PRESIDENT FERDINAND R. Marcos Jr. will visit Vietnam from Jan. 29 to 31, in a bid to strengthen trade, agriculture, and maritime cooperation between Manila and Hanoi, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Friday.
In a Palace press briefing, DFA spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza said Marcos will be joined by First Lady Louise “Liza” Araneta-Marcos and key Cabinet members, including DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo and the country’s economic managers.
“President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos will be conducting their state visit to Vietnam on 29 to 31 January 2024 upon the invitation of His Excellency Vo Van Thuong, president of Vietnam,” Daza said.
“It will be the first visit of the President to Vietnam since he assumed office in 2022 and it will also be the first outbound state visit of the year,” she added.
Daza said Marcos would meet with Thuong, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chin, and Vietnamese National Assembly chairperson Vuong Dinh Hue to discuss the two countries’ multi-faceted relations and ways of exploring deepening of cooperation across different fronts.
She added that Marcos would also hold a meeting with Vietnam’s business leaders to attract more investments, as well as with the Filipino community to extend his gratitude for their contributions to the country.
DFA Assistant Secretary Aileen Mendiola-Rau said Marcos’ trip to Hanoi is in line with his commitment to attain food security, considering that Vietnam is committed to supporting the Philippines’ rice requirements.
Mendiola-Rau said there would also be an “in-depth” discussion on the two nations’ agricultural cooperation, including the plan to come up with a rice agreement.
“As the Philippines’ sole strategic partner in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) region, our ties have spanned across various areas of cooperation, including defense and security, maritime, agriculture, and people-to-people relations,” she said.
“The Department of Agriculture and their counterpart in Vietnam is working on an agreement that will ensure the continued supply of rice to the Philippines. They are setting some targets. But more details on that to come soon, once we finish the negotiations on the rice deal,” she added.
Mendiola-Rau said the two countries are also working on a maritime deal to boost cooperation between their coast guards.
Marcos, she said, is also expected to tackle important regional and international issues with Vietnam.
Asked if the issue of the South China Sea will be discussed during Marcos’ state visit to Vietnam, she said, “On maritime issues, there’s a general topic on maritime discussion when the President meets with the three Vietnamese leaders. But we don’t wish to preempt the discussions at this point.”
The Philippines and Vietnam formally established diplomatic relations on July 12, 1976.
To date, there are around 7,000 Filipinos working and residing in Vietnam, according to DFA data. (Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos)
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