Hanoi (VNA) – Minister of Public Security General Luong Tam Quang on January 15 held talks with Singapore’s Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo, who is in Hanoi to attend the 6th ASEAN Digital Ministers' Meeting (ADGMIN).
Quang welcomed the increasingly substantive, effective and in-depth development of bilateral relations, and noted the two countries’ shared commitment to promoting the digital economy and building a safe and reliable digital environment.
In the field of cybersecurity, based on their memorandum of understanding on cybersecurity cooperation, combating cybercrime and protecting personal data signed in 2022, the Vietnamese and Singaporean ministries have actively implemented agreed contents. Regular exchanges of expert delegations and participation by Vietnamese officers in conferences and seminars on combating cybercrime and high-tech crime organised by Singaporean law enforcement agencies have been maintained.
The two sides have also signed a memorandum of understanding on digital transformation, facilitating the sharing of experience through expert exchanges, training programmes and cooperation in developing technological solutions for the public good, in line with the specific conditions and needs of each country.
The ministers agreed to continue effectively implementing the commitments reached by the two countries’ leaders during Vietnamese Party General Secretary To Lam’s visit to Singapore in March 2025, as well as an action programme to implement the countries’ Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for 2025–2030. Cooperation will focus on supporting national digital transformation and jointly building a safe, stable and sustainable cyberspace in each country, they said.
Informing Teo that the UN has assigned the Vietnamese ministry to establish a UN cybercrime prevention centre in the country, Quang called on Singapore to actively support and assist Vietnam in the process, and to consider joining the UN Convention against Cybercrime, whose signing ceremony took place in Hanoi last October.
He also proposed stepping up expert-level exchanges to share experience in developing applications for digital transformation, protecting personal data and ensuring data security, preventing cyber-attacks and safeguarding critical information systems, managing and controlling cross-border data flows, and combating cybercrime and high-tech crime, thereby making practical contributions to innovation and national digital transformation in both countries.
In addition, the two ministers agreed to enhance cooperation in training and capacity-building for specialised forces in digital transformation, cybersecurity and personal data protection, while sharing experience in developing legal frameworks on personal data protection and data storage. It is also necessary to improve the legal basis for mutual recognition of electronic identification for basic information displayed on applications in both countries, and to promote controlled cross-border data sharing, they added.
Agreeing with Quang’s proposals, Teo affirmed that Singapore would work closely with Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security to effectively implement bilateral legal cooperation documents on cybersecurity and digital transformation, contributing to further deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in an increasingly substantive, practical and effective manner, for the benefit of the two peoples and for peace, stability and development in the region and the world./.
