Indonesia President-elect Prabowo Subianto visits Vietnam

The invitation has been extended by Vietnamese General Secretary and President To Lam, the ministry said in a press communique on September 13.

Vietnam and Indonesia have treasured a long-standing traditional relationship for nearly 70 years. On December 30, 1955, Indonesia became the first Southeast Asian country to officially establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam. In 1959, President Ho Chi Minh visited Indonesia, and later the same year, President Sukarno visited Vietnam. These visits marked significant milestones in the diplomatic history between the two countries and laid a solid foundation for the enduring friendship between Vietnam and Indonesia.

The two countries have rapidly developed their traditional and friendly relations further after Vietnam joined ASEAN in 1995, and they then became comprehensive partners in 2003. Their relationship reached new heights when they upgraded their ties to a Strategic Partnership in 2013, and Vietnam is Indonesia’s only strategic partner in Southeast Asia.

For the past seven decades, despite regional and global upheavals, both Vietnam and Indonesia have consistently maintained a strong and positive friendship and partnership. The relationship between the two countries has been continually reinforced and developed comprehensively and extensively, through reciprocal visits by their leaders. Notably, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong paid an official visit to Indonesia in August 2017, the first visit to Indonesia by a General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam. Similarly, President Joko Widodo’s state visit to Vietnam in September 2018 was the first by the Indonesian leader since he took office in 2014.

Indonesia is the third largest trade partner of Vietnam within ASEAN, and Vietnam is the fourth largest trade partner of Indonesia within the association. Bilateral trade has grown well, reaching US$13.8 billion last year, exceeding the US$10 billion target set by the leaders of both countries. During Widodo’s visit to Hanoi in January 2024, the two sides set a target of raising their trade revenue to US$18 billion by 2028 by advancing cooperation in five priority areas, namely agriculture, fisheries, renewable energy, the digital economy, and high-tech industries.

Vietnam and Indonesia share many interests in advancing regional connectivity and international integration. They actively coordinate closely at regional and international forums, notably during the year 2020 when Vietnam chaired ASEAN and both countries served as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council, as well as during Indonesia’s ASEAN chairmanship in 2023.

Indonesian Ambassador to Vietnam Denny Abdi, in a recent article published on the Jakarta post, noted that President-elect Prabowo Subianto is anticipated to carry on existing priority programs while also focusing on additional areas such as human resource development, creating new avenues for Indonesia – Vietnam cooperation.