The visit aims to continue to strengthen and promote relations between the Vietnamese National Assembly and the Malaysian House of Representatives, thus contributing to further strengthening the strategic partnership between the two countries.
The visit takes place in the context of the continued good development of Vietnam-Malaysia relations. The two countries have just celebrated the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations (1973-2023) and are looking forward to celebrating the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Strategic Partnership (2015-2025).
Political trust between the two countries has continued to be enhanced in recent time. The two sides have maintained high-level delegation exchanges and contacts, as well as bilateral cooperation mechanisms, including the joint committee on economic, scientific and technical cooperation.
Cooperation between the two legislative bodies has been maintained, contributing to promoting bilateral relations. Malaysia is currently Vietnam's second largest trading partner in ASEAN and 11th in the world. Vietnam is Malaysia's third largest trading partner in ASEAN. As of August 2024, bilateral trade revenue reached nearly 10 billion USD, an increase of nearly 25% compared to the same period in 2023.
Malaysia is the second largest investor in ASEAN and ranks 11th among the countries and territories investing in Vietnam. Defence cooperation between the two countries has achieved many practical results, including the signing of a letter of intent on the signing of a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in law enforcement and search and rescue at sea, as well as continuing to sign a memorandum of understanding on bilateral defence cooperation.
The Ministry of Public Security of Vietnam and the Ministry of Home Affairs of Malaysia are discussing towards signing cooperation agreements.
Cooperation in many fields, such as tourism, education, energy, labour, etc., is being promoted. Since the implementation of visa exemption for citizens of both countries and improved air connectivity, the number of Malaysian tourists to Vietnam has increased rapidly, reaching nearly 420,000 in 2023.
Malaysia is also an important air transport market for Vietnam. Regarding education, there are currently nearly 1,100 Vietnamese students in Malaysia. Every year, Malaysia provides short-term training courses for Vietnamese officials under the framework of the Malaysian Technical Cooperation Program.
The two sides cooperate in fields related to the oil and gas industry and have implemented projects on electricity and renewable energy. In 2022, the Malaysia-Vietnam Friendship Association was licensed by Malaysia to promote information exchange, enhance people-to-people exchanges, and connect sectors, especially in health, education, academia, etc.
Regarding multilateral cooperation, Vietnam and Malaysia support each other and cooperate closely at regional and international forums and organisations, including ASEAN. Malaysia and other ASEAN member countries agreed to support Vietnam's candidacy for the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 term.
The Vietnamese National Assembly and the Malaysian House of Representatives have closely coordinated at inter-parliamentary forums, such as the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF), etc.
The two sides also maintain contacts on the sidelines of multilateral conferences and forums. In response to the invitation of National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man, Speaker of the Malaysian House of Representatives Tan Sri Dato' Johari Bin Abdul paid an official visit to Vietnam, affirming Malaysia's respect for Vietnam and the bilateral relationship.
Towards the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the strategic partnership between the two countries, the visit demonstrates Malaysia's desire to enhance substantive cooperation with Vietnam in many fields, especially economics and trade.
Welcoming the Speaker of the Malaysian House of Representatives Tan Sri Dato’ Johari Bin Abdul and his spouse, Vietnam continued to affirm its consistent policy of always attaching importance to the strategic partnership with Malaysia.
May the official visit to Vietnam by the Speaker of the Malaysian House of Representatives Tan Sri Dato’ Johari Bin Abdul and his spouse a great success, contributing to further deepening the strategic partnership between the two countries, while promoting relations between the two countries’ legislative bodies, causing parliamentary cooperation to grow increasingly effective and substantive.
