Seven bilateral cooperation pacts inked as Singapore PM visits Vietnam

Vietnam and Singapore signed seven documents on further strengthening multifaceted cooperation in Hanoi Monday in the presence of their respective prime ministers, Pham Minh Chinh and Lee Hsien Loong.

Vietnam and Singapore signed seven documents on further strengthening multifaceted cooperation in Hanoi Monday in the presence of their respective prime ministers, Pham Minh Chinh and Lee Hsien Loong.

The seven followed another one signed Sunday, marking the three-day (August 27-29) visit to Vietnam by the Singaporean premier.

Vietnam’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son and his Singaporean counterpart Vivian Balakrishnan signed an agreement on research programs for senior officials of the Communist Party of Vietnam in the 2024-2026 period.

Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung and Tan See Leng, Singapore’s Minister of Manpower and Second Minister for Trade and Industry inked a letter of exchange on amendments to the framework agreement connecting the two countries’ economies.

Vietnam’s Planning and Investment minister Nguyen Chi Dung (front, right) and Singapore’s Minister of Manpower Tan See Leng hold up a letter of exchange in Hanoi, August 28, 2023. Vietnam’s PM Pham Minh Chinh (back, right) and his Singaporen counterpart Lee Hsien Loong witnessed the signing. Photo courtesy of Vietnam’s government portal.

The two ministers and Vietnamese Labor Minister Dao Ngoc Dung signed another MoU on innovation talent exchanges.

Dung and Tan also signed a separate agreement on cooperation in labor resources development.

Vietnamese Education Minister Nguyen Kim Son and his Singaporean counterpart Chan Chun Sing inked an MoU to further their exchanges and cooperation on various issues of common interest.

Vietnam’s Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Dang Quoc Khanh and Singapore’s manpower minister Tan signed a letter of intent to continue implementing an earlier agreement related to the Paris Agreement on fighting climate change.

Ho Chi Minh City Vice Chairman Vo Van Hoan and Lavan Thiru, executive director of Singapore’s Agency for Infrastructure Asia, inked an MoU on promoting sustainable infrastructure development in Vietnam’s commercial hub.

A day earlier, representatives of the two countries inked an MoU to promote collaboration between Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) and Vietnam’s National Innovation Center (NIC).

The Sunday signing was part of the 17th Singapore-Vietnam Connectivity Ministerial Meeting.

At the event, Singapore’s manpower minister Tan and Vietnam’s investment minister Dung agreed to expand the scope of the annual meeting to cover “new and emerging areas” of energy connectivity, sustainability, as well as digital and innovation.