HÀ NỘI — The state visit to Indonesia, the official visit to the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, and the official visit to Singapore from March 9-13 by Party General Secretary Tô Lâm, his spouse and a Vietnamese high-ranking delegation was a great success, achieving all the set objectives, marking milestones in Việt Nam's relations with these countries and the group, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bùi Thanh Sơn has said.

In his interview granted to the press, Sơn highlighted the significance of the Party chief's trips, saying that both Indonesia and Singapore, and the ASEAN Secretariat, placed great importance on the visits, offering the General Secretary, his spouse and the Vietnamese delegation the highly dignified reception, accompanied by practical working programmes.

Sơn said this was the first visit by a Vietnamese Party General Secretary to Indonesia in nearly eight years, to Singapore in almost 13 years, and the first official trip to the ASEAN Secretariat. He noted that the Party leader's visits marked historic milestones as Việt Nam simultaneously upgraded its relations with two ASEAN member countries, thereby deepening its cooperation with them, and further contributing to the ASEAN community. To date, Việt Nam is the only ASEAN nation with which both Indonesia and Singapore have established a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

The historical significance of the visit also lies in the fact that it marked the first time a General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam (CPV) has visited the ASEAN Secretariat, underscoring the bloc's strategic importance for Việt Nam, and reaffirming Việt Nam's consistent policy of making more proactive and responsible contributions to the common cause of ASEAN, Sơn stressed.

During the visits, Lâm joined more than 40 activities, including meetings, talks, dialogues, and engagements, delivering policy speeches, meetings with the Vietnamese community, and visiting several economic and cultural institutions in the two nations. On this occasion, ministries, sectors, localities, and businesses of Việt Nam and their counterparts from the two countries signed numerous cooperation agreements in many fields such as education - training, combating transnational crime, fisheries, digital economy, digital transformation, green transition, and finance.

For Indonesia, building on the traditional friendship founded by President Hồ Chí Minh and President Sukarno, and sharing many historical and cultural similarities, and common values, and a common vision of becoming a developed and high-income nation by 2045, the two sides agreed to elevate their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, marking a milestone in the 70-year diplomatic relations and 10 years of their Strategic Partnership.

The two side agreed to further deepen political trust and swiftly develop an action plan to effectively implement and elevate cooperation in all fields; further intensify economic collaboration with the aim of soon realising the goal of US$18 billion in trade turnover; to further enhance defence - security cooperation; and to expand cooperation into new areas such as green economy, digital economy, innovation, energy transition, developing electric vehicle ecosystems, e-commerce, smart delivery, digital payments, science - technology, digital transformation, AI, and halal products. The two countries' leaders also concurred on strengthening people-to-people exchanges, especially among young people.

For the ASEAN Secretariat, Sơn stated that Lâm's visit clearly demonstrated the crucial role of ASEAN in Việt Nam's foreign policy, reaffirming Việt Nam's commitment to continue responsibly contributing to building the ASEAN Community, especially as the group is preparing to enter a new phase of development with a proactive stance and readiness to adapt to all opportunities and challenges.

Coinciding with the 30th anniversary of Việt Nam's accession to ASEAN, the Party chief's visit carries profound significance as it reflected Việt Nam's consistent motto of proactivity, positivity, and responsibility in joining ASEAN, and always making every effort for a united, self-reliant, and thriving ASEAN Community; and reaffirmed that ASEAN remains the top priority in Việt Nam's foreign policy in the new era, Vietnamese top diplomat noted.

Meanwhile, high-ranking leaders of Việt Nam and Singapore affirmed their strong commitment and high priority to further deepening the countries' friendship and mutual trust, while expanding cooperation across existing sectors. Party General Secretary Tô Lâm and Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong agreed to upgrade bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, injecting fresh momentum into the countries' all-round collaboration.

Both sides agreed to enhance political trust; further expand and deepen economic, trade, and investment ties; advance cooperation in digital transformation, innovation, green economy, and clean energy; and strengthen collaboration in defence - security, culture, education, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges. The countries will also expand the Việt Nam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) network under the VSIP 2.0 model, with a focus on innovation, low-carbon development, and digital transformation. Besides, cultural, sports, and youth exchanges will be promoted to bolster mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples.

During their talks and meetings, the Vietnamese Party chief and leaders of Indonesia, Singapore, and the ASEAN Secretariat agreed to strengthen coordination at regional and global forums, and work closely with the bloc's member states to step up cooperation towards the successful building of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045.

Deputy PM Sơn said the trips have helped reinforce ASEAN’s solidarity and centrality in the regional architecture. As founding members of the bloc and two of its most developed economies, Indonesia and Singapore are key partners in ensuring ASEAN’s cohesion amid external challenges. Indonesia, with its large domestic market-driven economy, and Singapore, with its export-oriented, high-tech, and innovation-driven economic model and its position as a regional innovation hub, are well-positioned to support Việt Nam's growth aspirations in its new era of national rise.

Additionally, the visits have strengthened ties between the Communist Party of Việt Nam and the ruling parties and political parties in Indonesia and Singapore, providing a solid political foundation for Việt Nam's bilateral relations with both nations, he noted.

The official said that with such tangible outcomes, the immediate priority is to concretise the new partnership frameworks by swiftly developing master plans of action to implement Việt Nam's comprehensive strategic partnerships with Indonesia and Singapore.

He added that basing on these action plans, relevant ministries and sectors must promptly establish detailed cooperation programmes to engage with their counterparts. While continuing to promote traditional areas of collaboration, attention must also be given to emerging fields such as the green economy, innovation, science - technology, digital transformation, and green energy.

The Deputy PM said it is also essential to regularly review, monitor, and assess the implementation of these plans and programmes to ensure that agreements are effectively translated into action, delivering practical benefits and supporting the realisation of the development goals in the new period.

For ASEAN, Sơn recommended Việt Nam continue playing a proactive and responsible role, working with other member states to strengthen the bloc’s solidarity, resilience, and centrality, and to deepen regional integration through various cooperation frameworks, particularly the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and its strategic plans set to commence in 2026.

He said Việt Nam should also strongly promote its key initiatives, including the ASEAN Future Forum, further prioritise efforts to bring the ASEAN Community closer to its people, businesses, and localities, and capitalise on the benefits brought about by the bloc, especially in terms of invest and trade cooperation, to mobilise more resources for national socio-economic development. — VNA/VNS