SEPANG: Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh departed for home today after concluding a five-day official visit to Malaysia in conjunction with the 46th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur.
The special aircraft carrying Chinh, his wife Le Thi Bich Tran and the Vietnamese delegation took off from the Bunga Raya Complex at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) at 1.40 pm.
The First Battalion Royal Ranger Regiment (Ceremonial) mounted a guard of honour for Chinh and his wife in a send-off ceremony.
National Unity Minister Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang and Vietnam’s Ambassador to Malaysia Dinh Ngoc Linh were also present to bid farewell to the delegation.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his Vietnamese counterpart witnessed the exchange of three documents between Malaysia and Vietnam, aimed at strengthening cooperation in energy, education and regional integration.
Malaysia and Vietnam elevated their bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in November 2024.
In 2024, Vietnam ranked as Malaysia’s 11th-largest trading partner globally and the fourth-largest among ASEAN member states.
Trade between Malaysia and Vietnam stood at RM83.11 billion, with Malaysia’s exports valued at RM53.86 billion and imports at RM29.25 billion.
Malaysian companies have undertaken more than 700 projects in Vietnam across various sectors, with cumulative investments currently valued at over USD13 billion (RM55 billion).
The 46th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits concluded yesterday after a series of high-level engagements aimed at reinforcing regional cooperation and strategic partnerships.
Held under Malaysia’s 2025 ASEAN Chairmanship, themed “Inclusivity and Sustainability”, the two-day summit and related meetings included the 2nd ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit, the inaugural ASEAN-GCC-China Summit and the 16th Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT) Summit.
