5 key issues during Malaysian Prime Minister's visit to Vietnam

On the afternoon of March 20, Malaysian Prime Minister Dato' Sri Ismail Sabri bin Yaakob and a high-ranking delegation of the Malaysian Federal Government arrived at Noi Bai International Airport, Hanoi, starting an official visit to Vietnam from March 20-21, 2022 at the invitation of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

This is the first visit to Vietnam by Dato' Sri Ismail Sabri bin Yaakob as Prime Minister of Malaysia since taking office in August 2021.

Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob will pay an official visit to Vietnam from March 20-21, 2022. Photo: VNA

Malaysian Deputy Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Amran Mohamed Zin said that post-pandemic economic recovery, trade, investment and tourism as well as recognition of COVID-19 vaccination certificates between Malaysia and Vietnam are the key topics during the official visit to Vietnam by Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob on March 20-21.

Mr. Zin said Malaysia welcomed the decision of Vietnamese authorities to recognize Malaysian vaccination certificates, emphasizing that this is one of the aspects of cooperation that Malaysia wants to have within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and with ASEAN strategic partners.

According to the official, Malaysia's Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) and relevant ministries and sectors are actively considering recognizing Vietnam's vaccination certificates.

He said that during the visit, Prime Minister Ismail would likely announce the latest developments on the recognition of vaccine certificates in line with Malaysia's reopening of its borders.

“We will also look into the procedures that need to be established between the two countries to facilitate travel between Malaysia and Vietnam for all categories of tourists, businessmen and students,” he stressed.

Mr. Zin commented that Vietnam opened its borders on March 15 and the visit will create an opportunity for the two countries to discuss post-pandemic issues.

The number of tourists from Malaysia to Vietnam was quite high in 2019 with more than 600,000 arrivals, while the number of visitors from Vietnam to Malaysia was more than 400,000 arrivals.

Trade cooperation between the two countries in 2021 reached about 16 billion USD. During the meeting of the Malaysia-Vietnam Joint Committee in 2021, the two countries reached a preliminary agreement to achieve a trade value of 18 billion USD by 2025.

In terms of investment, Malaysian investors have invested relatively large amounts in Vietnam. Malaysia is Vietnam's 9th largest trading partner and Vietnam is Malaysia's 19th largest trading partner globally.

Mr. Zin said that the value of Malaysia's investment in Vietnam in 2021 was 12.81 billion USD, making Malaysia the 8th largest investor in the country, while the value of Vietnam's investment in Malaysia is still at a level that needs improvement.

“The Prime Minister will most likely invite Vietnamese investors to Malaysia to balance the value of bilateral investment because Malaysia has a lot of investment opportunities,” he added.

During the visit, the two Prime Ministers will meet to assess the implementation of the Vietnam-Malaysia Strategic Partnership Action Plan for the 2021-2025 period, and will discuss regional and international issues of mutual concern as well as witness the exchange of documents including a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on legal cooperation activities as well as recruitment, employment and repatriation of workers.

In addition, Malaysia and Vietnam have also agreed to cooperate in the field of diplomatic training through a Letter of Intent. In addition, a cooperation agreement between the Vietnam News Agency and the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) will also be signed./.