Putrajaya: Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, on his first official visit to Malaysia, was formally welcomed at the Perdana Putra Complex today. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim greeted his Vietnamese counterpart upon arrival at 2:30 pm, with both national anthems played to mark the occasion.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Chinh inspected a guard of honour composed of three officers and 103 personnel from the First Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment (Ceremonial), led by Major Mohamad Waqiyudin Abd Rahman. Attendees included key figures such as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Chang Lih Kang, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, as well as foreign diplomats and senior government officials.
Chinh was accompanied by his spouse, Le Thi Bich Tran, along with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son, and several cabinet ministers and senior Vietnamese officials. Chinh, who has been in office since April 2021, is visiting ahead of the 46th ASEAN Summit, Second ASEAN-GCC Summit, and ASEAN-China-GCC Summit, all set to occur in Kuala Lumpur on May 26 and 27.
Following the welcome ceremony, Chinh and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim engaged in a bilateral meeting to assess the progress of Malaysia-Vietnam relations, which were elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in November 2024. Wisma Putra noted that discussions focused on strategic sectors including trade and investment, defence and security, agriculture, the halal industry, renewable energy, tourism, and digital technology.
Both leaders also exchanged perspectives on regional and global developments, emphasizing ASEAN’s role as a unified and adaptable platform in addressing shared challenges amid shifting geopolitical and geoeconomic conditions.
In 2024, Vietnam ranked as Malaysia’s 11th largest trading partner globally and the fourth largest within ASEAN. Bilateral trade amounted to RM83.11 billion, consisting of RM53.86 billion in exports and RM29.25 billion in imports. Malaysian companies have initiated over 700 projects in Vietnam, with cumulative investments surpassing USD13 billion (RM55 billion).
A joint press conference is scheduled to follow the meeting, after which Anwar will host an official luncheon at Seri Perdana in honor of his Vietnamese counterpart.