KUALA LUMPUR (July 26): Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof paid a courtesy visit to Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Friday.

"During the meeting with His Excellency, I reaffirmed the commitment of the prime minister and the Malaysian government to continue strengthening cooperation between Malaysia and Vietnam," he said in a post on the social media platform X.

Chinh also expressed strong support from the Vietnamese government for Malaysia, which will chair Asean next year, in the interests of mutual benefit and progress.

In the same post, Fadillah mentioned that Datuk Ahmad Rozian Abd Ghani, Deputy Secretary-General (Bilateral Relations) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Datuk Tan Yang Thai, Malaysian ambassador to Vietnam, also attended the meeting.

Fadillah’s visit to Chinh came after his attendance at the state funeral for Nguyen Phu Trong, the former secretary-general of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV).

Fadillah represented Malaysia at the funeral for Trong.

In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday, it was noted that Fadillah’s working visit to Vietnam, which concluded on Friday, highlighted Malaysia’s commitment to maintaining strong diplomatic relations with Vietnam while honouring Trong's legacy.

Meanwhile, the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported that Chinh suggested Malaysia and Vietnam continue to realise the outcomes from discussions between Trong and Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim during the latter’s official visit to Vietnam in July 2023.

These outcomes include enhancing high-level visits and contacts, sharing experiences, supporting each other, and striving to sign a cooperation agreement in the halal industry soon.

Furthermore, he also emphasised the importance of continuing effective coordination and humanitarian treatment for detained Vietnamese fishermen in line with international law and the sound relations between the two countries.

Fadillah affirmed Malaysia’s commitment to support Vietnam in developing the halal sector and pledged to boost collaboration in green energy, clean energy, renewable energy, digital transformation, semiconductor production, and AI. The goal is to achieve a two-way trade of US$18 billion (RM83.96 billion) per year in the near future.

Both leaders also agreed to maintain close coordination to build an Asean community with sustainable development, playing a central role in addressing strategic regional and global issues, including those in the East Sea.

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