President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is scheduled for a state visit to Vietnam on January 29–30, 2024, with food security, agricultural cooperation, trade, and important regional and international issues high on the agenda.
Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza said in a press briefing Friday that President Marcos will meet with Vietnamese President Vo Van Thoung and other key national government officials, including representatives from the country’s business sector.
“During the visit, the President will meet with leaders of Vietnam, namely President Thoung, His Excellency Pham Minh Chinh, Prime Minister of Vietnam, and His Excellency Vuong Dinh Hue, Chairman of the National Assembly of Vietnam, where discussion on the multi-faceted relationship and ways of exploring deepening cooperation across different fronts will be expected. The President is also expected to meet with business sectors to promote trade and investment relations between the Philippines and Vietnam,” Daza said.
Daza said it would be the first visit by Marcos to Vietnam since he assumed office in 2022 and would also be the first outbound state visit for the year.
Marcos would also meet with the Filipino community, where he would highlight the Philippines’ friendly relations with Vietnam as well as the contribution of the community in promoting a positive image of the Philippines in the country.
About 7,000 Filipinos are working and residing in Vietnam.
Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Aileen Mendiola-Rau of the DFA Office of Asian and Pacific Affairs (ASPAC) said the state visit would be in line with Marcos’ commitment to ensure food security in the country, with Vietnam being the Philippines’ long-time partner committed to supporting its rice requirement.
“Thus, we expected the visit of the President to involve an in-depth discussion on our agricultural cooperation. The state visit is also essential, as the Philippines continues to stress the importance of ASEAN centrality by forging closer and stronger relations with fellow ASEAN member states,” she said.
“The President is also expected to tackle important regional and international issues with Vietnam to share views and perspectives, particularly on matters involving the ASEAN region. We consider that this visit of the President would be significant in our ever-evolving relations with Vietnam,” she added.
Vietnam is the Philippines’ sole strategic partner in the ASEAN region, with ties spanning almost 50 years with the establishment of bilateral relations in 1976.
The Philippines and Vietnam have set a goal of boosting bilateral trade up to $10 billion in the coming years.
