SPEAKER Martin Romualdez announced the forthcoming visit of his counterpart from Vietnam during the bilateral meeting between President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. and Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

The bilateral meeting was held at the Sokha Hotel as part of the various activities slated for the 40th and 41st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summits and related summits.

During the exchanges between the two leaders, Prime Minister Chinh told President Marcos that he received information of Vietnam National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue’s visit to the Philippines on the 25th of November.

“I welcome the visit of Vietnam National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue to the Philippines this month. This kind of high-level political exchanges and interactions will go a long way to foster and enhance the long-standing relationship and partnership between our two countries,” Romualdez said.

Romualdez noted that during the bilateral meeting, the two leaders agreed to enhance the partnership and relations between the Philippines and Vietnam across several areas such as defense, trade, investment, agriculture and maritime security.

“It would be mutually-beneficial for the two countries to strengthen our relationships. We can learn from each other’s best practices in addressing common challenges facing us such as the effects of the pandemic and the headwinds of global inflation,” Romualdez added.

The Philippines posted the second fastest growth in its gross domestic product in the region for the third quarter with 7.6 percent, next to Vietnam which achieved a 13.7 growth.

Upon learning of Hue’s impending visit to the Philippines, President Marcos introduced Speaker Romualdez to Prime Minister Chinh.

“We are looking forward to the visit of your Head of National Assembly. In fact, allow me to introduce the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Speaker Martin Romualdez who will serve as his host in the time he is in the Philippines,” President Marcos said.

Romualdez and Hue later met during a break in the ASEAN leaders’ interaction with the leadership and delegates of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), where Hue gave the Speaker a token of his appreciation.

Romualdez thanked Hue for his kind gesture.

Earlier, during their discussions, Prime Minister Chinh had assured President Marcos that Vietnam will continue to be a friend and reliable partner of all countries in the region, especially the Philippines.

“Vietnam always prioritizes the relationship and partnership with the Philippines and the two countries enjoy over time a long lasting traditional friendship and cooperation,” Chinh said.

To further strengthen such good relations, Chin proposed the continued exchanges of high level delegation from both countries.

President Marcos agreed, saying such political exchanges have gained more significance in the face of many challenges such as the pandemic, the financial crisis, and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which have impacted in the development between the two countries.

Regarding the economy, President Marcos noted the increased total trade between the two countries, with overall trade over USD 6 billion, which is even higher than the pre-pandemic levels.

However, he expressed hopes Vietnam will help address a significant trade imbalance between the two nations.

“No one country in Asia can do what needs to be done by themselves. And therefore the partnerships between the countries through ASEAN, multilaterally and bilaterally, have become terribly, terribly important and those must be fostered and must be strengthened,” Marcos said.

Marcos expressed confidence that the ASEAN Member States would be able to find and come to a consensus on the common issues affecting all the countries in the region.