Speech by Ambassador Ng Teck Hean at the reception to celebrate the 48th National Day of the Republic of Singapore and the 40th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between Singapore and Vietnam (Melia Hanoi, 2 August 2013)

H.E. Vũ Văn Ninh, Deputy Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,

Your Excellencies and Madams,

Fellow Singaporeans and dear friends,

              Thank you for joining us this evening, to celebrate Singapore’s 48^th National Day, and to commemorate 40 years of enduring friendship between Singapore and Vietnam.

2             Singapore’s National Day is an occasion close to the hearts of many Singaporeans.  As with all birthdays, it is a time of celebration, but also of remembrance.  On this day Singaporeans are reminded of their country’s humble beginnings, and the tenacity that past generations of Singaporeans displayed against all odds.  As a small island state with a land area of 700 square kilometres and a population size of 5.2 million people, we are reliant on the global economy – trade and commerce, and foreign investments – for our development.  Singapore owes its success today to all these years of hard work – the dramatic transformations that have taken place would otherwise not be possible.  

3             Even as we celebrate Singapore’s success, and acknowledge the efforts of our citizens, we remember, with gratitude, the goodwill and support of our friends in the region who have joined hands with Singapore to weather many a storm.  As a small boat in the big ocean, we face certain vulnerabilities as any ripples in the global system will be felt strongly upon the shores of Singapore.  As a small boat, we have to remain nimble and are prepared to make timely (and sometimes painful) adjustments along the way to ensure that we do not fall behind.  In a rapidly changing world, this is one reality that will not change for Singapore.

4             That is why a stable, peaceful, and prosperous Southeast Asia is important to Singapore.  Building a strong, cohesive, and autonomous ASEAN is a key goal of Singapore’s foreign policy.  ASEAN helps its members manage the inherent complexities of the evolving geopolitical order in the Asia Pacific.  Only a united ASEAN can credibly play a central role in engaging major powers towards the common goal of promoting peace and prosperity in the region.  ASEAN Member States have hence been working to promote a stronger regional identity and cooperation in order to create an ASEAN community by 2015.  As we will be celebrating our 46^th founding anniversary of ASEAN in a few days’ time, it is opportune for me to remind ourselves of this pressing and important task that lies ahead, as well as to reiterate Singapore’s commitment to work with other Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam, to fulfil this.  

5             Tonight, we also celebrate Singapore’s longstanding friendship with Vietnam, whose support and cooperation in a variety of regional forums, on many different issues, have been indispensable to Singapore.  The friendship between both our countries is founded on the basis of shared interests.  Singapore is currently the sixth largest trading partner of Vietnam, and in the first seven months of this year, Singapore was Vietnam’s top foreign investor with registered capital of nearly US$2.5 billion, accounting for 36% of the total capital of newly invested projects.  An iconic Singaporean investment in Vietnam is the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP), which has expanded from the first two parks in Binh Duong in 1996, to Bac Ninh and Hai Phong cities.  This September, we will break ground for the fifth VSIP in Quang Ngai province. 

6             We are starting to see a diversification of Singapore business interests in Vietnam from the traditional focus on real estate and industrial integrated township development, to providing services, such as port operations, logistics and healthcare, and to manufacturing, in areas such as food sourcing, processing and distribution, and electronics components.  Singapore companies have also broadened the geographical spread of their economic involvement, and are exploring opportunities in the other provinces and cities within Vietnam, beyond Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh and Hai Phong.

7             Apart from the extensive economic ties, the diplomatic and people-to-people exchanges between our countries are robust.  We have maintained a strong momentum of high-level bilateral exchanges: Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong visited Singapore in September 2012, while Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung visited Singapore in May this year to deliver the keynote address at the Shangri-La Dialogue.  These high-level visits build on a broader base of interaction and mutual understanding between both our peoples.  One such contributor to people-to-people ties is the many educational exchanges, be it through scholarships for Vietnamese students to further their studies in Singapore, or with the 14,000 Vietnamese civil servants who have attended training courses through the Singapore Cooperation Programme.  

8             Further underpinning our excellent ties are the cultural similarities between our countries.  Since assuming post in August last year, I have visited 19 provinces across Vietnam.  I have a deep respect for the resourcefulness and diligence of the Vietnamese, and I never fail to be struck by the great similarities between our cultures – the value we place on a good education, the importance of traditional family values, and our shared commitment to fostering a peaceful and stable regional environment, in order to bring about social and economic progress.

9             It thus gives me great pleasure to note, on this occasion of the 40^th anniversary of Vietnam-Singapore diplomatic relations, that our bilateral relationship will be elevated to a Strategic Partnership during Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s visit to Vietnam this September.  The Strategic Partnership will be a testament to our growing strong bilateral ties, and will pave the way for greater cooperation in many key areas, such as education, training, finance, as well as defence. We look forward to entering into this new phase of cooperation and taking our bilateral relationship to new heights.

10           May I now invite all of you to join me in a toast:

to the good health of H.E. President Trương Tấn Sang;

to the good health of H.E. President Tony Tan Keng Yam;

to the good health of H.E. Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Văn Ninh;  

to the continued prosperity of Vietnam and Singapore;

and to many more years of fruitful cooperation between Vietnam and Singapore.

11           Thank you.

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