At the invitation of the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Chairman of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) Prabowo Subianto, ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn, and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore, Secretary-General of the People's Action Party (PAP) Lawrence Wong, General Secretary To Lam and his wife paid a State visit to the Republic of Indonesia, an official visit to the ASEAN Secretariat, and an official visit to the Republic of Singapore from March 9 to 13, 2025.
Indonesia was the first destination for General Secretary To Lam on this visit. General Secretary To Lam's state visit to the Republic of Indonesia takes place amidst the flourishing bilateral relations, marked by remarkable achievements. The two countries are looking forward to celebrating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations (1955-2025). The visit contributes to strengthening political trust and elevating cooperation in all fields between the two countries.
Seven decades of good traditional friendship.
Historically, Indonesia was the first country in Southeast Asia with which Vietnam officially established diplomatic relations. The two countries established relations on December 30, 1955. The traditional friendship between Vietnam and Indonesia is built on a solid foundation laid by President Ho Chi Minh and President Sukarno, and has been diligently nurtured, built, and developed by successive generations of leaders and people of both countries.
Generations of Vietnamese people still fondly remember the friendship between President Ho Chi Minh and President Sukarno, which stemmed from a very simple and close bond. When President Ho Chi Minh visited Indonesia and President Sukarno visited Vietnam in the same year, 1959, the Indonesian people called President Ho Chi Minh "Paman Ho." President Ho Chi Minh, in turn, affectionately called President Sukarno "Bung Karno."
In particular, during his visit to Vietnam, President Sukarno affirmed: "Both our peoples have fought, fought a great deal, and in the same month of August 1945, both our countries declared independence. Both countries have unwavering faith, and thanks to that, we stand firm. We are friends, comrades in arms." And President Ho Chi Minh, upon bidding farewell to President Sukarno, presented him with a poem: "Though distant in land, our hearts are not far apart / Truly friends, truly brothers!"
Since then, the friendly relations between Vietnam and Indonesia have been diligently nurtured by successive generations of leaders and people of both countries.
From 1990 to the present, the two sides have organized numerous reciprocal visits between high-level delegations of the State, Government, and Parliament, as well as exchanges of delegations at the ministerial, departmental, business, and mass organization levels, and cultural exchange activities. The relationship between the two countries entered a new phase with the historic visit of President Suharto (November 1990).
In June 2003, during Indonesian President Megawati's visit to Vietnam, the two countries signed the "Joint Declaration on the Framework for Friendly and Comprehensive Cooperation Entering the 21st Century" and the "Agreement on the Delimitation of the Continental Shelf."
In June 2013, during the State visit of President Truong Tan Sang to Indonesia, the two sides issued a Joint Statement officially establishing a Strategic Partnership. This is considered a significant milestone in the history of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Since then, the Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and Indonesia has developed strongly, comprehensively, and steadily.
The two countries have consistently strengthened exchanges and contacts at high levels and other levels. Notable visits and contacts include: General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's official visit to Indonesia (August 2017); General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's telephone conversation with Indonesian President Joko Widodo (August 2022); Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's meeting with Indonesian President Joko Widodo on the sidelines of the ASEAN-US Summit (May 2022); and Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son's official visit to Indonesia and co-chairing of the 4th session of the Bilateral Cooperation Committee (July 2022). Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Indonesian President Joko Widodo met on the occasion of attending the 42nd ASEAN Summit (May 2023) and the 43rd ASEAN Summit (September 2023) in Labuan Bajo (Indonesia), at the ASEAN-GCC Summit in Saudi Arabia (October 2023), at the COP28 Summit in the UAE (December 2023), and at the Special Summit commemorating the 50th anniversary of ASEAN-Australia relations in Melbourne (Australia) (March 2024); Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met with Indonesian Vice President Ma'ruf Amin on the occasion of attending the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits in Vientiane (Laos) (October 2024); Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan attended the inauguration ceremony of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto (October 2024). President Luong Cuong met with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on the occasion of attending the APEC 2024 High-Level Week in Lima (Peru) (November 15, 2024); Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on the occasion of attending the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) (November 18, 2024)…
On the Indonesian side, there have been visits by: President Joko Widodo's State visit to Vietnam and participation in the World Economic Forum on ASEAN held in Hanoi (September 2018); President Joko Widodo's State visit to Vietnam (January 2024); Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi's participation in the ASEAN Future Forum and official visit, co-chairing the 5th Session of the Vietnam-Indonesia Bilateral Cooperation Committee (April 2024); President-elect Prabowo Subianto's working visit to Vietnam (September 2024)...
Most recently, during the working visit to Vietnam by President-elect Prabowo Subianto (September 2024), the leaders of the two countries agreed to further strengthen political trust by continuing to enhance exchanges and contacts at high levels and at all levels through Party, State, and Parliament channels, as well as people-to-people exchanges and local connections; effectively utilize bilateral mechanisms; promptly finalize the Action Program for implementing the Strategic Partnership for the next five years; and coordinate the organization of practical activities to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Indonesia (1955-2025). The two countries agreed to continue facilitating investment by businesses from both countries in each other's markets in the future, especially in new areas such as the digital economy, green economy, energy transition, and the development of the electric vehicle ecosystem.
In addition, the two countries maintain high-level visits and contacts between parties. The Communist Party of Vietnam has official relations with major Indonesian political parties, namely the Golkar Party and the Democratic-Struggle Party (PDI-P). Indonesian political parties consistently express their appreciation for the role and position of the Communist Party of Vietnam and their desire to promote cooperation.
The two countries have signed numerous agreements and cooperation arrangements in various fields. Cooperation mechanisms such as the Ministerial-level Bilateral Cooperation Committee have held five sessions, and the Joint Committee on Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation has held seven sessions.
Local authorities in both countries are also actively strengthening cooperative relations. Currently, the two countries have four pairs of sister provinces/cities: Jakarta - Hanoi, Ba Ria - Vung Tau - Padang, Hue - Yogyakarta, and Soc Trang - Lampung.
In multilateral forums, the two countries share many common interests and strategic perspectives on regional and international issues. They maintain close coordination of positions in regional and international forums, particularly within ASEAN, the United Nations, APEC, and the Non-Aligned Movement.
Economic and trade cooperation has developed impressively.
Vietnam and Indonesia are important trading partners within ASEAN. Both countries are powerful and rapidly developing economies. As members of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), they have many advantages for increasing bilateral trade.
Currently, Indonesia is Vietnam's second largest trading partner in ASEAN; Vietnam is Indonesia's fourth largest trading partner in ASEAN. Bilateral trade turnover has quadrupled in the past decade, reaching US$8.2 billion in 2020; US$11.5 billion in 2021 – exceeding the US$10 billion/year target set by the two countries for the first time; US$14.1 billion in 2022; US$13.7 billion in 2023; US$16.73 billion in 2024; and US$2.65 billion in the first two months of 2025. Both sides are striving to increase bilateral trade turnover to US$18 billion by 2028.
Regarding investment, as of January 2025, Indonesia had invested a total of US$669.7 million in Vietnam through 130 projects, ranking 30th out of 149 countries and territories investing directly in Vietnam. Many Indonesian corporations and companies are successfully investing and doing business in Vietnam, such as Ciputra, Traveloka, Gojek, PT Vietmindo Energitama, Jafpa Comfeed Vietnam, Semen Indonesia Group, etc.
Conversely, several large Vietnamese businesses and corporations have already established a presence in Indonesia, such as FPT and Dien May Xanh, while others are finalizing investment procedures in Indonesia, including Taxi Xanh (Vingroup), Viet Thai Group, Thai Binh Shoes, and Thuan Hai Joint Stock Company. Most notably, Vinfast Global's project to build an electric vehicle manufacturing plant in Indonesia with a capacity of 50,000 vehicles per year commenced construction in July 2024.
In recent contacts and exchanges, leaders of both countries have agreed to reduce trade barriers and facilitate the import and export of key commodities, including rice. The Vietnamese government has launched a strategy to develop the Halal industry to further enhance exports to Halal markets (food for Muslims). Currently, the potential of the Halal market is enormous, reaching trillions of USD. Therefore, this is a great opportunity for Vietnamese businesses. The two countries are working to further facilitate Vietnamese businesses in obtaining Halal certifications to penetrate the Indonesian Halal export market more strongly. The Vietnamese side hopes that Indonesia will facilitate access for Vietnamese agricultural products and Halal products to the Indonesian market; and encourage Indonesian businesses to expand investment in Vietnam.
Furthermore, one of the prominent global trends today is increased cooperation in responding to climate change. Both Vietnam and Indonesia have made strong commitments to reducing carbon emissions, demonstrating their responsibility in contributing to the global effort to mitigate and respond to climate change. In implementing these international commitments, the two countries can cooperate closely in areas such as energy transition, carbon storage, renewable energy development, green energy, and sustainable green economic development.
Defense and security cooperation between Vietnam and Indonesia is increasingly strengthened through dialogue mechanisms, exchanges, and joint training. The two countries have signed and effectively implemented many cooperation agreements in areas such as combating transnational crime, counter-terrorism, and maritime cooperation. Other important areas such as cultural cooperation, education, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges continue to be prioritized.
The Vietnamese community in Indonesia numbers around 300 people, mostly those who have settled and done business in Indonesia long-term, integrating well into local life and enjoying stable lives. The majority of them have a strong sense of national identity and enthusiastically participate in activities that support their homeland.
Building on the strong relationship established over the past 70 years, the State visit to the Republic of Indonesia by General Secretary To Lam and his wife is a significant milestone in bilateral relations. According to Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Manh Cuong, this is the first visit by a Vietnamese General Secretary to Indonesia in nearly eight years (since August 2017), coinciding with Vietnam's 70th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations with Indonesia (December 30, 1955 - December 30, 2025).
General Secretary To Lam's visit to Indonesia demonstrates the consistent implementation of the Party and State's independent, self-reliant, peaceful, cooperative, and developmental foreign policy, focusing on multilateralism and diversification of foreign relations, and valuing relations with neighboring countries in the region, including the important partner Indonesia. The visit is expected to open up new and promising avenues for cooperation in Vietnam-Indonesia relations.
Source: https://baotainguyenmoitruong.vn/nang-tam-quan-he-doi-tac-chien-luoc-viet-nam-indonesia-387395.html
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