Singapore-Vietnam ties benefit from similarities, complementary strengths

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam To Lam (right) and Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean at the dialogue event held at NUS.PHOTO: NUS

Singapore - Vietnam is keen to tap Singapore’s expertise in science, technology and innovation to achieve two major centenary goals set by its ruling Communist Party, General Secretary To Lam said on March 12.

“As globalisation and economic integration continue to broaden and deepen, scientific (and) technological cooperation remains a linchpin and foundation of the strategic partnership between Vietnam and Singapore,” Mr Lam said in a policy speech at the National University of Singapore (NUS).

The first of these centenary goals – which were decided during the Communist Party of Vietnam’s 13th National Party Congress in 2021 – aims to establish Vietnam as a developing country with modern industry and an upper-middle income level by 2030, when the party would mark the 100th anniversary of its foundation.

The second goal is for Vietnam to become a developed country with high income by 2045, when the Democratic Republic of Vietnam will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding.

“Our two nations have many similarities and complementary strengths,” observed Mr Lam.

He said that while Singapore boasts advanced technologies, high-level managerial expertise and abundant capital, Vietnam has a large workforce, a substantial market and immense growth potential.

“Together, these form a solid foundation for mutually beneficial cooperation,” Mr Lam said.

The top Vietnam leader’s declaration came as Singapore and Hanoi agreed to elevate ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during a meeting earlier in the day between Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Mr Lam, who is on a three-day visit to the Republic from March 11 to 13.

During his address, Mr Lam highlighted a speech made by Singapore’s founding father, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, to NUS students in 2003, in which the former prime minister attributed Singapore’s success story to maximising the opportunities offered by changes in technology and world production patterns.

“This statement reflects Singapore’s philosophy of perpetual innovation under the leadership of the People’s Action Party over the past 60 years. In this way, despite limited natural resources, Singapore found its own way forward through science, technology and innovation,” said Mr Lam.

“This, too, is a path to which Vietnam is committed to drive the nation’s advancement in a new era,” he added.

According to Mr Lam, one of the key areas for collaboration would be stepping up joint research initiatives between Singapore and Vietnam. Doing so, he said, would open up opportunities for knowledge-sharing and technology exchange between research institutes and universities of international standing in both countries.

The visiting dignitary also expressed Vietnam’s desire to work jointly with Singapore on expanding the domestic market for digitalisation and public service solutions, and developing advanced systems for transport, energy and cyber security under a smart city framework.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (right) with Vietnamese leader To Lam at Parliament House on March 12.ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG

Following the conclusion of his speech, Mr Lam addressed questions from the audience in a session moderated by Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean.

In his concluding remarks at the end of the session, SM Teo said: “Vietnam today is on the cusp of another era of development and transformation. The General Secretary is leading Vietnam into a very major transformation of its administrative and public service systems.

“I know it’s a difficult journey, but I’m confident that Vietnam will be able to do this smoothly and emerge a stronger, more resilient, more capable, more competitive Vietnam.”

He added: “For us in Singapore, we see Vietnam as a very, very good partner for the future, and that is why we have now got our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and may our friendship prosper for long.”

Earlier in the day, SM Teo and Mr Lam witnessed the exchange of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the NUS Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics on leadership training and development that will strengthen national governance and public policy capabilities for senior government officials in Vietnam.

On March 13, NUS’ Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music and the Vietnam National Academy of Music will sign an MOU to jointly develop professional music education.

In another initiative, NUS Enterprise is set to launch a transformative start-up acceleration programme called Univentures@BLOCK71 in the second quarter of 2025.

The programme aims to help Vietnamese start-ups seize emerging opportunities and scale beyond local markets. It is supported by the Vietnam National Innovation Centre and Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, in partnership with Temasek Foundation.