State President Lương Cường holds talks with Sultan of Brunei Haji Hassanal Bolkiah in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam and Brunei on Monday signed three cooperation documents covering maritime affairs, fisheries and illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing prevention following talks between State President Lương Cường and Sultan of Brunei Haji Hassanal Bolkiah in Hà Nội.

The Sultan is on a state visit to Việt Nam from Sunday to Tuesday.

President Cường emphasised that the visit holds significant importance in injecting new momentum into the comprehensive partnership between Việt Nam and Brunei, promoting practical and effective cooperation for the development and prosperity of both nations.

He congratulated Brunei on its socio-economic achievements, particularly the successful implementation of the Wawasan 2035 development vision, enhancing Brunei’s position regionally and globally and affirmed Việt Nam’s commitment to deepening bilateral cooperation.

The Sultan of Brunei highlighted Việt Nam’s notable achievements in national development and foreign affairs and shared Brunei’s development priorities in areas such as AI, green economy and circular economy.

The Sultan also extended condolences to Vietnamese people, especially those in the central provinces affected by recent floods.

The two leaders highlighted the strong development of Việt Nam-Brunei relations, especially after the 2019 upgrade to a comprehensive partnership, with increasingly solid political and diplomatic ties, effective bilateral cooperation mechanisms and active implementation of the 2023–2027 action plan.

Defence and security cooperation has been a highlight, with close collaboration between forces and mutual support at multilateral forums, particularly under ASEAN and ASEAN+ frameworks.

Bilateral trade reached its 2025 target of US$500 million ahead of schedule, while collaboration in agriculture, energy, education and people-to-people exchanges has been enhanced.

The two leaders agreed to double bilateral trade turnover as soon as possible, promote digital economy, green transition and circular economy.

President Cường affirmed that Việt Nam encourages Brunei investors to participate in Vietnamese financial centres, infrastructure, energy, tourism and service projects.

Brunei also agreed to share Halal industry experience and explore mutual recognition of Halal certification and investment in Halal production in Việt Nam.

Both sides agreed that Brunei would continue facilitating Vietnamese companies in oil and gas services and exploration, while encouraging Brunei enterprises to invest in Việt Nam’s oil and gas projects.

The leaders reaffirmed the importance of maritime cooperation, including signing MoUs on fisheries cooperation and hotlines for IUU fishing.

They pledged to implement agreements, share information and address maritime security challenges to ensure safety and security at sea.

Both sides also vowed to expand collaboration in education, culture, tourism and people-to-people exchanges to strengthen mutual understanding and promote comprehensive bilateral relations.

They appreciated active coordination in multilateral mechanisms, particularly the UN and ASEAN, and committed to ASEAN solidarity and contributing to regional peace, stability and development.

The Sultan of Brunei affirmed support for Việt Nam’s role as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) Chair in 2026 and the successful hosting of APEC 2027. 

Both leaders committed to maintaining peace, security, stability, safety and freedom of navigation, calling for restraint, non-use of force, respect for diplomatic and legal processes and peaceful dispute resolution in line with international law, including UNCLOS 1982.

On this occasion, Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah extended a state visit invitation to President Cường to Brunei, while President Lương Cường invited the King to attend APEC 2027 in Việt Nam. — VNS