On the afternoon of January 29th, the plane carrying Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. and his wife Louise Araneta Marcos, along with a high-level Philippine delegation, arrived in Hanoi to begin a two-day state visit to Vietnam.
This is President Marcos's first visit to Vietnam since he took office in June 2022. The visit takes place ahead of major milestones in bilateral relations, the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Strategic Partnership in 2025 and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2026.
The delegation included: Speaker of the House of Representatives Ferdinand Martin Romualdez; Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo; Secretary of Agriculture Francisco T. Laurel; Secretary of Trade and Investment Alfredo E. Pascual; Head of the Presidential Liaison Office Cheloy Velicaria Garafil; Chairman of the National Security Council Eduardo M. Ano; Philippine Ambassador to Vietnam Meynardo LB. Montealegre; presidential advisors and several other leaders...
Welcoming the delegation at the airport were: Head of the Office of the President Le Khanh Hai; Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Tran Sy Thanh; Vietnamese Ambassador to the Philippines Lai Thai Binh; Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung Viet; and leaders of several departments and bureaus of the Office of the President and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Prior to the visit, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang stated that relations between Vietnam and the Philippines are developing well in many areas. Political cooperation has been strengthened with numerous visits and high-level meetings and contacts.
The Philippines and Vietnam share many similarities in terms of geographical location, population size, level of development, as well as numerous similarities in history, culture, and people.
Economic cooperation between the two countries has developed positively. The Philippines is currently Vietnam's 6th largest trading partner in ASEAN and 16th largest in the world, and continues to be Vietnam's largest rice export market. The two countries are strengthening their efforts to explore new areas, not only promoting traditional Vietnamese products with competitive advantages in the Philippine market such as rice, coffee, and cashews, but also aiming to open up markets for other potential products such as fresh vegetables and fruits.
In August 2023, during the visit of Philippine Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo to Vietnam, the two countries pledged to strive to reach a trade volume of $10 billion soon, with a particular focus on rice trade.
Cooperation in other important areas between the two countries, such as defense and security, education and training, labor, culture, and tourism, continues to be emphasized. Vietnam and the Philippines also maintain close coordination at regional and international forums such as ASEAN, the United Nations, and APEC.
The spokesperson said that, during the visit, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is expected to hold talks with President Vo Van Thuong, meet with key Vietnamese leaders, and participate in other important activities.
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