The visit provides an important opportunity for the two sides to further strengthen their traditional friendship and develop the Vietnam-Indonesia strategic partnership in a more substantive and effective manner.
Vietnam and Indonesia established diplomatic relations on December 30, 1955. With the foundation of traditional friendship which has been constantly nurtured by generations of leaders and people of the two countries, Vietnam-Indonesia relations have been developed in an increasingly comprehensive manner, especially since the two countries upgraded to a strategic partnership in 2013. Vietnam is currently Indonesia's only strategic partner in ASEAN.
In recent years, the traditional friendship and strategic partnership between Vietnam and Indonesia has developed fruitfully. The two sides have maintained regular exchange of delegations and high-level meetings at all levels, especially in 2023 when the two countries celebrated the 10th anniversary of their strategic partnership.
Bilateral cooperation agreements have been realised effectively, including the action programme to implement the Vietnam-Indonesia strategic partnership for the 2019-2023 period.
The two countries have achieved encouraging cooperation results in many fields.
Indonesia is currently Vietnam’s third biggest trade partner in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), while Vietnam is India’s fourth largest.
Two-way trade was estimated at around 12.6 billion USD as of November 2023. The two countries are striving for 15 billion USD in two-way trade by 2028.
As both are members of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), Vietnam and Indonesia have many opportunities for the promotion of trade cooperation in the near future.
Regarding investment, as of September 2023, Indonesia has 119 projects worth 646 million USD, mostly in the processing and manufacturing industry as well as accommodation and dining services. Meanwhile, Vietnam’s projects in Indonesia focusses on the fields of commerce, IT, agriculture, and industry.
Regarding defence and security, the two sides have maintained regular exchange of delegations and have signed a number of bilateral cooperation documents and agreements. The two countries have actively participated in activities within the ASEAN framework.
Cooperation has been promoted in other important fields such as agriculture, transport, and people-to-people exchanges.
Regarding tourism, in 2022, Vietnam welcomed about 36,000 Indonesian visitors, an increase of 15,000 as compared to 2021. By the end of October 2023, more than 81,000 Indonesians visited Vietnam.
In multilateral cooperation, the two countries have closely coordinated on stances at global and regional forums like ASEAN, the United Nations, APEC, and the Non-Aligned Movement.
Vietnam has closely coordinated with Indonesia when Indonesia assumes the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2023, contributing to strengthening the bloc’s solidarity and ensuring the its central role.
Taking place in the context that the bilateral ties have seen positive development, President Joko Widodo's State visit to Vietnam has important significance, contributing to consolidating political trust and strengthening cooperation between the two countries in all aspects, including politics-diplomacy, defence-security, and economics.
The visit is not only an opportunity for the two sides to review their recent achievements but also helps to promote bilateral cooperation in potential fields, such as education, culture, aviation, technology, energy conversion, and electric vehicles in the near future.
The welcoming of Indonesian President Joko Widodo for a state visit to Vietnam underscores Vietnam's consistent policy of treasuring relations with neighbouring countries and ASEAN, including Indonesia.
May President Joko Widodo's State-level visit to Vietnam be a great success, contributing to strengthening the friendship and deepening the strategic partnership between the two countries.
