Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam andSingapore will mark the 45h anniversary of their diplomatic ties on August 1.On this occasion, Singaporean Ambassador to Vietnam Catherine Wong Siow Pinggranted an interview to Vietnam News Agency about bilateral ties. Followingsare the full text of the interview.

- Pleasegive your comment on Vietnam-Singapore relations over the past 45 years,especially after the two countries upgraded bilateral relations to strategicpartnership in 2013 and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s visit to Singapore in April this year.

Singapore and Vietnam have a closeand wide-ranging relationship underpinned by mutual trust, shared interests,and extensive cooperation both bilaterally and in multilateral fora.  We share warm and friendly ties which aremaintained through frequent exchanges at all levels.  Prime Minister LeeHsien Loong visited Vietnam twice in 2017 and will be visiting again in September 2018 to participate in the World Economic Forum onASEAN at the invitation of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. Prime Minister Phucand Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh alsomade official visits to Singapore recently, in April 2018 and July 2018respectively.    

With the establishment of ourStrategic Partnership in 2013, bilateral ties have strengthened further throughenhanced collaboration in the areas of trade, defence, education, finance andaviation. As we celebrate the 45th anniversary of the establishmentof diplomatic relations, and the fifth anniversary of our Strategic Partnershipthis year, we continue to explore new areas of cooperation.  In fact, during Prime Minister Phuc’s visit toSingapore, Singapore and Vietnam signed six Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs)to boost cooperation in water and waste management, trade standards, Fintech,LNG (liquefied natural gas) development, banking supervision and renewableenergy.

- What will be the main focus of cooperation betweenVietnam and Singapore in the future?

Singapore-Vietnam ties aremultifaceted and we seek to grow all aspects. Nevertheless, a key pillar ofSingapore-Vietnam relations is our strong economic ties and we are workingtogether to explore new opportunities for collaboration in that area.

Singapore is now Vietnam’s third-largestforeign investor and top ASEAN investor, with a cumulative investment of 43billion USD invested in more than 1,800 projects. Singapore’s investmentsin Vietnam cover many sectors including real estate, manufacturing, energy,logistics and services.  Following the construction of thefirst Vietnam-SingaporeIndustrial Park (VSIP) in 1994, six more VSIPs have been established.  To date, the seven VSIPs have attracted over10 billion USD in investments and created 174,000 jobs for the Vietnamesepeople.

Goingforward, we see many new opportunities. We believe that there is much potentialin some newer areas that Vietnam has been seeking to develop, such as renewableenergy, digital start-ups, high-tech parks and smart cities.  

WithHanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang joining the ASEAN Smart Cities Network,there will be new opportunities for Singapore to share our experiences inbuilding a Smart Nation with our Vietnamese friends.

Singapore companies have also expressed keen interest to expand theiroperations in Vietnam in the areas of infrastructure, urban solutions anddigital architecture.  

Critically as well, Vietnam is becoming more business-friendly. The VietnameseGovernment has lowered regulatory impositions for foreign investments, offeredsupport packages for targeted industries and provided tax breaks.  In addition to Vietnam’s young and vibrantworkforce, this makes Vietnam an attractive market for Singaporecompanies. 

- Vietnamand Singapore signed an MoU on education cooperation in 2007. How do you assess the cooperation in the fieldbetween the two countries so far and what will be done to enhance thecooperation?

Both Singapore and Vietnam share adesire to foster a broad-ranging education system that inculcates futuregenerations with a strong commitment to lifelong learning. Educationcooperation between our two countries has been extensive.  

Since 1997, 337 ASEAN Scholarships have been awarded to Vietnamese students atthe secondary and pre-universitylevels to study in Singapore.  Nineteen LeeKuan Yew Fellowships have also been awarded to Vietnamese senior officials topursue a one-year Masters in Public Management programme at the Lee Kuan YewSchool of Public Policy. We continue to offer these scholarships.

The 2007 MoU on educationcooperation was established to promote collaborative efforts between highereducation and research institutions.

In March 2008, the Vietnam-Singapore Centre for Educational Excellence was setup to facilitate the training of school teachers and education administratorsas part of a collaboration between Singapore’s National Instituteof Education and Vietnam’s National Institute of EducationManagement.  Singapore will continue toencourage its local institutions to participate in education developmentprogrammes in Vietnam.

Beyond academic programmes,Singapore and Vietnam have agreed to boost collaboration between theirrespective vocational training establishments, which includes joint programmesthat facilitate information exchange between students of both countries.  


Singapore also strongly supportsVietnam in the area of human resource development.  Since 1992, more than 18,000 Vietnameseofficials have attended courses under the Singapore Cooperation Programme,including those conducted under the Initiative for ASEAN Integration at theVietnam-Singapore Training Centre in Hanoi. We are also currently working withVietnam to upgrade the training centre into a cooperation centre which willprovide capacity-building training beyond classroom-based courses, in tandemwith Vietnam’s growing development needs.

- AsASEAN Chair in 2018, how do you see Vietnam’s contributions to building a resilient andinnovative ASEAN?

Like Singapore, Vietnam iscommitted to constructive engagement and cooperation through multilateral forasuch as ASEAN. We have many shared interests, including in maintaining ASEAN’scentrality in the region, and fostering a united ASEAN.

Vietnam has been an active regionalplayer in addressing regional security, economic and socio-cultural issues, aswell as non-traditional challenges such as climate change, counter-terrorismand digital security. Vietnam will continue to be a vitalpartner in fostering a strong and vibrant ASEAN community.

One new aspect is: as ASEAN Chair,Singapore has proposed the establishment of an ASEAN Smart Cities Network(ASCN).  This is a collaborative platformwhich will facilitate cooperation on smart city development, share bestpractices and explore common technological solutions.

The ASCN’s main objective is toencourage its member cities to undertake sustainable urban development byleveraging upon smart technologies to improve everyday lives. We are happy tonote that Vietnam has chosen Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang to become partof this network.

Along with the other ASEAN Member States, we will work towards fosteringpartnerships with ASEAN external partners, the private sector and multilateralbanks to explore new technologies that will improve the lives of our peoples.

Vietnam has been making big strides in info-communications and smart technologyand we are confident that Vietnam can make significant contributions to ASCN.

- Thank you.-VNA