Gov’t chief receives foreign leaders on sidelines of ASEAN Summit

During his meeting with Korean President Lee Jae Myung, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh conveyed the warm greetings and best congratulations from General Secretary To Lam, State President Luong Cuong, and other key Vietnamese leaders to the Korean President. 

He expressed his delight that, after more than 30 years of development — particularly since the two countries elevated their ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership — the relationship between Viet Nam and South Korea have achieved significant progress across multiple areas.

President Lee sincerely thanked and extended his cordial greetings to General Secretary To Lam, State President Luong Cuong, and other key leaders of Viet Nam. He affirmed that South Korea always considers Viet Nam an important partner in its regional foreign policy and stands ready to accompany Viet Nam on its next stages of development.

Both leaders highly valued the outcomes of General Secretary To Lam's historic visit to the South Korea in August 2025 and State President Luong Cuong's upcoming important trip to attend the APEC Economic Leaders' Week in the Northeast Asian nation.

The pair agreed to further strengthen political trust by promoting high-level exchanges; expand substantive cooperation in national defense and security; advance economic, trade, and investment cooperation; and realize the shared vision of making cooperation in science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation a new pillar of the partnership. They also agreed to expand collaboration in labor, culture, tourism, and local-to-local exchanges.

The two sides concurred to continue close coordination on regional and international issues of shared concern, including Viet Nam's support for South Korea to successfully host APEC 2025 and South Korea's support and experience-sharing with Viet Nam in hosting APEC 2027.

During his meeting with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, the two leaders agreed that the upgrading of bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during General Secretary To Lam's visit to Indonesia in March 2025 represents a major milestone and usher in a new stage of development in the traditional friendship between the two countries. They also agreed to limit the application of technical barriers to each other's goods.

Both sides exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest. President Prabowo acknowledged Viet Nam's efforts and agreed to support the early removal of the European Union's "yellow card" warning against Vietnamese seafood exports.

The leaders also agreed to strengthen cooperation in the fisheries sector and effectively implement the Memorandum of Understanding on fisheries cooperation signed in 2024, with a view to jointly promoting a sustainable marine economy and fisheries industry.

Meeting with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh congratulated New Zealand on successfully organizing the Special ASEAN–New Zealand Summit marking the 50th founding anniversary of relations.

Pham stressed that 2025 is a particularly significant milestone for both sides, as Viet Nam–New Zealand and ASEAN–New Zealand relations will jointly mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties and the upgrading to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Luxon recalled his positive impressions from his official visit to Viet Nam and his talks with Prime Minister Pham in February 2025, appreciated Viet Nam's active contributions as ASEAN–New Zealand Country Coordinator for the 2024–2027 period to the success of the recent commemorative summit.

He emphasized that Viet Nam is a leading partner for New Zealand in the region and that New Zealand stands ready to provide support in priority areas aligned with Viet Nam's development needs.

The two leaders agreed to promptly finalize and sign the 2025–2030 Action Plan for implementation of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, providing a clear framework for cooperation with specific timelines and resources.

They also concurred on the need for breakthrough measures to raise bilateral trade to US$3 billion by 2026.

Pham thanked New Zealand for its ongoing official development assistance (ODA) and requested continued support for English-language and technical training for both central and local officials in Viet Nam.

Sharing common views on various regional and global issues, the two Prime Ministers agreed to maintain close coordination at multilateral forums and — together with ASEAN members and partners — contribute positively to dialogue, cooperation, and the settlement of regional issues.

During his meeting with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, Prime Minister Pham expressed his gratitude for the IMF's effective support for Viet Nam in recent years, particularly in policy assessment, consultation, and facilitating access to financial institutions to mobilize resources for development goals.

Sharing recent socio-economic developments, the Prime Minister said Viet Nam's economic scale has reached US$510 billion, ranking 32nd globally. Viet Nam's economy is expected to grow by over 8 percent in 2025, placing the country among upper-middle-income economies.

He added that Viet Nam is implementing proactive and flexible monetary policies and expansionary fiscal measures, while streamlining its administrative system and shifting from a management approach to one focused on development and service to the people.

Congratulating Viet Nam on its socio-economic achievements, Managing Director Georgieva praised the Vietnamese Government's determination and measures to respond to global economic and financial challenges, particularly in tariff issues and efforts to enhance the role of the private sector as a key driver of growth and comprehensive international integration.

She emphasized that the IMF would continue cooperating with Viet Nam in two key areas: improving high-quality data systems to support policy-making processes, and developing a modern financial policy framework./.