Vietnamese top leader To Lam arrives in Singapore for state visit

The visit is the Vietnamese leader’s first state trip to Singapore in his capacity as head of the Party and the state and underscores the continued strengthening of bilateral ties.

During his stay, the Vietnamese leader will attend and deliver a keynote address at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue 2026 on Friday, at the invitation of Bastian Giegerich, director-general and chief executive of the UK-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), which organizes the annual forum.

The forum is one of the region’s most influential security platforms, bringing together policymakers and experts to discuss key strategic challenges.

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Manh Cuong said the visit is expected to further boost cooperation in investment, trade, finance, and supply chain connectivity between Vietnam and Singapore.

He added that the trip is expected to advance the development of next-generation Vietnam–Singapore Industrial Parks, known as VSIPs, toward greener, smarter, and more sustainable models.

In March 2025, in his role as Party general secretary, the Vietnamese leader paid an official visit to Singapore, during which the two countries formally upgraded their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

The upgrade indicated a new phase in bilateral relations after more than half a century of diplomatic ties.

Shortly after, Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong visited Vietnam and held talks with senior leaders.

More recently, during the 48th ASEAN Summit in the Philippines, Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung and Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong met in person for the first time.

Singapore Ambassador to Vietnam Rajpal Singh said the frequency of high-level exchanges reflects strong political trust and close engagement between the two countries’ leaderships.

He added that momentum since the elevation of ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership has been positive and strong, driven by consistent high-level interactions.

According to the diplomat, the Vietnamese leader’s keynote address at the Shangri-La Dialogue will be an important moment, reflecting global interest in Vietnam’s views on current geopolitical and geoeconomic developments, its achievements since joining ASEAN, and its growing readiness to take a more proactive role in addressing regional and global challenges.

The Vietnam–Singapore comprehensive strategic partnership has continued to expand across multiple pillars, including economics, technology, education, and multilateral cooperation.

Bilateral trade between Vietnam and Singapore exceeded US$31 billion in 2025.

Singapore remains the largest ASEAN investor in Vietnam and the country’s second-largest foreign investor overall, with about 4,500 active projects and around $97 billion in total registered capital.

Cooperation is expanding into new growth areas such as artificial intelligence, big data, semiconductors, clean energy, and financial services, alongside efforts to develop innovation ecosystems and a potential international financial center.

Singapore continues to support Vietnam in training senior officials and developing high-quality human resources.

Around 25,000 Vietnamese people live in Singapore, including professionals and intellectuals.