Toast Speech by President Halimah Yacob At the Dinner Hosted by Nguyen Van Nen, Secretary of The Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee

Your Excellency Nguyen Van Nen,

Excellencies,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good Evening. I would like to thank Secretary Nen for hosting this wonderful dinner in my honour in this historical Reunification Palace. It is a great pleasure to visit Ho Chi Minh City as part of my first State Visit from Singapore since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. I am delighted to reciprocate President Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s State Visit to Singapore in February this year. Our frequent exchanges are a testimony of our countries’ long and abiding friendship and Strategic Partnership.

Ho Chi Minh City is an important economic, innovation, and cultural hub for Vietnam and Southeast Asia. The vibrancy and energy that I have witnessed reflect the strong leadership in Ho Chi Minh City and the drive of the Vietnamese people. Despite unprecedented challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Ho Chi Minh City has made a strong recovery and continues to be the top investment destination in Vietnam. I am pleased that Singapore has contributed to this progress, and is the top investor in Ho Chi Minh City. Singapore companies are keen to participate in more projects in this city as well as the neighbouring provinces, and I appreciate your strong support for Singapore businesses.

As the global economy evolves, I am glad that we share common goals to develop smart city capabilities and promote sustainable growth. The substantive projects in renewable energy, carbon credits, digitalisation, and training and education that our two countries have discussed are important catalysts for deeper cooperation as we pursue a refreshed bilateral agenda in conjunction with the 50^th anniversary of diplomatic relations and 10^th anniversary of Strategic Partnership next year.

Singapore would also like to build on our strong city-to-city links. In addition to the manifold economic and trade linkages that we enjoy, Singapore and Ho Chi Minh City could share our development experiences to address common challenges such as climate change and urban management. We can tap into our complementary strengths to equip our cities for the future, including Ho Chi Minh City’s aspirations to develop into an international financial centre. This will not just benefit our cities, but bring about growth and development to the wider Southeast Asia region as well.

Secretary Nen, it is my great pleasure to be here today to witness first-hand the remarkable transformation of Ho Chi Minh City, which has developed by leaps and bounds in the past decades. I look forward to deeper cooperation between Singapore and Ho Chi Minh City in the years to come.

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

May I now invite you to rise and join me in a toast:

To the continued good health and success of Secretary Nen;

To the peace, progress, and prosperity of the people of Vietnam; and

To the enduring friendship between Singapore and Vietnam.

Thank you.