National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn and his spouse Nguyễn Thị Thanh Nga leave Nội Bài International Airport for their visits to Singapore and Japan from December 1-7. — VNA/VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

HÀ NỘI — National Assembly (NA) Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn and his spouse Nguyễn Thị Thanh Nga, along with a high-ranking delegation of the Vietnamese legislature, departed Hà Nội at noon on Sunday for official visits to Singapore and Japan.

The visits are made at the invitations of Speaker of the Singaporean Parliament Seah Kian Peng and his spouse, and President of the House of Councillors - the upper chamber of the Japanese National Diet - Sekiguchi Masakazu and his spouse.

Mẫn was accompanied by Chairman of the NA’s Committee for Foreign Affairs Vũ Hải Hà, NA Secretary-General and Chairman of the NA Office Lê Quang Tùng, Chairwoman of the NA Committee for Social Affairs Nguyễn Thúy Anh, Chairman of the NA’s Committee on Science, Technology and Environment Lê Quang Huy, Chairman of the NA's Finance-Budget Committee Lê Quang Mạnh, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Đỗ Đức Duy, and other officials.

The visits aim to implement Việt Nam's foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, and diversification and multilateralism of foreign relations, enhance cooperative ties between the Vietnamese NA and Singapore’s Parliament as well as Japan’s National Diet.

They are also expected to strengthen the Việt Nam-Singapore Strategic Partnership, and affirm the importance Việt Nam attaches to its Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia and the World with Japan.

The country leaders will also discuss international and regional issues of shared concern on this occasion.

Singapore remains a key partner of Việt Nam in the region. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1973 and the strategic partnership in 2013, their bilateral relations have grown robustly across all channels - Party, government, parliament, and people-to-people exchange.

Japan is also Việt Nam's top economic partner, largest provider of official development assistance (ODA), second-largest partner in labour, the third biggest in investment, the third in tourism, and the fourth in trade. Their bilateral relationship is at its most robust phase, marked by high political trust, frequent high-level exchanges, and deep economic collaboration. — VNA/VNS