PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. leaves for a state visit to Vietnam next week 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 in Malacañang that President Marcos and First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos will be conducting their state visit to Vietnam on January 29-30, 2024, upon the invitation of Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong.
It will be the first visit of the President to Vietnam since he assumed office in 2022 and will also be the first outbound state visit for the year.
“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,” Daza said.
“The President is also expected to meet with business sectors to promote trade and investment relations between the Philippines and Vietnam,” she added.
The President will also meet with the Filipino community, where he will 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.
There are about 7,000 Filipinos working and residing in Vietnam.
In the same briefing, Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Aileen Mendiola-Rau of the DFA Office of the Asian and Pacific Affairs (ASPAC) said the state visit is in line with the President’s commitment to ensure food security in the country, with Vietnam being the Philippines’ a long-time partner committed to supporting its rice requirement.
“Thus, we expected the visit of the President would involve an in-depth discussion on our agricultural cooperation. The state visit is also essential as the Philippines continue to stress the importance of ASEAN centrality by forging closer and stronger relations with fellow ASEAN member-states,” Mendiola-Rau said.
“The President is also expected to tackle important regional and international issues with Vietnam in order to share views and perspectives particularly on matters involving the ASEAN region. We consider that this visit of the President would be a significant in our ever-evolving relations with Vietnam,” she further noted.
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 two nations have various areas of cooperation, including defense and security, maritime, agriculture and people-to-people relations. The Philippines and Vietnam have set a goal of boosting bilateral trade up to $10 billion in the coming years.
The President and the First Lady will be joined by key Cabinet members, including Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo and members of his economic team.
