HCMC – Vietnamese Party General Secretary and State President To Lam, accompanied by his spouse and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, arrived in Singapore on May 29, beginning a three-day state visit aimed at deepening bilateral ties under the newly upgraded Comprehensive Strategic Partnership framework.
The visit, taking place from May 29 to 31 at the invitation of Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and his spouse, is expected to further advance economic and political cooperation between the two Southeast Asian nations.
On the first day of the visit, To Lam is scheduled to attend and deliver a keynote speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue, the region’s premier security and strategic forum, at the invitation of Bastian Giegerich, director-general and chief executive of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).
Welcoming the Vietnamese delegation at Changi International Airport were Singapore’s Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo, Singaporean Ambassador to Vietnam Rajpal Singh, and Zhou Suli, director-general of the Southeast Asia Department under Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Representing Vietnam at the airport reception were Vietnamese Ambassador to Singapore Tran Phuoc Anh, embassy staff, and members of the Vietnamese community in Singapore.
Vietnam and Singapore are regarded as among the most dynamic and effective bilateral partners in Southeast Asia. Over more than five decades, the relationship has steadily expanded and is widely viewed as a successful model of ASEAN cooperation.
The establishment of the Strategic Partnership in 2013 and its elevation to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2025 marked major milestones in bilateral relations. The upgraded framework reflects growing political trust, deepening economic interdependence, and shared strategic interests amid an increasingly volatile global landscape.
Economic, trade, and investment cooperation remains a cornerstone of bilateral ties. Since 1996, Singapore has consistently been one of Vietnam’s largest economic partners.
Two-way trade has grown steadily over the years, reaching US$8.3 billion in 2021, over US$9.16 billion in 2022, US$9 billion in 2023, and US$10.3 billion in 2024, up 14.7% from the previous year. Bilateral trade reportedly surged to US$31 billion in 2025, while trade turnover in the first four months of 2026 totaled nearly US$14.7 billion.
During the January-April period of 2026, Vietnam remained Singapore’s 10th-largest trading partner. Singapore’s total import-export turnover with Vietnam reached S$18.8 billion, up 43.7% year-on-year. Singapore’s exports to Vietnam rose 8.9% to S$10.2 billion, while imports from Vietnam surged 133% to S$8.5 billion.
Among Singapore’s exports to Vietnam, domestically produced goods were valued at S$3.2 billion, up 13.8%, while re-exported and transshipped goods totaled S$7.1 billion, up 6.8%.
Excluding transshipped goods, Vietnam posted a trade surplus of S$5.36 billion, equivalent to more than US$4.18 billion, in trade with Singapore.
Three major product categories continued to record strong growth in both exports and imports: electrical machinery and equipment and parts (HS85); mineral fuels, oils, and distillation products (HS27); and nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery, and mechanical appliances and parts (HS84).
Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Parks (VSIP) remain a hallmark of bilateral economic cooperation. Since the launch of the first VSIP project in Binh Duong in 1996, Singapore has developed 18 industrial parks across Vietnam, more than in any other country worldwide.
The VSIP network has attracted over US$18.7 billion in investment and created jobs for more than 300,000 workers. These industrial parks have become key drivers of Vietnam’s industrialization and regional supply chain integration.
