By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos | Philippine News Agency
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is set to hold a bilateral meeting with Vietnamese President Tô Lâm to discuss plans to deepen the Philippines’ cooperation with Vietnam on priority areas, such as trade and investment, food security, and defense.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) announced that Lam would embark on a state visit to the Philippines from May 31 to June 1.
“At the bilateral meeting, it is expected that the discussions of the two leaders will reflect on the five decades of robust cooperation between the Philippines and Vietnam,” the PCO said.
“The two leaders will also seek to reinforce the relationship, centered on more dynamic collaboration in trade and investment, food security, defense and maritime cooperation, education, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.”
This will be the Vietnamese leader’s first state visit to the Philippines since assuming his new post.
The two-day state visit comes as the Philippines and Vietnam celebrate milestones in their bilateral relations, including 50 years of diplomatic ties and a decade of strategic partnership between the two countries.
The Philippines and Vietnam established diplomatic relations on July 12, 1976 and elevated their partnership into a strategic partnership on Nov. 17, 2015.
Hanoi remains Manila’s sole strategic partner in Southeast Asia, with sustained cooperation at the government, private sector, and grassroots level.
The two nations have been steadily expanding their two-way trade, with both sides aiming to reach a USD10 billion bilateral trade turnover.
More than 7,000 Filipinos are currently based in Vietnam.
A Philippine Consulate General is expected to open in Ho Chi Minh in mid-2026, further enhancing bilateral engagement between the two nations. (PNA)
