At the meeting, Nguyen Hoa Binh said Vietnam consistently values the warm sentiments extended by Singaporean leaders over successive generations, including Heng Swee Keat personally, toward Vietnam.

He noted that bilateral ties have continued to grow strongly in recent years, reaching their highest level with the establishment of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in March 2025.

Heng Swee Keat welcomed the positive momentum in bilateral relations, describing Singapore as one of Vietnam’s leading partners in investment and trade. He highlighted the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Parks (VSIP) as a vivid symbol of economic cooperation between the two countries.

Building on the strong political foundation, Binh proposed expanding the total number of VSIP projects to 30 in the coming period, while improving their quality in a greener and smarter direction, with later projects outperforming earlier ones.

He also expressed hope that Tharman Shanmugaratnam would lend his voice to boosting cooperation in finance, high technology, renewable energy, smart infrastructure, sustainable urban development, offshore wind power exports, carbon credit exchanges and seaport development.

On cooperation to connect the international financial centers of Vietnam and Singapore, both sides agreed this represents a new and highly promising area of cooperation.  Binh said Vietnam hopes to learn from Singapore’s experience in operating an international financial center and in building networks with regional and global partners.

Keat praised Vietnam’s strong growth potential, stressing the importance of mobilizing sufficient financial resources. Drawing on Singapore’s experience, he said development of an international financial center must be closely aligned with the priorities of the real economy and serve domestic needs.

Having navigated multiple regional and global financial crises, he underlined the need to balance economic growth with macroeconomic stability, strengthen links between global and domestic markets, and contain spillover risks during financial turbulence.

Binh  called on Keat to support efforts to connect Vietnam’s international financial center with Singapore and other regional hubs, and to continue providing strategic advice as Vietnam advances the project.

During the working visit, Binh met with Tan Teck Long, Chief Executive Officer of OCBC and Chairman of the Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS), along with leaders of member banks including UOB, DBS and Standard Chartered. He also met with Holly Fang, Chair of the Singapore FinTech Association (SFA), and held discussions with investment experts including Hin Wah Ho, former Chief Executive Officer of GIC and current Chief Investment Officer of Genedant, as well as Ernest Kan, former senior adviser to the Singapore Exchange (SGX) and a council member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).

At these meetings,  the Deputy PM outlined key achievements in Vietnam’s socio-economic development and its priorities in strategic infrastructure, particularly transport, energy, railways and digital infrastructure. He stated that financing needs for these projects are substantial, and urged industry associations to inform member banks and financial institutions about investment opportunities in Vietnam. He reaffirmed Vietnam’s commitment to providing the most conducive business environment, with international-standard, preferential policies at its international financial center.

Tan Teck Long said Vietnam’s rapid growth prospects are widely recognized, and confirmed readiness to cooperate with and accompany Vietnam’s international financial center in the period ahead. Leaders of member banks and financial institutions shared recommendations, emphasizing the need to ensure close linkages between the financial center and Vietnam’s real economy, prioritize digital assets and fintech development, and build a comprehensive digital ecosystem centered on a skilled digital workforce.

Meanwhile, Holly Fang shared the association’s vision of expanding fintech applications across economic sectors to help position Singapore as a regional and global fintech hub. She said SFA stands ready to organize promotion missions and facilitate connections between Singaporean enterprises and Vietnam’s fintech firms.

Binh encouraged ABS and SFA to motivate member banks and companies to participate in the establishment and operation of Vietnam’s international financial center, and to establish an early presence there.

Singaporean experts and investors expressed strong support for Vietnam’s direction, priorities and incentive policies in developing an international financial center. Ernest Kan, Chief Investment Officer of Genedant, shared experience in attracting and working with international investment funds, pension funds and major investors, highlighting trust, stability and policy transparency as decisive factors in investment decisions.

He said trading rules, auditing and accounting standards should meet international norms to ensure a common operating framework.

Binh asked  experts to support Vietnam’s international financial center as advisers, help attract global investment funds, and strengthen linkages with the Singapore Exchange.

Singapore, Vietnam bolster cooperation on international financial center development

VOV.VN - Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh who is leading a high-level Vietnamese Government delegation, met with Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong on January 12 as part of a working visit to Singapore from January 10 to 14.

Vietnamese seafood exports gain ground in Singapore

VOV.VN - Over the past two years, Vietnamese seafood has increasingly met demand in Singapore, with import values rising steadily.