In September 1987, I had the honour of receiving Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers Vo Van Kiet (now referred to as Deputy Prime Minister) during his visit to Singapore. During our working session, Deputy Chairman Vo Van Kiet entrusted me with a vital mission: “While you are here, you must take the initiative in promoting the normalisation of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Singapore, and at the same time prepare for Vietnam’s accession to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)".

On 1 November 1991, I once again had the privilege of welcoming Chairman of the Council of Ministers Vo Van Kiet, along with Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers Tran Duc Luong, during their official visit to Singapore to establish diplomatic ties between the two countries.

Following the official welcome ceremony, Deputy Chairman Tran Duc Luong chaired all meetings with Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry and leading local businesses. His objective was to introduce Vietnam’s Investment Law and call on Singaporean enterprises to invest in Vietnam. This was a strategic move aimed at attracting capital, technology, and managerial expertise from developed countries in the region.

Former President Tran Duc Luong.

In the subsequent Party Congress term, Tran Duc Luong was elected President of Vietnam. I had the honour of accompanying the President on his state visit to Malaysia. At that time, in 1999, the regional economy was undergoing a severe crisis. However, thanks to the country’s reform efforts, Vietnam's economy had recovered and was on a path of stable growth. Vietnam began to emerge as a major exporter of rice and seafood, with a real production-based economy rather than one reliant on financial speculation. Consequently, Vietnam was not as severely affected as other ASEAN nations.

Also in 1999, I had the privilege of joining President Tran Duc Luong on his official visit to the Kingdom of Thailand to enhance diplomatic relations and broaden economic and trade cooperation between the two countries. The Thai Minister of Commerce at the time told me: “Thailand places great importance on this visit. His Majesty the King of Thailand will personally welcome the President of Vietnam.”

Although Vietnam had by then joined ASEAN and normalised diplomatic ties with the United States, bilateral trade between the two countries continued to face numerous obstacles due to the U.S. Government’s embargo. Acting on the directives of the Politburo and the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Trade of Vietnam spearheaded negotiations for a Bilateral Trade Agreement with the United States.

By mid-2000, the agreement was signed and awaiting ratification by both sides. In November 2000, President Tran Duc Luong formally invited US President Bill Clinton to visit Vietnam—marking the first time in history that a sitting US President had set foot in the country. This was a historic milestone in the normalisation and expansion of Vietnam – US relations. On 10 December 2000, the Bilateral Trade Agreement officially came into effect. However, at that time, Vietnam’s international trade activities remained primarily bilateral in scope.

On November 1, 1991, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Duc Luong, accompanied by Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet, made an official visit to Singapore to normalize diplomatic relations, opening the door for Vietnam’s accession to ASEAN. Luong Van Tu was the Head of the Vietnam Trade Delegation in Singapore who coordinated this historic visit.

On 21 December 2001, the Politburo issued Resolution No. 07-NQ/TW on proactively integrating into the global economy. This marked a decisive shift from passive to proactive and comprehensive integration. From that point forward, Vietnam actively engaged in both bilateral and multilateral trade negotiations with 149 countries and territories, including major partners such as the United States, the European Union, and Japan. President Tran Duc Luong was a strong proponent of this process.

During his nine-year tenure as President, he led several strategic diplomatic initiatives, advancing negotiations and garnering international support for Vietnam’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO).

His state visits to Brazil, Mexico, and many other countries were closely linked with critical breakthroughs in negotiations. Notably, the United States remained the most complex and demanding negotiating partner, particularly regarding market access and institutional reform. It was not until 31 December 2006 that Vietnam signed the final bilateral agreement with the United States, concluding an 11-year negotiation journey to join the WTO.

In terms of goods, both sides agreed on more than 12,000 tariff lines. Regarding services, Vietnam committed to opening up 12 sectors and over 110 subsectors. The country also pledged full compliance with intellectual property rights standards and opened its investment market to U.S. enterprises.

It can be affirmed that Vietnam’s current standing, reputation, and image on the international stage are the result of the sound and visionary policies of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the concerted efforts of the National Assembly and the Government, and the enduring determination of the Vietnamese people. In this journey, FormerPresident Tran Duc Luong was one of the most senior leaders who made tremendous contributions, particularly in foreign affairs, economic reform, and comprehensive international integration.