Vietnamese Community in Singapore Continues to Serve as a Bridge Strengthening Bilateral Friendship

According to a special correspondent of the Vietnam News Agency (VNA), continuing activities within the framework of his State visit to Singapore, on the afternoon of May 30, General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm, accompanied by his spouse and a high-level Vietnamese delegation, met with officials and staff of the Embassy of Vietnam in Singapore, as well as a large number of overseas Vietnamese, including many Vietnamese experts and intellectuals living, studying, and working in Singapore.

Photo: General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm and his spouse pose for a commemorative photo with the Vietnamese intellectual community and students in Singapore during a community gathering held on the afternoon of May 30 at the Shangri-La Hotel.

Photo: General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm and his spouse meet with officials and staff of the Embassy of Vietnam and members of the Vietnamese intellectual and expert community in Singapore. (Photo:VNA)

On behalf of the Embassy and the Vietnamese community in Singapore, Ambassador Trần Phước Anh expressed his delight and honour in welcoming General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm and his spouse. He emphasized that Vietnam–Singapore relations have continued to develop effectively across all fields and that this visit, featuring a wide range of meaningful activities, would contribute significantly to further strengthening and deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries.

Reporting to the General Secretary and State President on the Vietnamese community in Singapore, Ambassador Trần Phước Anh highlighted the community’s strong interest in and support for the nine strategic resolutions issued by the Party and the State to advance national development, particularly Resolution No. 57 on innovation and the development of science and technology. Responding to the call to contribute to national development, Vietnamese associations and networks of experts and intellectuals in Singapore have continued to expand and actively connect with counterparts in Vietnam in such areas as science and technology, innovation, education and training, digital transformation, and entrepreneurship, thereby helping to strengthen Vietnam–Singapore cooperation.

At the meeting, Professor Dr. Vũ Minh Khương, a lecturer at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, delivered remarks and introduced a book on lessons and experiences in the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Ms. Tạ Thùy Liên, Head of the Vietnamese Community Liaison Committee in Singapore, and Associate Professor Dr. Dương Minh Hải of the National University of Singapore shared information about a project aimed at transforming waste into valuable resources. Speakers affirmed that, in response to the Party’s and State’s attention and support, the Vietnamese community in Singapore would continue to remain united, comply with local laws, contribute positively to Singaporean society, and support the development of their homeland.

Photo: General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm delivers remarks. (Photo: Thống Nhất/VNA)

General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm expressed his pleasure at meeting overseas Vietnamese once again following his visit to Singapore in March 2025. He noted that the current visit takes place at a time when bilateral relations are developing in an increasingly dynamic, substantive, and effective manner, serving as a model of successful cooperation within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Singapore remains one of Vietnam’s most important economic partners in investment, trade, and connectivity, while also actively supporting Vietnam in human resource development.

He further noted that Vietnam’s keynote address at the Shangri-La Dialogue, the leading security forum in the Asia-Pacific region, reflected the international community’s recognition and appreciation of Vietnam’s growing role, standing, prestige, and contributions to peace, cooperation, and development in the region and around the world.

Regarding domestic affairs, the General Secretary and State President emphasized that Vietnam has recently undertaken a comprehensive reform to streamline the organizational apparatus and reorganize administrative units, shifting from an administrative management model to one focused on enhanced governance and development facilitation, with the effectiveness of public service as the highest benchmark. The Party has identified the need for a fundamental transformation of the development model, placing science and technology, innovation, and digital transformation at the core of rapid and sustainable development.

He commended the active role of the Vietnamese Community Liaison Committee in Singapore in supporting and connecting the community and preserving Vietnamese cultural identity. He also highly appreciated the sense of responsibility and dedication demonstrated by Vietnamese experts, intellectuals, and scientists in Singapore in connecting and implementing projects related to knowledge transfer, research, and scientific and technological development with partners in Vietnam. The General Secretary and State President stressed that Resolution No. 57 has already begun to produce tangible results, helping remove institutional bottlenecks while introducing incentive policies and favourable conditions for research and development.

Photo: General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm delivers remarks. (Photo:VNA)

The General Secretary and State President expressed his hope that the Vietnamese community in Singapore would continue to strengthen solidarity, prosper, maintain close ties with the homeland, and preserve the Vietnamese language and cultural identity. He also encouraged the community to continue serving as an important bridge for promoting Vietnam–Singapore friendship and cooperation. Vietnamese experts and intellectuals in Singapore were urged to further contribute to human resource development, science and technology advancement, and innovation in strategic sectors, thereby creating breakthroughs that will help Vietnam achieve the development goals set forth by the 14th National Party Congress.

Emphasizing that the Party and the State always attach importance to and care for overseas Vietnamese communities, the General Secretary and State President affirmed that relevant authorities would continue to improve policies for overseas Vietnamese in order to better meet their legitimate aspirations, while creating more favourable conditions for investment, business, research, entrepreneurship, knowledge transfer, and the preservation of the Vietnamese language and national cultural identity.

Photo: General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm presents a statue of President Hồ Chí Minh to the Embassy of Vietnam in Singapore. (Photo:VNA)

The General Secretary and State President praised the collective efforts of the Embassy’s officials and staff for successfully fulfilling their diplomatic and community-related responsibilities. He also requested that the Embassy continue supporting Vietnamese associations in Singapore and strengthen connections between the overseas Vietnamese community and the homeland in order to implement practical and concrete cooperation projects.

Nguyễn Hồng Điệp (VNA)