He is scheduled to hold talks with Mr Dung and meet with other senior Vietnamese leaders.

Vietnam and Singapore established diplomatic ties in 1973. They signed a joint statement on the framework of comprehensive cooperation in the 21^st century, laying a legal foundation for promoting bilateral friendship and cooperative ties.

Singapore is Vietnam’s third largest trading partner, with two-way trade in 2008 reaching US$12 billion, up 23 percent against 2007. Between January-October 2009, bilateral trade only fetched US$4.9 billion due to adverse effects of the global economic recession.

By November 2009, Singapore had 763 operational projects in Vietnam capitalized at US$17 billion, ranking fifth amongst foreign investors in the latter.