The welcoming ceremony was solemnly held according to the protocol reserved for foreign heads of government on official visits to our country.
Welcoming the Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore to Vietnam, in the cool autumn weather of Hanoi , Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh went to the car door to welcome Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong with a warm handshake. Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong received a bouquet of fresh flowers from the children of the capital.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh invited Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to walk on the red carpet to the podium of honor amid the waves of school children. As the two Prime Ministers stood solemnly on the podium, under the national flags of the two countries, the national anthems of Vietnam and Singapore were played. After that, the two leaders walked forward to salute the national flags of the two countries.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh invited Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to inspect the Guard of Honour of the Vietnam People's Army. The two Prime Ministers introduced to each other the members of the two countries' high-ranking delegations attending the welcoming ceremony. Afterwards, the two leaders returned to the podium and witnessed the welcoming parade of the Guard of Honour of the Vietnam People's Army.
After the welcoming ceremony, the two Prime Ministers walked side by side to the Government Headquarters for talks.
Before the talks, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong visited a photo exhibition about the country, people and relations between Vietnam and Singapore organized by the Vietnam News Agency in coordination with the Government Office.
Earlier on the morning of August 28, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong laid flowers and visited President Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum.
This is Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's fifth visit to Vietnam as Prime Minister; the visit is part of a series of events organized by both sides to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations and 10 years of the Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and Singapore, and only 6 months after Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's visit to Singapore (February 2023). This shows that the Vietnam - Singapore Strategic Partnership is developing well.
In the context of complicated developments of Covid-19, the two sides still maintain the exchange of delegations, letters, congratulatory messages, visits, and contacts at high and all levels, notably 5 exchanges of high-level delegations between the two countries in the past nearly 2 years.
Vietnam-Singapore economic relations continue to develop. With 3,274 valid projects and a total registered capital of 73.5 billion USD, Singapore maintains its leading position in ASEAN and ranks 2nd out of 143 countries and territories investing in Vietnam. Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Parks (VSIPs) are symbols of economic cooperation between the two countries. On the other hand, Vietnam currently has 153 valid investment projects in Singapore with a total registered capital of more than 690 million USD, ranking 10th out of 80 countries and territories investing in Vietnam.
Total two-way trade turnover reached 8.3 billion USD in 2021 and 9.15 billion USD in 2022. In the first 6 months of 2023, the total import-export turnover between the two countries reached 4.5 billion USD. The two countries have established a "Digital Economy - Green Economy Partnership", creating conditions to promote cooperation in new fields, towards green and sustainable development.
In addition to the economy, the two sides continue to cooperate closely in many areas: defense - security, transportation, tourism, finance - banking, education - training, resources - environment, law - justice. Singapore is one of the aviation markets of particular importance to Vietnam. In the first 6 months of 2023, Vietnam welcomed nearly 155,000 Singaporean visitors. Currently, the Vietnamese community in Singapore has about 15,000 people, mainly students, postgraduates, intellectuals...
During this visit, the two sides will review the results of cooperation, set out directions, and sign cooperation documents to continue promoting the Strategic Partnership between the two countries. In particular, the two sides will continue to strengthen political trust; effectively implement cooperation agreements to promote multi-faceted cooperation in the new context such as politics - diplomacy, defense - security, digital economy, green economy, trade, investment, labor, education, training, technology, people-to-people exchange...; bring bilateral relations into substance and effectiveness. Along with that, the two sides will discuss regional and international issues of mutual concern.
Information about Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's official visit to Vietnam continues to be updated.
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