According to a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the invitation of President of Singapore Tharman Shanmugaratnam and his spouse, Party General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, State President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam To Lam, his spouse and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation will pay a state visit to Singapore from May 29-31, 2026.

The statement also said that at the invitation of Director-General and Chief Executive of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Bastian Giegerich, Party General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, State President To Lam will attend and deliver a keynote address at the Shangri-La Dialogue on May 29, 2026.

Vietnam and Singapore officially established diplomatic relations in August 1973. In 2004, the two countries signed the “Joint Declaration on the Framework of Comprehensive Cooperation in the 21st Century,” creating a legal foundation and favourable conditions for promoting friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two nations.

In September 2013, during the visit to Vietnam by then Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties, the two sides issued a Joint Statement on the establishment of the Vietnam-Singapore Strategic Partnership. The move laid an important foundation for bilateral cooperation to continue developing in an increasingly substantive and effective manner.

The visit by Party General Secretary, State President To Lam takes place as the Vietnam-Singapore Strategic Partnership continues to develop positively, particularly in the fields of economy and trade.

Economic and trade cooperation has continued to serve as a bright spot in bilateral relations. According to data cited by the Vietnam Trade Office in Singapore from the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority of Singapore, total import-export turnover between Singapore and Vietnam reached nearly SGD 5.3 billion in April 2026 alone, up 62.4% year-on-year. Of the figure, Singapore’s exports to Vietnam amounted to SGD 2.5 billion, up 20.9%, while imports from Vietnam reached SGD 2.7 billion, soaring 143%.

In Singapore’s export structure to Vietnam, domestically produced exports were valued at SGD 882.6 million, up 15.7%, while re-exported and transshipped goods to Vietnam totalled SGD 1.7 billion, up 23.8%.

In the first four months of 2026, Vietnam maintained its position as Singapore’s 10th largest trading partner. Total import-export turnover between the two countries reached SGD 18.8 billion, up 43.7% compared to the same period in 2025. Singapore’s exports to Vietnam stood at SGD 10.2 billion, up 8.9%, while imports from Vietnam reached SGD 8.5 billion, surging 133%.

Regarding Singapore’s exports to Vietnam during the January-April period, domestically produced goods were valued at SGD 3.2 billion, up 13.8% year-on-year, while re-exported and transshipped goods reached SGD 7.1 billion, an increase of 6.8%.

Notably, if only goods originating from Vietnam and Singapore are taken into account, Vietnam recorded a trade surplus of approximately SGD 5.36 billion with Singapore, equivalent to more than USD 4.18 billion.

In terms of commodity structure, machinery, electrical equipment and parts (HS 85), together with mineral fuels, oil and products of distillation, bituminous substances and mineral waxes (HS 27), remained Singapore’s two major export groups to Vietnam in the first four months of 2026. Of these, machinery, electrical equipment and parts recorded turnover of SGD 4.9 billion, up 3.4% year-on-year, while fuels, oil and distillation products reached SGD 2.1 billion, rising 25.8%.

In the opposite direction, machinery, electrical equipment and parts also remained the largest import category Singapore purchased from Vietnam, with turnover reaching SGD 4.4 billion in the first four months of 2026, up 149.2% year-on-year and accounting for 51.9% of Singapore’s total imports from Vietnam.

The second-largest category was nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances and parts, which generated nearly SGD 3 billion, up 243.3%, followed by glass and glassware at SGD 278.7 million.