HCMC – Vietnam and the Philippines have upgraded their bilateral ties to an enhanced strategic partnership during Vietnam’s Party General Secretary and State President To Lam’s state visit to the Philippines from May 31 to June 1.

The move marks a major step forward in relations between the two Southeast Asian economies and sets the foundation for broader and deeper cooperation across multiple sectors. According to a joint statement released on June 1, the two countries agreed to strengthen collaboration in politics, trade, security and defense, law enforcement, and people-to-people exchanges. Economically, both sides aim to raise bilateral trade beyond US$10 billion in a balanced manner while expanding cooperation in emerging sectors such as the digital economy, green economy, innovation and smart agriculture. The two countries also agreed to increase high-level strategic exchanges, improve maritime incident response mechanisms and establish a hotline between their coast guard forces. In law enforcement cooperation, Vietnam and the Philippines pledged to strengthen information sharing to combat transnational organized crime, particularly online fraud and human trafficking. The relationship upgrade comes as the two countries celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties and 10 years of strategic partnership relations. The joint statement reaffirmed ASEAN’s consistent position on the East Sea, internationally known as the South China Sea, stressing the importance of maintaining peace, stability, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight. Both sides called for disputes to be resolved peacefully in accordance with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), while supporting full implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and early conclusion of an effective and substantive Code of Conduct (COC). During the visit, To Lam attended a business forum, met with the Vietnamese community in the Philippines and witnessed the signing of several cooperation agreements. Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. also accepted an invitation to visit Vietnam at a mutually convenient time.