Mr Mahathir spoke highly of the fine development in the relations between the two countries and expressed his belief that Vietnam will gain more achievements in the process of national modernization industrialization.

The former PM said he hopes Vietnam and Malaysia will continue their cooperation in various areas, especially economics, trade, investment, national defence and security, education and tourism.

Malaysia and Vietnam should coordinate closely at regional and international forums while working with other ASEAN countries in building the ASEAN Community by 2015, Mr Mahathir said.

For his part, Minh appreciated former PM Mahathir’s contributions to strengthening the relationship between the two countries while expressing his hope that the former PM will revisit Vietnam to share his experience in economic development.

Later the same day, Minh and his entourage left Kuala Lumpur for home, successfully concluding their Malaysia visit.