1. At the invitation of President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Anura Kumara Dissanayake, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and State President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam To Lam paid a State visit to Sri Lanka from May 7 to May 8, 2026. On May 8, 2026, at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo, the General Secretary and State President attended a grand welcome ceremony with a 21-gun salute and held talks with the Sri Lankan President. The two leaders also co-chaired a joint press meeting and laid flowers at the Monument to President Ho Chi Minh at the Colombo Public Library. The General Secretary and State President met with Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya and jointly attended the opening ceremony of the Vietnam-Sri Lanka Trade-Investment-Tourism Forum in Colombo; met with Speaker of Parliament Jagath Wickramaratne and delivered a speech at the Parliament of Sri Lanka.

2. The visit reaffirmed the traditional friendship and mutual trust cultivated over the past 55 years on the basis of mutual respect, shared values and common commitments to peace, stability and development. Bilateral relations have been further strengthened by the shared aspirations for peace, independence and self-reliance, as well as a common vision for security, economic prosperity, sustainable development and adherence to international law, including the Charter of the United Nations.

3. During the talks, President Dissanayake warmly congratulated Comrade To Lam on continuing to be entrusted with the positions of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and State President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, reflecting profound confidence and trust. President Dissanayake expressed firm belief that under the wise leadership of Party General Secretary and State President To Lam, Vietnam would continue to achieve even greater accomplishments and sustainable development.

The two leaders held comprehensive and substantive discussions on bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual concern. The two sides expressed satisfaction with the development of the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries and officially announced the elevation of bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Partnership.

With the elevation of bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Partnership, the two leaders committed to further consolidating and enhancing friendly cooperation, strengthening high-level political trust and expanding the scale and scope of cooperation in a comprehensive and substantive manner across all fields. This elevation is also based on respect for international law, independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, political systems and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs.

I. Political, defence and security cooperation

4. The two leaders agreed to continue enhancing high-level and all-level exchanges through all channels, including people-to-people exchanges, in order to further deepen political trust between the two countries, while underscoring the importance of effectively implementing existing bilateral cooperation mechanisms.

5. The two sides also agreed on the importance and necessity of promoting cooperation between the two legislatures through exchanges among committees, especially women parliamentarians and young parliamentarians groups; and promoting the establishment of the Vietnam-Sri Lanka Friendship Parliamentarians Group.

6. The two sides agreed to effectively implement the Memorandum of Understanding on defence cooperation signed in 2011; encourage more substantive cooperation activities, especially in training for UN peacekeeping forces; cooperate in areas such as defence equipment repair services and procurement; expedite negotiations towards the signing of cooperation agreements in defence to create a legal basis for collaboration; and strengthen cooperation in information exchange and defence technology transfer.

7. The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening security cooperation and agreed to effectively implement the Security Dialogue mechanism; review and update the Agreement on Cooperation in Crime Prevention and Combat signed in 2009; coordinate in combating transnational crime, cybercrime, terrorism and illegal immigration; and expand cooperation in maritime security, policing and cybersecurity.

8. The two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in legal and judicial affairs through the negotiation and signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding between the two Ministries of Justice to replace the expired Memorandum signed in 2013.

II. Cooperation in economy, trade, investment, agriculture, energy, science and technology

9. The two leaders underscored the importance of bilateral trade and investment cooperation. The two sides agreed to enhance the practical effectiveness of the Joint Trade Sub-Committee mechanism and implement practical measures to strengthen trade cooperation, including trade facilitation, information exchange and business promotion. The two leaders acknowledged the great potential for further expanding economic cooperation and agreed to strive for bilateral trade turnover of USD 1 billion by 2030. In this context, the Vietnamese side noted Sri Lanka’s aspiration to become a member of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) at an early date.

10. The two leaders also agreed to continue strongly promoting investment flows between the two countries. The Vietnamese side highly appreciated Sri Lankan investment in Vietnam, while the Sri Lankan side expressed its wish to attract more investment from Vietnam. The two sides will continue improving the investment and business environment, while moving toward several symbolic projects in fields such as infrastructure, telecommunications, education, healthcare, high-tech agriculture, agro-fishery processing, food, retail, logistics, tourism infrastructure and renewable energy.

11. The two sides agreed to promote scientific research and technological development cooperation in biotechnology, information technology, electrical engineering, electronics and automation; promote the signing of cooperation documents on digital transformation; and encourage and facilitate cooperation in the development and provision of information technology products and services.

12. The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation in priority areas such as agriculture, forestry and fisheries, while emphasizing the importance of knowledge-sharing initiatives and capacity-building. The two sides also agreed to actively implement the 2024-2026 Work Plan on the basis of the 2009 Memorandum of Understanding on Agricultural Development Cooperation and prepare a work plan for the next phase.

13. The Sri Lankan side requested Vietnam to supply fertilizers for rice cultivation under a government-level agreement. Considering the importance of agriculture to both countries and current supply challenges, the Vietnamese side will positively consider the proposal.

III. Expanding cooperation in culture, education, religion and people-to-people exchanges

14. Acknowledging the close relations between the two countries, built on longstanding friendship, centuries-old Buddhist exchanges and shared values and rich cultural heritage, the two sides agreed to promote cooperation in preserving and promoting cultural heritage values; strengthen and implement programmes on cultural, historical and sports exchanges and promotion; enhance connectivity among Buddhist organisations; promote intercultural dialogue and study the organisation of forums and pilgrimage activities, while working toward co-hosting regional and international Buddhist events.

15. The two leaders emphasized the importance of ensuring the effective implementation of existing bilateral mechanisms in information and communications; and agreed to cooperate in producing radio and television programmes introducing the culture, people and history of the two countries.

16. Within the framework of the Education Cooperation Agreement, the two sides agreed to encourage linkages between universities and research institutes of the two countries, and promote exchanges of students and researchers.The two leaders noted positive progress in efforts to launch direct flights between the two countries within this year in order to strengthen connectivity and effectively promote tourism, trade cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

17. The two leaders noted positive progress in efforts to launch direct flights between the two countries within this year in order to strengthen connectivity and effectively promote tourism, trade cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

18. Sri Lanka and Vietnam acknowledged the importance of promoting cooperation between friendship and solidarity associations of the two countries; and agreed to strengthen friendship exchange activities, including exchanges among youth and women, while further expanding people-to-people exchanges.

IV. Multilateral cooperation and close coordination on regional and international issues of mutual concern

19. The two leaders reaffirmed the importance of strengthening regional and multilateral cooperation, particularly within the framework of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), considering it an important platform for dialogue, confidence-building and substantive cooperation on issues of mutual concern. The two leaders highly appreciated the close coordination between the two sides, including the recent co-chairing of the ARF Inter-Sessional Meeting on Disaster Relief, and agreed to continue strengthening cooperation in disaster management and humanitarian assistance. The Sri Lankan side expressed its aspiration to become an ASEAN Sectoral Dialogue Partner and thanked Vietnam for its continued support in this regard.

20. Sri Lanka and Vietnam reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace, stability and freedom of navigation, while emphasizing the significance of respecting and adhering to international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), in ensuring a stable and peaceful international maritime order.

21. The two sides agreed to support multilateralism with the UN playing the central role; and agreed to strengthen close coordination and mutual support at international and regional forums and organisations such as the UN, the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), South-South Cooperation, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) and the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA).

22. The two leaders also exchanged views on global challenges, including climate change, emphasizing the importance of joint action, particularly support for developing countries through access to climate finance and technology transfer. The two sides agreed to promote cooperation in combating terrorism, transnational crime and cybercrime. Sri Lanka expressed support for the initiative to establish a regional cybercrime centre of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Hanoi.

23. On the occasion of the visit, the two countries signed several cooperation documents in the fields of security, science and technology, religion, culture, information and communications.

24. The Party General Secretary and State President sincerely thanked the Government and people of Sri Lanka for the respectful, cordial and warm reception accorded to the delegation during the State visit to Sri Lanka.

Appendix of signed documents

1. Memorandum of Understanding between the People’s Police Academy under the Ministry of Public Security of Vietnam and the National Police Academy under the Ministry of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs of Sri Lanka.

2. Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in science and technology between the Ministry of Science and Technology of Vietnam and the Ministry of Science and Technology of Sri Lanka.

3. Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs of Vietnam and the Ministry of Buddha Sasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs of Sri Lanka.

4. Memorandum of Understanding on cultural cooperation between the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam and the Ministry of Buddha Sasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs of Sri Lanka.