Opening Remarks by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. at the Bilateral Meeting with Vietnamese President To Lam

Your Excellency,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my distinct honor and pleasure to welcome Your Excellency General Secretary and President To Lam and your esteemed delegation to the Philippines for this historic visit, the first by a General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, who also concurrently serves as President of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam.

We celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations, confident in our bonds as maritime nations and close neighbors.

Viet Nam remains our sole strategic partner in Southeast Asia, a recognition of a vital partnership that is now in its 10th year.

Today, we elevate our ties to an Enhanced Strategic Partnership, which will be defined by wider pathways for cooperation, stronger political and defense cooperation, and closer linkages between the Filipino and Vietnamese peoples.

The partnership that we have has become increasingly important as our region navigates an ever-evolving and uncertain global environment marked by geopolitical fragmentation, supply chain vulnerabilities, trade pressures, and the rise of emerging technologies, bringing both opportunities and risk.

There is no doubt that the Philippines and Viet Nam share a common interest in maintaining peace, stability, and a rules-based order in our region anchored firmly on international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS.

Our robust bilateral trade exceeding seven billion dollars demonstrates our mutually beneficial and vital economic partnership.

This, along with our active agricultural exchanges, regional and multilateral cooperation and defense initiatives among many areas of cooperation keep the Philippines-Viet Nam partnership closely intertwined and drive our shared progress.

As we embark on this new chapter in our bilateral relations, the vibrant cultural and human connections between our people will remain the bedrock of our enduring solidarity.

The Philippines looks forward to an even more robust people-to-people cooperation with Viet Nam, especially through the expansion of our tourism collaboration and the deepening of our educational and cultural exchanges.

We are not only marking a half-century of diplomatic ties, but we also signal the starting point for another march towards new horizons that will carry our nations and our peoples forward to progress.

I trust that today’s discussions will further deepen our engagements and open new avenues to collaboration, guided by mutual respect, the rule of law, a shared commitment to ASEAN centrality, and our shared aspirations for peace, stability, and prosperity.

Thank you.

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