On Mar 12, Vietnam and Singapore announced the upgrade of bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) - the highest tier in Vietnam’s diplomatic hierarchy and the first of its kind for Singapore with an Asean member state. Singapore and Vietnam established their Strategic Partnership in 2013, which set the course for cooperation in traditional key sectors such as trade and investment, finance, security and defence, aviation, as well as education and training. The CSP represents a step up given its forward-looking focus on emerging sectors amid a rapidly evolving economic landscape.
Inauguration date
Trump’s 2025 inauguration falls on the same day as Martin Luther King Jr Day, a day that has sparked irony due to his controversial history with civil rights.
Performers
The Village People, whose music is linked to LGBTQ+ culture, will perform, causing backlash from fans due to Trump's divisive stance on LGBTQ+ issues. Other performers who are scheduled to appear include country music star Carrie Underwood.
Michelle Obama’s absence
Former first lady Michelle Obama is skipping Trump’s inauguration, and some sources have said that she does not want to "fake cordiality" for someone she views as a threat to democracy.
Countries that have CSP with Singapore
Countries that have CSP with Vietnam
Vietnam - Singapore Submarine Cable System (VTS)
In April 2024, Singtel and Viettel signed a memorandum of understanding to plan and develop a submarine cable system that directly connects Vietnam and Singapore. It is scheduled to be operational by Q2 2027, and will be the first cable with the latest advanced bandwidth technology jointly established by Vietnam and Singapore’s two largest telecommunications operators.
Established in Vietnam in 1996, Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) is a joint venture between Vietnam's Investment and Industrial Development Corporation (Becamex IDC) and Singapore's Sembcorp Development Group.
There are currently 20 VSIPs across 14 provinces in northern, central and southern Vietnam. The VSIPs have helped to create more than 300,000 jobs and attracted more than US$23 billion of foreign investment to Vietnam.
In February 2023, PetroVietnam Technical Services and Sembcorp Utilities announced a joint development agreement to collaborate exclusively on offshore wind farms in Vietnam with a total capacity of around 2.3 gigawatts to export clean electricity to Singapore via subsea cables.
Key collaborative projects
Tourism trends
Trade & investment
PHOTO: SINGTEL
PHOTO: REUTERS
Singapore has been the largest foreign direct investor in Vietnam since 2020
Singapore-Vietnam bilateral trade hit an all-time high in 2024
CSP areas of cooperation
Financial innovation
Clean energy
Infrastructure development
Digital economy
Singaporeans are travelling to Vietnam more frequently post-pandemic
Singapore was the fifth-most preferred outbound destination chosen by Vietnamese travellers in 2024, according to data from Vietnam-based intelligence firm Outbox. PHOTOS: CMG, AFP
Main export products from Singapore to Vietnam (2023)
Key export products from Vietnam to Singapore (2023)
SOURCE: UNITED NATIONS COMTRADE, THE OBSERVATORY OF ECONOMIC COMPLEXITY, ENTERPRISE SINGAPORE
SOURCE: MINISTRY OF PLANNING AND INVESTMENT OF VIETNAM
SOURCE: SINGAPORE TOURISM BOARD, GENERAL STATISTICS OFFICE OF VIETNAM
Source: The Observatory of Economic Complexity
Source: The Observatory of Economic Complexity
PHOTO: VSIP
PHOTO: aDOBE STOCKS
Countries that have CSP with Vietnam
Countries that have CSP with ...
Vietnam
GRAPHIC: GARETH CHUNG, BT
Financial innovation Clean energy Infrastructure development Digital Economy
Singapore
Connectivity
- Payment
- Capital markets
- Air services
- Data flows
- Power grid
Financial innovation
Clean energy
Infrastructure development
Digital Economy
Financial innovation
Clean energy
Infrastructure development
Digital Economy
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: GARETH CHUNG, BT
Comprehensive Strategic Partners
Vietnam
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (right) and Communist Party of Vietnam General Secretary To Lam at Parliament House on Mar 12. PHOTO: zb
Singapore was the fifth-most preferred outbound destination chosen by Vietnamese travellers in 2024, according to data from Vietnam-based intelligence firm Outbox. PHOTOS: AFP, EPA
