HCMC – Party General Secretary and State President To Lam is set to pay a state visit to Singapore and deliver a keynote address at the Shangri-La Dialogue at the end of this month.
According to an official statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the invitation of Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and his spouse, To Lam, accompanied by his spouse and a high-level Vietnamese delegation, will pay a state visit to Singapore from May 29 to 31.
Alongside bilateral meetings and engagements, and at the invitation of Bastian Giegerich, director-general and chief executive of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), To Lam will also attend and deliver a keynote address at the opening session of the Shangri-La Dialogue on May 29.
Speaking to the Vietnam News Agency ahead of the visit, Vietnamese Ambassador to Singapore Tran Phuoc Anh said the trip carries special significance on multiple fronts.
First, this will mark the first time a Vietnamese Party General Secretary and State President attends and delivers a keynote address at the Shangri-La Dialogue, one of the region’s leading multilateral security forums that brings together senior global leaders and policymakers to discuss regional and international security issues.
Second, Singapore will become the first Southeast Asian country to host a state visit by Party General Secretary and State President To Lam following Vietnam’s recent leadership consolidation.
The ambassador also noted that this will be the second visit by Vietnam’s top leader to Singapore in just over a year since March 2025, reflecting the strategic importance both countries attach to bilateral ties as they pursue medium- and long-term development agendas. While Singapore is adjusting its economic policies for its next development phase, Vietnam is advancing its long-term development vision toward 2045.
The visit is also expected to underscore stronger party-to-party cooperation between the Communist Party of Vietnam and Singapore’s People’s Action Party (PAP).
On economic ties, bilateral trade reached a record of around S$40 billion (US$31.3 billion) in 2025, up nearly 25% from 2024. Trade momentum continued in the first four months of this year. For investment, Singapore remains Vietnam’s second-largest foreign investor, with cumulative registered capitalreaching around US$91.6 billion.
