While receiving Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Hanoi on January 13, Mr Triet welcomed the results of talks between Mr Lee and PM Nguyen Tan Dung and said both sides should work closely to effectively implement the Vietnam-Singapore Connectivity Framework Agreement.

He said in addition to the fine political relations, bilateral economic cooperation has grown and flourished recently. Vietnam views Singapore as a leading economic, trade and investment partner, and it supports Singaporean businesses in investing in Vietnam, he said.

For his part, Mr Lee said more Singaporean businesses have come to Vietnam to explore investment opportunities after Mr Triet’s visit in November 2009.  

He said during his current visit, a Singaporean bank has been licensed to open its branch in HCM City. Some Singaporean airliners also want to launch direct routes to Vietnam.   

He affirmed that Singapore is ready to cooperate with Vietnam in human training, urban planning and business operation. He praised Vietnam’s development potential, saying last year it achieved the strongest growth among ASEAN nations despite the global economic recession.

Singapore is ready to share its development experience with Vietnam, said the PM.