MALAYSIA

Year of establishment of diplomatic relations: 1965

Recent Bilateral Highlights

2010

• The Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato' Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak, visited Singapore from 23-24 May 2010 for a retreat with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Prime Minister Najib was accompanied by his wife Datin Sri Rosmah Mansor, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dato' Sri Anifah Aman, Minister of International Trade and Industry Dato' Sri Mustapa bin Mohamed, Minister of Transport Dato' Sri Ong Tee Keat, Minister of Home Affairs Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Tan Sri Nor Mohamed bin Yakcop, Menteri Besar of Johor Dato' Haji Abdul Ghani bin Othman and other senior officials from various ministries. Prime Minister Najib and the Malaysian delegation were hosted to a Welcome Dinner by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on 23 May 2010.

• During the retreat on 24 May 2010, the Leaders and Ministers from both countries discussed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on regional developments. Significantly, an agreement was reached between Prime Minister Lee and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on the implementation of the Points of Agreement (POA). The Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) railway station will be relocated from Tanjong Pagar to the Woodlands Train Checkpoint (WTCP) by 1 July 2011. As part of the deal, Malaysia will get three POA parcels (Tanjong Pagar, Kranji and Woodlands) and three Bukit Timah land parcels for development by a joint venture company, M-S Pte Ltd. There was also agreement between the two Prime Ministers on establishing a rapid transit system linking Johor Bahru and Singapore. Separately, the two leaders also agreed that Khazanah Nasional Berhad and Temasek Holdings Limited would form a 50-50 joint venture company to undertake the development of an iconic township project in Iskandar Malaysia (IM). Prime Minister Lee also informed Prime Minister Najib that all the waterworks under the 1961 Water Agreement (WA) would be returned to Johor gratis and in good working condition upon the expiry of the WA. The Joint Statement released during the retreat is appended below.

• Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew visited Johor on 20 February 2010 to extend condolences to the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim, on the passing of his father, Sultan Iskandar.

• Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo, Minister for National Development Mah Bow Tan and Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan travelled to Johor’s Istana Besar to pay their respects to Sultan Iskandar of Johor on 23 January 2010 following the Sultan’s passing on 22 January 2010.

• The third Malaysia-Singapore Joint Techincal Committee meeting was held in Singapore on 5 January 2010 to further discuss the implementation of the International Court of Justice judgement on Pedra Branca, Middle Rocks and South Ledge.

2009

• The Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato' Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak, made an introductory visit to Singapore on 21 - 22 May 2009. Prime Minister Najib was accompanied by his wife Datin Sri Rosmah Mansor, various ministers and senior officials from the government. Prime Minister Najib met with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, President S R Nathan, and met with Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, and Senior Minister and Co-ordinating Minister for National Security Prof S Jayakumar. Prime Minister Najib’s trip affirmed the strong and long-standing relations between the two countries. Leaders from both countries agreed that they should continue to explore areas of cooperation to strengthen bilateral relations, both at the regional and bilateral levels.

• Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew made a week-long visit to Malaysia from 9 - 16 June 2009. During his visit, he met with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak in Putrajaya. During their meeting, Prime Minister Najib reaffirmed the positive message he had given Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during his first visit to Singapore in May 2009. During his week-long visit, Minister Mentor Lee also met with HM Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, and other influential politicians and personalities from various states in Malaysia. Minister Mentor Lee was accompanied by Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Education Minister Ng Eng Hen, Acting Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts Lui Tuck Yew and Senior Parliamentary Secretary Masagos Zulkifli.

• At the invitation of Malaysian Foreign Minister Dato' Anifah Aman, Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo visited Kuala Lumpur on 23 June 2009. Both Foreign Ministers had a good discussion and reaffirmed the close bilateral relationship and cooperation. On the issue of the Points of Agreement (POA), they agreed to take a broader win-win approach to resolve the issue. Both Foreign Ministers discussed ways to move the POA issue forward, and agreed to meet again at an early date to sort out further details. They also discussed the two Prime Ministers having a Retreat in the later part of the year in Singapore.

• Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo met with Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed, MP for Pulai Parliamentary Constituency for breakfast on 26 June 2009.

• Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) women's chief Chew Mei Fun called on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on 3 July 2009. She and several members of her delegation met PM Lee at the Istana in his capacity as Secretary-general of the People's Action Party (PAP).

• Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo, accompanied by Mrs Jennifer Yeo and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, visited Kota Kinabalu, Sabah from 9 - 11 December 2009. Minister and Mrs Yeo were hosted to dinner by Malaysian Foreign Minister Dato' Sri Anifah Aman and his spouse, Datin Sri Siti Rubiah Abdul Samad on 9 December 2009. Also present at the dinner were several Sabah political leaders. Minister Yeo also met with Sabah State Minister for Industrial Development Datuk Raymond Tan, after which he was hosted to lunch by Sabah State Minister for Tourism, Culture and Development Datuk Masidi Manjun. Datuk Tan and Datuk Masidi briefed Minister Yeo on developments in Sabah during their meeting and lunch with Minister Yeo respectively. Minister Yeo and Datuk Tan also discussed ways to further enhance the economic links between Singapore and Sabah. At the invitation of Dato' Sri Anifah and Datin Sri Siti Rubiah, Minister Yeo and Mrs Yeo attended the wedding reception of the son of Dato' Sri Anifah and Datin Sri Siti Rubiah, Ahmad Zachry, and Eryna Suraya Pang in the evening of 10 December 2009. Minister Yeo also called on Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Aman.
  

2008

• Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean visited Penang and Kuala Lumpur from 28 - 30 January 2008. He met with various leaders including Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Najib Razak, and Chief Minister of Penang Koh Tsu Koon. He also made visits to the Royal Malaysian Air Force Butterworth Air Base and the Malaysian Armed Forces Defence College.
• Minister for Education Tharman Shanmugaratnam attended the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) Council meeting in Kuala Lumpur from 13 - 15 March 2008 and met with his Malaysian counterpart Hishammuddin Hussien during the visit.
• Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Dr Vivian Balakrishnan visited Kuala Lumpur on 23 March 2008 to attend the F1 Sepang Grand Prix at the invitation of Chairman of Sepang International Circuit Mokhzhani Mahathir.
• Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Utama Dr Rais Yatim made an introductory visit to Singapore on 17 April 2008. Dr Rais Yatim called on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and Deputy Prime Minister Professor S Jayakumar during his visit. He was also hosted to lunch by his counterpart, Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo.
• Minister for Environment and Water Resources Yaacob Ibrahim attended the Ministerial Steering Meeting on Transboundary Haze in Kuala Lumpur on 8 April 2008.
• Malaysian Minister for Education Hishammuddin Hussein visited Singapore from 20 - 21 April 2008 to sign a Memorandum of Understanding on Enhanced Bilateral Cooperation on School Leadership Development. Minister Hishammuddin met with his new counterpart, Dr Ng Eng Hen.
• Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Wong Kan Seng made a working visit to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 13 - 14 May 2008.
• On 23 May 2008, a long-standing territorial dispute between Singapore and Malaysia was resolved when the International Court of Justice (ICJ) awarded sovereignty of Pedra Branca to Singapore. The ICJ also awarded Middle Rocks to Malaysia, and South Ledge to the country in whose territorial waters it is located. By resolving this dispute through third party adjudication, both countries have demonstrated our respect for international law and our commitment to settling bilateral disputes in an amicable manner. The two countries established the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Technical Committee (MSJTC) to facilitate the smooth implementation of the ICJ judgment. The MSJTC met on 3 June 2008 in Singapore and 20 August 2008 in Putrajaya, Malaysia. The MSJTC is co-chaired by Mr Peter Ho, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore and Tan Sri Rastam Mohd Isa, Secretary General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia.
• Minister for Information, Communication and the Arts Dr Lee Boon Yang attended the 16th World Congress on Information Technology in Kuala Lumpur. He met with his counterparts Minister for Energy, Water and Communications Datuk Shaziman Mansor and Minister for Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Datuk Shafie Apdal during this visit.
• Malaysian Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department HE Dato’ Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi made a working visit to Singapore from 1 - 2 July 2008.
• Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Balaji Sadasivan made a working visit to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 7 - 9 July 2008, during which he called on Malaysian Minister of Human Resources Datuk Dr. S Subramaniam.
• Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Zainul Abidin Rasheed made a working visit to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 25 - 31 July 2008. During his visit, SMS Zainul met with several Malaysian leaders, including Minister of Foreign Affairs Dato’ Seri Utama Dr Rais Yatim.
• Malaysian Minister of International Trade and Industry Muhyiddin Yassin led the annual Trade and Investment mission to Singapore on 12 August 2008, during which he met Minister for Trade and Industry Lim Hng Kiang.
• Singapore Minister for Education and Second Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen visted Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 13 - 14 October 2008, where he met with his counterparts from the Malaysian Ministries of Education, Higher Education and Defence.
• Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo led a contingent from the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for the annual MFA-Wisma Putra Games from 7 - 8 November 2008 in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. They met with counterparts from the Malaysian Ministry of Foregin Affairs, led by Foreign Minister Dato' Seri Utama Dr Rais Yatim.

Bilateral Relations

Relations between Singapore and Malaysia are characterised by a high degree of economic and social inter-dependence. In 2008, Malaysia was our largest trading partner with with bilateral trade amounting to $111.5 billion. Bilateral trade as of November 2009 amounted to over $75 billion. Singapore’s investment in Malaysia rose by 11.8% to reach $21.2 billion as at end 2007. Singapore and Malaysia have always placed emphasis on developing people-to-people exchanges. It is thus not surprising that Singapore and Malaysia have consistently ranked among each others' top sources of visitor arrivals. Singapore believes that the positive state of bilateral relations between the two countries can be further enhanced by predicating the relationship on mutual respect, mutual benefit and adherence to international law and agreements. Notwithstanding occasional disagreements, which are inevitable between close neighbours, Singapore and Malaysia have continued to cooperate in innumerable areas of common interest. To this effect, Singapore is committed to the continued development of bilateral relations with Malaysia.

For information on bilateral issues such as Water and Pedra Branca, please refer to the links below.

From the Press Room

• Joint Statement by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Prime Minister Dato' Sri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak at the Singapore-Malaysia Leaders' Retreat on 24 May 2010
• Retreat between PM Lee Hsien Loong and PM Najib Tun Razak in Singapore 24/05/2010
• Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak's visit to Singapore, 23-24 May 2010
• PM Lee Hsien Loong Hosts Welcome Dinner for Malaysian PM Najib Tun Razak 23/05/2010
• MFA Press Statement: Retreat between Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak, 23-24 May 2010 22/05/2010
• Link to the International Court of Justice - Case concerning sovereignty over Pedra Branca, Middle Rocks and South Ledge website
• MFA Spokesman's Comments on recent Malaysian media reports on the Joint Ministerial Committee for the IDR to be set up between Singapore and Malaysia on 18 June 2007
• MFA Spokesman's Comments on Recent Reports of Malaysian Concerns Over the Proposed Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC) and Suggestions in the Malaysian Media to Use the JMC to Discuss Outstanding Bilateral Issues, 22/05/2007
• MFA Press Statement: Visit of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to Langkawi, Malaysia, 14-15 May 2007
• MFA Spokesman's Comment on Singapore-Malaysia relations, 20 April 2007
• Transcript of Remarks by Minister For Foreign Affairs George Yeo in Parliament during Committee of Supply (CoS) Debate (MFA) on 5 March 2007 on Bilat relations with M'sia
• MFA Press Release: Minister George Yeo's Comments On The Announcement By The Malaysian Government That It Has Decided Not To Proceed With The Construction Of The Bridge To Replace The Causeway 13/04/2006
• MFA Spokesman's Comments on the announcement made by Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi that Malaysian Government has decided not to proceed with the Construction of the Bridge to replace the Causeway on 12 April 2006
• Reply By 2nd Minister For Foreign Affairs Raymond Lim To Supplementary Question In Parliament On 3 April 2006 On Singapore's Position On Malaysian DPM Najib's Comments That It Is Within Malaysia's Right To Build A Bridge Within Its Territory
• Reply By Second Minister For Foreign Affairs Raymond Lim To Question In Parliament On The Talks With Malaysia Regarding The Proposed New Bridge Across The Causeway On 3 April 2006
• MFA Spokesman's Comments On Remarks Made By Malaysian Leaders On The Construction Of The Half-Bridge And Bilateral Negotiation Process As Reported In The Malaysian Media On 11 And 12 March 2006
• MFA Spokesman's Comments: Reactions To Comments Made On The Half-Bridge By Malaysian Deputy Minister Of Works Datuk Mohd Zin Mohamed As Reported In The Malaysian Media On 10 March 2006
• MFA Spokesman's Comments: Reactions of Malaysian Leaders on Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo's Remarks in Parliament on 2 March 2006 on the Half-Bridge
• Transcript of Remarks By Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo in Parliament on 2 March 2006
• MFA Press Release: Reply by Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo to question in Parliament on the status of negotiations with Malaysia on the Bridge and other outstanding bilateral issues, 17 February 2006
• Remarks In Parliament By Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo On The Settlement Agreement Between Singapore And Malaysia On Land Reclamation, 16 May 2005
• Transcript of Press Conference by Professor Tommy Koh, Agent of the Government of Singapore for the Reclamation Issue and Mrs Cheong Koon Hean, Deputy Secretary (Special Duties), Ministry Of National Development on Tuesday, 26 Apr 2005
• Joint Press Statement on the Case concerning Land Reclamation by Singapore in and around the Straits of Johor
• Joint Press Release on the meeting between Malaysia and Singapore on the outstanding bilateral issues
• Joint Press Statement - Case Concerning Land Reclamation by Singapore In and Around the Straits of Johor (Malaysia v Singapore)
• 25 January - MFA Press Release: Water issue is about sanctity of agreements, not only price alone, says Singapore Foreign Minister Prof S Jayakumar
• 25 January - Statement by Minister for Foreign Affairs, Prof S Jayakumar, in Parliament
• Highlights of Singapore's Position on Singapore-Malaysia Bilateral Issues

MYANMAR

Year of establishment of diplomatic relations: 1966

Recent Bilateral Highlights

• Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong made an official visit to Myanmar from 8 - 11 June 2009. He called on State Peace and Development Council Chairman Senior General Than Shwe, Prime Minister General Thein Sein and other leaders. Besides Nay Pyi Taw, Senior Minister Goh also visited Yangon, Mandalay and Taunggyi. Senior Minister Goh also opened the Kayin Chaung Station Hospital that Singapore helped to complete in Twante Township, Yangon Division.
• Myanmar Prime Minister General Thein Sein made an official visit to Singapore from 17 - 18 March 2009. He called on Acting President J Y Pillay and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who hosted an official dinner in his honour. He also met with Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong. They discussed the bilateral relationship and potential areas of cooperation and collaboration.
• Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo made an official visit to Myanmar from 2 - 4 April 2007. He called on State Peace and Development Council Secretary-1 Lieutenant-General Thein Sein in the latter's capacity as Acting Prime Minister and separately met Minister for Foreign Affairs U Nyan Win. They had wide-ranging discussions on enhancing bilateral cooperation, such as through cultural exchanges, trade and investment.

Bilateral Relations

Singapore and Myanmar enjoy good bilateral relations. We have worked closely in ASEAN. Myanmar is among the top 10 recipient countries under the Singapore Cooperation Programme (SCP). Our technical assistance has largely been channelled to the fields of healthcare, tourism, information technology and trade and export development.

Singapore was one of the first countries to offer assistance to Myanmar following Cyclone Nargis, and had contributed a first tranche of humanitarian assistance worth US$200,000. The Singapore government pledged a further US$5 million worth of humanitarian assistance to Myanmar and was also part of the ASEAN Emergency Rapid Assessment Team (ERAT) that was despatched to Myanmar on 9 May 2008 to assess the ground situation. To help Myanmar in their post-disaster recovery efforts, some of our initiatives included donations of airport ground handling equipment, fertiliser and fishing boats, the construction and refurbishment of Kayin Chaung Station Hospital and a post-disaster trauma counselling training course for Myanmar civil servants.

From the Press Room

• MFA Press Statement: Meetings of the Prime Minister of Myanmar General Thein Sein with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong on 17 March 2009
• Tea Reception for ASEAN Children's Happy Drawings artists in Myanmar
• MFA Press Statement: Donation of Fertiliser to Myanmar in aid of its Post-Cyclone Nargis Recovery Efforts
• Transcript of Door-stop Interview by Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo on the political situation in Myanmar after the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting Informal Working Dinner, 20 July 2008
• MFA Spokesman's Comments on the Myanmar Government's invitation for UN Secretary-General (UNSG) Special Advisor Professor Ibrahim Gambari to visit Myanmar in August 2008
• Statements by ASEAN Chair, Singapore's Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo, Singapore, 20 July 2008
• Singapore’s Ambassador to Myanmar Robert Chua at the Pledging Session of the ASEAN-UN Pledging Conference
• MFA Press Statement: Extension Of House Arrest Of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi By Myanmar Government
• ASEAN-UN International Pledging Conference on Cyclone Nargis in Yangon, Myanmar, 25 May 2008
  
  
• MFA Press Statement: Visit of Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo to Myanmar, 24 – 26 May 2008
  
  
• Letter from PM Lee Hsien Loong to Myanmar PM Thein Sein
  
  
• Meeting with State Peace and Development Council Secretary-1, Lieutenant-General Thein Sein, 3 April 2007
  
  
• Visit by Foreign Minister George Yeo to Myanmar - Meeting with Myanmar Minister for Foreign Affairs, U Nyan Win, 2 April 2007
  
  
• MFA Press Statement: Visit by Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo to Myanmar - Meeting with Myanmar Minister for Foreign Affairs, U Nyan Win, 2 April 2007
  
  
• MFA Press Statement: Visit by Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo to Myanmar, 2-4 April 2007
  
  
• Remarks by Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo in Parliament on 2 March 2006

PHILIPPINES

Year of establishment of diplomatic relations: 1969

• Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo made an official visit to the Philippines from 19 - 22 November 2009 at the invitation of Philippine Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo. He called on Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as well as Secretary Romulo. In conjunction with the visit, Minister Yeo also attended the 10th World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention (WCEC) as a keynote speaker and received the WCEC flag on behalf of Singapore, which will be hosting the 11th WCEC in 2011.
• Minister for Transport and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs Raymond Lim attended the 14th ASEAN Transport Ministers Meeting in Manila, Philippines from 6-7 November 2008. During the visit, Minister Lim called on Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
• President S R Nathan and Philippine Secretary of Education Hon. Jesli Lapus co-officiated the unveiling ceremony of the Dr Jose Rizal marker at the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore on 19 June 2008. The marker is a collaboration with the Singapore National Heritage Board (NHB).
• Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo made a State Visit to Singapore on 25 - 26 June 2007 at the invitation of President S R Nathan. President Arroyo called on and was hosted to a State Banquet by President S R Nathan. She also met with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong who hosted her to lunch.
• President S R Nathan made a State Visit to the Philippines from 13 - 16 February 2007 at the invitation of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. He met President Arroyo, who hosted a State Banquet in his honour. He also met Philippine Vice President Noli De Castro, former President Fidel Ramos and other eminent Filipinos.

Bilateral Relations

The Philippines and Singapore enjoy a warm bilateral relationship. 2009 marked the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries. Both countries share a common vision of the importance of ASEAN and work closely together at ASEAN meetings and other international fora. Economically, the Philippines is currently Singapore's 13th largest trading partner. Bilateral trade reached S$14.8 billion in 2009. The Philippines is also a priority country under the Singapore Cooperation Programme (SCP). Since the inception of the SCP in 1992, more than 1,600 Filipino officials have attended SCP courses in Singapore in diverse areas such as Civil Aviation, Economic and Trade Development, Environment, Finance, Healthcare, Information Technology, Law, Port Management and Urban Development.

From the Press Room

• MFA Press Statement: Appointment of Singapore’s Ambassador to the Republic of the Philippines
• MFA Press Release: Condolence Letters from President S R Nathan and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to President Gloria Arroyo on the devastation of central Philippines by Typhoon Frank (Typhoon Fengshen)
  
  
• State Visit to Singapore by the President of the Republic of Philippines, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, 25-26 June 2007
  
  
• MFA Press Statement on State Visit By President S R Nathan To The Republic Of The Philippines 13-16 February 2007

• Visit of the Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alberto Romulo to Singapore 17-19 August 2006

• MFA Press Statement: Visit of Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo to The Republic of The Philippines, 14-16 February 2006

VIETNAM

Year of establishment of diplomatic relations: 1973

Recent Bilateral Highlights

• Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong visited Vietnam from 12 - 15 January 2010 at the invitation of Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. During the visit, Prime Minister Lee and Prime Minister Dung co-officiated the Ground Breaking Ceremony for the 4th Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) in Hai Phong City on 13 January 2010. Prime Minister Lee also met Communist Party of Vietnam General-Secretary Nong Duc Manh, President Nguyen Minh Triet and other senior Vietnamese leaders.
• Vietnam President Nguyen Minh Triet made his State Visit from 16 - 17 November 2009 in conjunction with his attendance at the APEC Economic Leader’s Meeting and the inaugural US-ASEAN Leaders’ Meeting. During the visit, President S R Nathan hosted a State Banquet in honour of President Triet. President Triet also had separate meetings with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew.
• Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean visited Vietnam from 7 - 10 September 2009. During the visit, he called on Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and National Defence Minister General Phung Quang Thanh, and met with other Vietnamese leaders. Deputy Prime Minister Teo and Minister Thanh co-signed the bilateral Defence Cooperation Agreement to formalise existing defense interactions and promote new areas of cooperation.
• Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai visited Singapore from 29 July to 1 August 2009 at the invitation of Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo. Deputy Prime Minister Hai called on President S R Nathan and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, and was also hosted to lunch by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean, where he also met with Minister for Trade and Industry Lim Hng Kiang.
• Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo made an official visit to Vietnam from 22 - 25 May 2009. Apart from meeting with Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Minister Yeo also visited Danang City and Quang Nam Province in Central Vietnam. Minister Yeo also attended the Asia-Europe Foreign Ministers' Meeting on 25 May.
• Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew made an official visit to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam from 13 to 17 April 2009 at the invitation of Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. In Ho Chi Minh City, he met Party Secretary Le Thanh Hai while in Hanoi, he met General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nong Duc Manh, President Nguyen Minh Triet, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, and other Vietnamese government and business leaders.
• Vietnam National Assembly Vice-President Nguyen Duc Kien led a 10-member delegation to Singapore for an official visit from 22 - 26 April 2009 at the invitation of Deputy Speaker of Parliament Mr Matthias Yao.
• Minister for Trade and Industry Lim Hng Kiang made a visit to Hanoi from 28 - 29 October 2008 to co-chair the 3rd Singapore-Vietnam Connectivity Ministerial Meeting with Vietnam's Minister of Planning and Investment Vo Hong Phuc. During this visit, Minister Lim met the Secretary of Hanoi Communist Party Pham Quang Nghi and Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung.
• Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee and Member of the Political Bureau, Central Party Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam Le Thanh Hai made an official visit to Singapore from 26 - 28 June 2008 at the invitation of Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo under the MFA's Distinguished Visitors' Programme. His visit immediately followed his attendance at the World Cities Summit from 23 - 25 June 2008 in Singapore. During his visit, Hai made courtesy calls on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew. He also met with and was hosted to lunch by Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo.
• Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem made an official visit to Singapore from 20 - 21 May 2008 to launch the Vietnam Festival. During his visit, he called on President S R Nathan and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. He also met Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo.
• President S R Nathan made a State Visit to Vietnam from 25 - 29 February 2008. During his visit President Nathan had discussions with senior Vietnamese leaders including President Nguyen Minh Triet, Communist Party of Vietnam General-Secretary Nong Duc Manh, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, government ministers, Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Pham Quang Nghi and Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Nguyen The Thao.

Bilateral Relations

Singapore-Vietnam relations are good and characterised by strong economic cooperation. Over the last decade, bilateral ties have strengthened rapidly and both countries cooperate closely within ASEAN and at other international fora. Economically, Singapore is Vietnam's fifth largest foreign investor, with registered cumulative investment at US$17 billion. Bilateral trade has grown steadily over the past ten years, and Singapore was the 5th largest trading partner of Vietnam in 2008, with trade figures amounting to S$15.6 billion. Vietnam is also one of the top beneficiaries of Singapore's technical assistance under the Singapore Cooperation programme (SCP). The key pillar of our bilateral economic cooperation is the Connectivity Framework Agreement (CFA), which provides the overarching framework across the sectors of education and training, finance, investments, information technology and telecommunications. In force since 23 January 2006, the CFA allows Singapore and Vietnam to leverage on each country's competencies, creating opportunities for the private sector in Singapore to contribute to Vietnam's development, and for greater people-to-people exchanges. The Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) has been a successful symbol of Singapore’s economic cooperation and investments in Vietnam. Since its first project in Binh Duong Province in 1996, the VSIP has since expanded to VSIP-II in Binh Duong, as well as to other provinces in Vietnam. The groundbreaking ceremony for the 4th VSIP in Hai Phong City was co-officiated by Prime Minister Lee and Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on 13 January 2010.

From the Press Room

• MFA Press Statement: Appointment of Singapore's Ambassador to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
• Official Visit to Singapore by a delegation from The Communist Party Of Vietnam Led By His Excellency Dr Pham Xuan Son, Vice Chairman Of The External Relations Commission, Central Committee, 9-12 December 2008
• MFA Press Release: Condolence messages to President Nguyen Minh Triet and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam by President S R Nathan and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
• MFA Press Release: 35th Anniversary of Singapore-Vietnam bilateral relations - Exchange of Congratulatory Messages

• Call by Mr Le Thanh Hai, Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee on Minister George Yeo, 27 June 2008

• MFA Press Statement: Calls By His Excellency Mr Le Thanh Hai, Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee On Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo on 27 June 2008

• MFA Press Statement: Official Visit to Singapore by His Excellency Mr Le Thanh Hai, Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, Socialist Republic of Vietnam, 26-29 June 2008

• Visit Of Deputy Prime Minister And Foreign Minister Of Vietnam Pham Gia Khiem To Singapore, 20 - 21 May 2008

• State Visit Of President S R Nathan to The Socialist Republic Of Vietnam, 25-29 February 2008

• Official Visit of Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, 10 -15 December 2007

• Introductory Visit to Singapore by the Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, His Excellency Nguyen Tan Dung, 13-14 August 2007

• Minister Mentor Lee meeting Vietnamese PM Nguyen Tan Dung in Hanoi, 16 January 2007

• Remarks by George Yeo, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Singapore, at the "Vietnam-Singapore Friendship Night" on 18 December 2006 at 6.30 pm at New World Hotel, Ho Chi Minh City

• Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo's Meeting with Le Hoang Quan, Chairman, People's Committee, Ho Chi Minh City, 18 December 2006

• Visit of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, 25-26 September 2006

• Minister George Yeo's Bilateral Meetings with Lao and Vietnamese Foreign Ministers

• MFA Press Release: Congratulatory Letters From Singapore Leaders To Their Vietnamese Counterparts