National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man, his spouse, and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation attended the 46th General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-46) at the invitation of Dato' Johari Bin Abdul, Speaker of the Malaysian House of Representatives and AIPA-46 President, and paid an official visit to Malaysia at the invitation of Senate President Dato' Awang Bemee Awang Ali Basah from September 16 to 20, 2025.
The working trip helped promote the image of Viet Nam as an active and responsible partner that constantly makes efforts to contribute at multilateral forums, including ASEAN, for the goals of peace, stability, inclusivity, and sustainable development. It also affirmed the determination to further strengthen the friendship and the comprehensive strategic partnership between Viet Nam and Malaysia.
The global landscape is witnessing shades of grey in the form of fierce geopolitical competition, escalating conflicts, and slow global economic growth.
In the face of complex, unpredictable developments with multidimensional impacts on national security environments, ASEAN continues to uphold its role as a “beacon” of peace, a model of regional organisation in promoting cooperation and dialogue to resolve differences.
On the path of striving to achieve the development goals set by ASEAN, it is impossible not to mention the cooperation, companionship, and strong mutual support of the parliaments of member states.
In line with the theme of ASEAN Year 2025, “Inclusive and Sustainable”, AIPA-46’s theme of “Parliament at the Forefront for Inclusive Growth and Sustainable ASEAN” is a reaffirmation of the pivotal role of parliaments, placing them as the main driver in promoting ASEAN’s development. AIPA-46 encourages closer cooperation between parliaments and socio-political organisations, the private sector, and academia.
Discussions within AIPA-46 delve into such aspects as the role of parliaments in strengthening ASEAN-led mechanisms; the legislative framework; and the contributions of parliamentary diplomacy in supporting and maintaining ASEAN centrality.
During the working trip, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man, his spouse, and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation will also pay an official visit to Malaysia, the country holding the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025. The visit takes place in the context of very positive and increasingly strengthened bilateral relations.
Since officially becoming a member of AIPA in 1995, Viet Nam has always been an active, proactive, and responsible member, ready to accompany AIPA in building a united and prosperous ASEAN. Viet Nam’s persistent contributions and spirit of responsibility have been proven through a series of initiatives promoting AIPA’s renewal, as well as strong support and close coordination in successfully organising General Assemblies in member states. At AIPA-46, the Vietnamese National Assembly will actively participate in discussions and contribute to draft resolutions and the joint communiqué.
During the working trip, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man, his spouse, and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation will also pay an official visit to Malaysia, the country holding the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025. The visit takes place in the context of very positive and increasingly strengthened bilateral relations.
Located in Southeast Asia, Viet Nam and Malaysia share cultural and historical similarities as well as deep people-to-people bonds.
Based on mutual understanding and trust, since establishing diplomatic relations in 1973, Viet Nam and Malaysia have together written remarkable chapters of cooperation. The two sides elevated their bilateral relations to a strategic partnership in 2015 and a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2024.
High-level and other levels of exchanges, as well as bilateral cooperation mechanisms, have been regularly maintained. The two countries share common views and strategic interests on most international issues, while closely coordinating within ASEAN and at multilateral forums.
Parliamentary cooperation is an important pillar, contributing to building a solid foundation for Viet Nam-Malaysia relations. The Vietnamese National Assembly and the Malaysian Parliament continue to maintain good cooperation both bilaterally and multilaterally.
The two sides regularly exchange delegations and work closely together in regional and international inter-parliamentary mechanisms such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF), and AIPA.
High political trust provides an important basis for cooperation between Viet Nam and Malaysia to achieve many positive results in areas such as economics-trade-investment, defence, education, tourism, and energy.
In economic terms, Malaysia is Viet Nam’s third largest trading partner in ASEAN and ninth largest globally. Malaysia is also a key investor in Viet Nam, ranking third among ASEAN countries and tenth among all countries and territories investing in Viet Nam, with 731 valid projects and total registered capital of about 13 billion USD.
The working trip of National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man sent out a strong message of Viet Nam’s consistent policy of valuing relations with neighbouring countries and ASEAN, including Malaysia. The visit opened opportunities for both sides to exchange orientations and specific measures to improve the effectiveness of cooperation between the two parliaments, thereby contributing to consolidating the comprehensive strategic partnership and bringing practical benefits to the peoples of both countries.
Taking place on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Viet Nam’s accession to ASEAN and AIPA, this working trip by National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man once again reaffirms Viet Nam’s strong determination, together with other regional countries, to strengthen solidarity and unity, maintain stability, realise the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, and lead ASEAN ever more firmly to success on its new journey.
