Mr triet said cooperative ties between Vietnam and Singapore have fared well in all areas since the two countries established diplomatic ties 36 years ago. The Framework Agreement on Vietnam-Singapore Connectivity has brought good results in six priority cooperation areas: finance, investment, trade & services, transport, ICT and education & training.

He noted that Singapore is Vietnam’s third largest trading partner and the fifth largest investor. Vietnam-Singapore industrial parks have operated efficiently in Vietnam, symbolising the success of the mutually beneficial cooperation. Progress has been also made in cooperation in education & training, tourism, finance & banking, transport, information technology, culture, health care, security and national defence.

The two countries have worked well at regional and international forums such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the East Asia Summit (EAS), the Asia-Pacific Cooperation Forum (APEC), the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) and the United Nations.  

Mr Triet affirmed that Singapore is always Vietnam’s leading economic partner in the region and one of the ideal destinations for Vietnamese students. In addition, the island nation is one of Vietnam’s important partners in information technology, health care, transport, finance & banking and the electronics manufacturing industry.

The Vietnamese State and Government create favourable conditions for Singaporean businesses to invest and operate efficiently in the country, said Mr Triet.

He assured politicians and businesses at the forum that Vietnam will continue to speed up the Renewal and national industrialisation and modernisation process while actively integrating into the world and maintaining socio-political stability to build an industrial nation by 2020.

Mr Triet said Vietnam will complete its market economic institutions, step up international economic integration and further improve its business environment to make it more competitive for all economic sectors, domestic and foreign business alike. The country will also perfect the building of a law-governed state with a primary focus on completing the legal system, accelerating administrative reform and combating corruption. 

Vietnam needs support and cooperation from international friends, including Singapore to achieve this goal, said Mr Triet.

Regarding its foreign policy, Mr Triet affirmed that Vietnam will continue to expand relations with international economic institutions, prepare to sign bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements and promote the comprehensive and effective cooperation with Asian and Pacific region countries.

When Vietnam takes over the ASEAN chair in 2010, it will do its utmost to promote regional solidarity and integration, bring the ASEAN Charter into life, step up the process of building an ASEAN Community and broaden cooperative ties between the bloc and its dialogue partners to elevate its role and position globally.

He highlighted Vietnam’s advantages of the market, the investment environment and human resources and called on Singaporean businesses to come and explore opportunities for long-term partnerships.

At the forum, Vietnamese and Singaporean businesses signed a number of memorandums of understanding on maritime transport, house building and the issuance of government bonds at the Singapore Stock Exchange.

Before leaving Singapore for Hanoi the same day, Mr Triet met with parliamentary speaker Abdullah Tarmugi and Senior Minister Shunmugam  Jayakumar, and visited several economic and cultural centres in the capital.

President Triet arrived in Singapore on November 13 to attend the 17^th APEC summit and paid an official visit to this island nation on November 16-17 at the invitation of President Sellapan Rama Nathan.