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| Party General Secretary Tô Lâm and Sultan of Brunei Haji Hassanal Bolkiah at their meeting in Hà Nội on November 30, as the Bruneian leader is on a State visit to Việt Nam. — VNA/VNS Photos Thống Nhất |
HÀ NỘI — Party General Secretary Tô Lâm and Brunei’s Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah on Sunday agreed to deepen political trust and facilitate trade and investment between the two countries.
Welcoming the Bruneian leader, who is on a three-day State visit to Việt Nam, General Secretary Tô Lâm said he believed the visit would give fresh momentum to the Việt Nam–Brunei Comprehensive Partnership, making it more substantive and effective.
Lâm praised Brunei’s achievements in national development, noting its solid economic growth, strong social welfare system and human development index ranking in the 'very high' group globally. He also wished Brunei success in realising its national development vision for 2035.
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah said he was pleased to be back in Việt Nam for the first time since 2019, his seventh visit in total, and expressed a desire to further strengthen the bilateral partnership.
He extended his condolences to families affected by recent flooding and landslides and sent his regards to communities still dealing with the aftermath of the disasters.
The two leaders said they were satisfied with the progress of two-way relations in recent years, noting the regular high-level exchanges and stronger cooperation across multiple fields. Bilateral trade in 2024 rose by 165 per cent compared to 2023, surpassing the target of $500 million set for 2025 ahead of schedule.
Collaborations in defence and security, fisheries, oil and gas and education, among other fields, have also produced positive results.
Looking ahead, the two sides agreed to bolster political trust and create favourable conditions for trade and investment, including better connectivity and support for businesses seeking partners in each other’s markets. They highlighted opportunities for further cooperation in agriculture, fisheries, Halal products, culture, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.
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| Party General Secretary Tô Lâm (right) held a reception for Sultan of Brunei Haji Hassanal Bolkiah in Hà Nội on November 30. |
General Secretary Lâm called for stronger maritime cooperation, including joint efforts to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing as well as action on climate change.
The Sultan stressed that Việt Nam was an important trading partner and said Brunei hoped to develop cooperation in agri-food and Halal industries.
He encouraged Vietnamese enterprises to expand collaboration in the oil and gas sector and proposed enhancing people-to-people links through scholarship and training programmes.
Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to supporting each other at multilateral forums, particularly ASEAN and the United Nations. They agreed to continue working together to maintain ASEAN unity and centrality and to strengthen coordination on regional and international issues, including the East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea).
The Sultan invited General Secretary Lâm to visit Brunei at a suitable time, to which the top leader of Việt Nam has accepted. — VNS