Deputy Minister Nguyen Manh Cuong highlighted the significance of holding the dialogue following the establishment of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during the historic visit of Party General Secretary To Lam and his spouse to Malaysia in November 2024.

He stressed that the meeting showed the proactive efforts of the two foreign ministries in implementing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and the agreements reached by the two countries’ senior leaders. He also noted that the dialogue was particularly meaningful as it coincided with major national milestones, including Malaysia’s 68th National Day, Vietnam’s 80th August Revolution anniversary, and National Day on September 2.

During the meeting, the two sides reviewed bilateral relations and outlined directions for carrying out the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in line with the agreements reached by their senior leaders across priority areas of cooperation.

Both sides expressed satisfaction that, under the 2021–2025 Action Program and especially since ties were elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, bilateral cooperation has expanded and become more substantive across politics, economy-trade-investment, defence-security, labor, culture, education, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.

Dato’ Ahmad Rozian Abd Ghani underlined that economic, trade and investment cooperation has remained a bright spot in recent years, with Malaysia consistently ranking as Vietnam’s third-largest trading partner in ASEAN and ninth globally, while also being among the top ten foreign investors in Vietnam. Two-way trade has grown steadily year on year, approaching the target of US$18 billion in a more balanced manner.

Looking ahead, the two sides consented to work hand in hand to finalize the 2026–2030 Action Program for implementing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. They also pledged to step up cooperation in new and complementary areas such as digital transformation, innovation, artificial intelligence, technology, agriculture and Halal, as well as energy and electricity transmission, while expediting the signing of cooperation documents to provide a legal framework for practical cooperation.

On regional and international issues, both sides agreed that in the face of a fast-changing strategic environment with multiple risks and challenges, countries in the region need to strengthen strategic autonomy, diversify partnerships, promote sustainable recovery and green growth, and enhance coordination to bolster the role of multilateral mechanisms and institutions. In this regard, ASEAN should continue to demonstrate leadership, reinforce resilience, and maintain its central role in the regional architecture.

The two sides reaffirmed their shared commitment to building the East Sea into a sea of peace, cooperation and development, together with other ASEAN member states strictly and fully implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea  (DOC), thereby creating favorable conditions for substantive and effective negotiations on a Code of Conduct (COC). They also concurred to continue supporting each other’s candidacies at multilateral forums, particularly at the United Nations.

Deputy FM Nguyen Manh Cuong urged Malaysia, in its capacity as ASEAN Chair in 2025 and coordinator of ASEAN–China dialogue relations for 2024-2027, to continue demonstrating strong commitment and leadership in upholding respect for and compliance with international law, particularly the 1982 UNCLOS, and to make active, constructive and responsible contributions to the COC negotiation process.

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