Vietnamese Ambassador to Indonesia Tạ Văn Thông. — VNA/VNS Photo

JAKARTA — Party General Secretary Tô Lâm’s state visit to Indonesia from March 9-11 will serve as a significant catalyst for strengthening mutual understanding and political trust through high-level meetings and engagements, according to Vietnamese Ambassador to Indonesia Tạ Văn Thông.

This visit is expected to lay a solid foundation for enhancing bilateral ties across multiple channels, including Party, Government, National Assembly, locality-to-locality cooperation, and people-to-people exchange.

In an interview with Vietnam News Agency correspondents in Jakarta ahead of the trip, the ambassador highlighted its historical significance, noting that this is the first visit by a Vietnamese Party chief to Indonesia in nearly eight years.

The visit comes at a time when the Việt Nam-Indonesia Strategic Partnership is experiencing robust, comprehensive, and stable growth across various fields, including politics, diplomacy, security-defence, economy, tourism, culture, and people-to-people exchange. High-ranking leaders from both nations frequently visit each other and meet on the sidelines of multilateral forums.

Indonesia is currently Việt Nam’s third-largest trading partner in ASEAN, while Việt Nam ranks fourth among Indonesia’s key trade partners. Bilateral trade has consistently expanded, from US$9 billion in 2019 to $16.7 billion last year. The two countries' leaders have set an ambitious target of raising the figure to $18 billion.

The diplomat emphasised that the visit reflects Việt Nam’s consistent foreign policy of valuing its traditional friendship and Strategic Partnership with Indonesia, aiming to deepen the existing strong cooperation and bring Việt Nam-Indonesia relations to new heights.

He went on to say that this will benefit both nations' people while contributing to regional peace, stability, and prosperity. Furthermore, this visit marks the launch of a series of events commemorating the 70th anniversary of Việt Nam-Indonesia diplomatic relations this year.

With a shared determination to elevate bilateral ties, leaders from both nations will discuss a strategic vision for driving cooperation, particularly in emerging fields such as green energy, high-tech agriculture, cultural and educational exchanges, and tourism development.

During this visit, Party General Secretary Tô Lâm and President Prabowo Subianto will outline future cooperation strategies and witness the signing of cooperation agreements in specific sectors.

The year 2025 will also mark the 30th anniversary of Việt Nam’s ASEAN membership. As part of the Vietnamese Party chief’s visit, several events will be organised to celebrate this milestone, reaffirming Việt Nam’s commitment to ASEAN cooperation and further strengthening Việt Nam-Indonesia relations within the regional bloc.

Thriving relations

Việt Nam-Indonesia relations continue to yield positive results across multiple sectors, with trade and investment cooperation standing out. Last year, Indonesia ran 123 investment projects in Việt Nam, with a total registered capital of $682 million, ranking 29th among 143 foreign investors in Việt Nam. Major Indonesian corporations, such as Ciputra, Traveloka, Vietmindo Energitama, Japfa Comfeed Vietnam, and Semen Indonesia Group, have established a significant presence in Việt Nam.

Meanwhile, Vietnamese enterprises, including FPT, VinFast, Era Blue, and Sunhouse, are actively expanding their investments in Indonesia. Notably, 2024 witnessed significant breakthroughs in bilateral trade and investment, including private carrier VietJet launching a direct flight between Hà Nội and Jakarta and automaker VinFast establishing a $200 million factory in Subang, opening 20 new showrooms, and introducing the SM Green Taxi brand in Indonesia.

Both Việt Nam and Indonesia are dynamic and rapidly growing economies with complementary strengths that can be leveraged to enhance cooperation and overcome challenges. This will enable businesses from both nations to maximise market access, particularly in emerging sectors like the Halal industry, digital economy, green economy, green transition, and electric vehicle ecosystem development.

With a strong foundation of bilateral ties and ongoing efforts to unlock potential cooperation opportunities, the ambassador expressed confidence that Việt Nam and Indonesia can achieve the target of $18 billion in bilateral trade by 2028.

The ambassador also underscored the remarkable progress in people-to-people exchange, which play a crucial role in fostering mutual understanding and strengthening Việt Nam-Indonesia comprehensive relations.

The tourism sector, in particular, has experienced significant growth following the launch of direct flights by Vietnam Airlines and VietJet Air connecting Việt Nam's Hà Nội and HCM City with Indonesia's Jakarta and Bali. The number of Indonesian tourists to Việt Nam tripled within a year, surpassing 120,000 in 2024. This positive trend highlights the potential for further collaboration in tourism, through linked tourism products, cultural promotions, and increased awareness of each other’s history, traditions, and culture.

Moreover, cultural, culinary, and educational exchanges continue to play a vital role in deepening bilateral ties, via art troupe exchanges, community group collaboration, and local partnerships, and increasing the presence of Vietnamese brands in Indonesia.

Looking ahead, both nations plan to explore initiatives to make Indonesia a more attractive destination for Vietnamese students in Southeast Asia, including scholarship programmes and exchange opportunities for students from both countries. — VNS