At the gathering.

Speaking at the gathering, Singapore Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Pang Te Cheng said that people-to-people diplomacy being identified as one of the six core pillars of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Singapore and Vietnam is in line with reality. According to him, people-to-people ties between the two countries provide an important foundation for building trust, enhancing mutual understanding and working toward shared development values.

Assessing bilateral relations, Consul General Pang Te Cheng said Singapore and Vietnam are at a historically significant moment, with bilateral ties elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in March 2025. The milestone reflects a high level of political trust, shared strategic interests, and the two countries’ common vision of a peaceful, stable, and prosperous region.

According to Pang Te Cheng, the Consulate General of Singapore in Ho Chi Minh City has worked closely with the city’s authorities and agencies to organize numerous activities in areas including cultural exchanges, education, economic connectivity, youth development and community engagement. These activities have created more opportunities for people from the two countries to meet, understand one another and grow closer.

Looking ahead, the Singapore Consul General said there remains considerable room for people from the two countries to connect further, cooperate and co-create. Initiatives in green energy, digital innovation and artificial intelligence, along with exchanges in the arts and education, will create new spaces for cooperation and contribute to strengthening ties between Singapore and Ho Chi Minh City.

Ho Chi Minh City - an important bridge between the two countries

President of the Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam-Singapore Friendship Association Lam Dung Tien.

Speaking to mark Singapore’s National Day, President of the Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam-Singapore Friendship Association Lam Dung Tien emphasized that amid a world of significant changes, peace, friendship, mutual understanding and trust among peoples of different countries are important foundations for overcoming challenges together and moving toward the future.

According to Lam Dung Tien, people-to-people diplomacy is playing an increasingly important role in fostering emotional bonds, mutual understanding and trust among people, thereby creating sustainable values for relations between the two nations.

In Vietnam-Singapore relations, Ho Chi Minh City holds an important position as a major hub for Singaporean businesses, entrepreneurs, experts, students and communities living, studying and working in the city. This also provides favorable conditions for people-to-people diplomacy to serve as a natural and close link between the peoples of the two countries.

In recent years, the Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam-Singapore Friendship Association has carried out numerous practical activities, focusing on business connectivity, trade and investment promotion; promoting educational cooperation among schools, students, lecturers and educational organizations; organizing cultural exchanges; and strengthening connections among young people, entrepreneurs, intellectuals and social organizations.

These activities have been assessed as contributing to creating additional channels for exchanges, expanding mutual understanding and building new bridges in Vietnam-Singapore relations.

Towards a shared space for the communities of the two countries

One of the proposals put forward by the Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam-Singapore Friendship Association is the establishment of a “Vietnam-Singapore Cultural and Friendship Space.”

According to the proposal, the space would serve as a venue for the Singaporean community living and working in Ho Chi Minh City to meet and interact with Vietnamese people. It could also provide a platform for entrepreneurs, students, intellectuals, artists and cultural figures from the two countries to connect, while hosting activities to promote culture, education, trade, tourism and community programs.

The Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam-Singapore Friendship Association hopes the project will become a practical platform for people-to-people diplomacy, enabling exchanges between the two communities to take place more regularly and bringing Vietnam-Singapore friendship closer to the people.

A performance at the event.

Strengthening people-to-people exchanges, together with cooperation mechanisms at the State and Government levels, will provide an additional social foundation for the Vietnam-Singapore Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, helping consolidate mutual trust and expand areas of cooperation in the coming years.

Elevating Vietnam-Singapore Relations to New Stage of Development “It is a great honor and pleasure for Singapore to welcome General Secretary and President To Lam on a State visit... Singapore is especially delighted that this is his second visit to Singapore within the past two years.” This was shared by Singapore’s Ambassador to Vietnam Rajpal Singh in an interview with the Vietnam News Agency ahead of the State visit to Singapore by General Secretary and President To Lam, his spouse, and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation.

Vietnam-Singapore Ties: A Cooperation Model in ASEAN The two sides agreed that, amid an increasingly complex and volatile global environment, Vietnam and Singapore should further strengthen coordination, for the development of each country, as well as for peace, stability and cooperation in Southeast Asia.