary education cooperation with Minister of Education and Training Pham Vu Luan to create a legal foundation for bilateral cooperation in the field to thrive.-VNA