KUALA LUMPUR: Vietnam has requested Malaysian investors to invest in its halal industry, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Following a closed door meeting held today at a prominent hotel in Kuala Lumpur with the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, To Lam, Ahmad Zahid said the discussion of the meeting included potential halal investments.

“Vietnam has requested Malaysian investors to invest in the halal industry in Vietnam and it wants to learn about this field from Malaysia.

“The Vietnamese government aspires for Vietnam to become a developed nation by 2045,“ he said during an interview with members of the media after the closed door meeting.

He also mentioned that the discussions during the meeting did not involve any ideological sharing.

“We respect each other’s parties because its party has successfully transformed Vietnam into a developed country by attracting significant investments,” he said.

Ahmad Zahid said Malaysia aims to to strengthen the relationship between Malaysia and Vietnam as well as people-to-people and business-to-business connections.

Lam arrived in Malaysia on Thursday (Nov 21) for a three-day official visit. Today marks the second day of his official trip that aims to further enhance the close relations between Malaysia and Vietnam, both bilaterally under the strategic partnership framework and within ASEAN.

In 2023, Vietnam ranked as Malaysia’s 11th largest trading partner globally and the 4th largest partner within ASEAN.

This official visit underscores the robust economic and strategic ties between Malaysia and Vietnam, promising continued collaboration and mutual growth.