The Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka have issued a joint statement on the state visit of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam from 4 to 6 May 2025.
The statement contains the following points:
- At the invitation of President Luong Cuong of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka paid a state visit to Vietnam from 4 to 6 May 2025. The visit marked the 55th anniversary of Vietnam-Sri Lanka diplomatic relations (1970 – 2025).
- During the visit, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake was accorded a state reception. The President held bilateral talks with General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam To Lam, President Luong Cuong, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Thanh Man. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake also paid homage at the Mausoleum of former Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh. There, the President laid a wreath at the War Memorial for War Heroes and Martyrs, symbolizing the close bond of friendship that has been built and nurtured by the leaders of the two countries over generations, based on mutual trust, respect, shared values, cultural traditions, and deep understanding.
- Honoring the joint invitation extended by the Buddhist Sangha of Vietnam and the Government of Vietnam, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake attended the United Nations Vesak Day Celebrations held in Ho Chi Minh City on 6 May 2025 as the Chief Guest and delivered the keynote address, reaffirming the long-standing Buddhist relations between the two countries.
- The Heads of State of Vietnam and President Dissanayake held extensive discussions on bilateral, regional, and international issues of mutual interest. They expressed satisfaction regarding the development of traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries over the past 55 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations on July 21, 1970. This cooperation is built on a high level of political trust, close ties between the two peoples, and mutual goodwill. Both sides affirmed that the close friendship and strong cooperation between the two countries in national development have laid a solid foundation for further strengthening and expanding relations between Vietnam and Sri Lanka in the years to come.
- The President congratulated the Vietnamese government on its remarkable achievements and progress in social and economic development. The President also praised the success of the Vietnamese leadership in transforming the country into one of the fastest-growing economies and a prosperous manufacturing hub in the East Asia-Pacific region. The Vietnamese leaders congratulated President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the National People’s Power on their efforts to achieve economic stability and development in the country, recognizing that Sri Lanka can play an important role as an economic hub in the Indian Ocean region, given its recent victory in the presidential and parliamentary elections and its strategic geographical location.
- The leaders of the two sides discussed and agreed on key directions to take bilateral relations to the next level. The two sides agreed to continue to promote close political relations between Vietnam and Sri Lanka, including enhancing high-level visits and contacts, exchanging delegations at various levels, and promoting people-to-people contacts.
- They stressed the need to effectively implement existing bilateral cooperation mechanisms. In this context, the early convening of the 5th round of bilateral political consultations between the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs, the 3rd meeting of the Subcommittee on Trade, and the 4th meeting of the Joint Commission on Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation between Vietnam and Sri Lanka were identified as priorities to be implemented in 2025.
- The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation in national security as well as security in general. In this regard, they agreed to review and renew the Memorandum of Understanding on Defense Cooperation, increase the exchange of defense representatives, and promote cooperation in defense studies through exchanges between the National Defense Academy of Vietnam and the General Sir John Kotelawala Defense University of Sri Lanka. They also agreed to enhance cooperation in education and training, intelligence sharing, and exchange of representatives, as well as the exchange of experiences in UN peacekeeping operations. Furthermore, the two sides stressed the importance of enhancing bilateral cooperation in combating transnational crimes, including terrorism, illegal migration, and cybercrime. Opportunities for cooperation in the defense industry to enhance the capabilities of both countries were also discussed. Both sides also emphasized the importance of strengthening relations between their respective Ministries of Public Security.
- Both sides agreed that there is great potential in the field of trade and investment between Vietnam and Sri Lanka. In the context of the rapidly evolving global economic environment, both sides agreed to promote stronger cooperation, including reviewing the Bilateral Investment Treaty and concluding an Agreement to Avoid Double Taxation between Vietnam and Sri Lanka to facilitate bilateral trade and investment.
- The two sides agreed to take practical measures to enhance bilateral trade, such as trade facilitation, information exchange, business-to-business contacts through trade missions, business matching, exhibitions, and seminars, with the aim of bringing the trade turnover to US$1 billion in the near future. They agreed to identify and pursue mutually beneficial trade opportunities by building on each other’s strengths and working together.
- The leaders agreed to enhance strong investment flows between the two countries. As of March 31, 2025, the Vietnamese side appreciated Sri Lanka’s investment in 33 projects with a registered capital of more than US$43 million.
- President Anura Kumara Dissanayake commended the steady and impressive progress in Vietnam’s economic development and expressed Sri Lanka’s keenness to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from Vietnam, particularly in the sectors of agriculture, food processing, manufacturing, renewable energy, electronics and automotive components, real estate, hospitality, pharmaceuticals, hospitals, telecommunications, logistics, infrastructure, and industrial development.
- The two leaders agreed on the importance of increasing air connectivity between the two countries, building on the existing air services agreement. They acknowledged that air connectivity would be a strong incentive for ensuring rapid growth in tourism. In this regard, both sides agreed to encourage the early commencement of direct flights by the airlines of both countries. They also discussed the possibility of facilitating enhanced tourism, business, and people-to-people contacts, and promoting ease of travel between Vietnam and Sri Lanka.
- Both sides recognized the unique potential for cooperation in the agricultural sector. Noting the remarkable progress Vietnam has made in advancing its agricultural sector—particularly in the areas of automation, mechanization, scientific research, and post-harvest processing—President Anura Kumara Dissanayake requested the sharing of expertise to support Sri Lanka’s efforts to encourage agricultural modernization.
- The Vietnam Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Postharvest Technology (VIAEP), the National Institute of Postharvest Management (NIPHM), and the Farm Mechanics Research Center (FMRC) of Sri Lanka, along with the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the Department of Agriculture of Sri Lanka, agreed to further strengthen cooperation in the agricultural sector, foster mutual growth, facilitate knowledge exchange, and fully implement an agricultural work plan for the period 2024–2026. The two sides also agreed to organize and facilitate short-term study tours for professionals in the agricultural sector.
- President Anura Kumara Dissanayake expressed Sri Lanka’s willingness to assist Vietnam in the fields of archaeology and the conservation of cultural artifacts. Sri Lanka, with a rich heritage of over two millennia and extensive experience in the conservation of ancient sites and artifacts, expressed its readiness to share expertise and best practices to support Vietnam’s efforts to protect and celebrate cultural heritage. The Vietnamese side appreciated this offer of knowledge sharing.
- The leaders emphasized the cultural and historical ties between the two countries. They agreed to jointly pursue the construction project of an outer wall around the sacred Bodhi tree sapling donated by Sri Lanka to the Bai Dinh Spiritual Complex in 2023. This wall will incorporate authentic Sri Lankan architectural carvings and unique Vietnamese design elements, serving as a testament to the strong cultural and spiritual cooperation between the two countries.
- Both sides expressed satisfaction over the renewal of the Agreement on Educational Cooperation signed in 1999 and encouraged the relevant institutions to sign a work plan for educational cooperation based on the renewed Agreement. Both leaders stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation between higher education institutions in the two countries and expressed mutual willingness to facilitate student exchange programs in various academic disciplines.
- President Anura Kumara Dissanayake highlighted the importance of expanding opportunities for students by increasing scholarship opportunities, especially in the fields of science, technology, and agriculture. In response, the Vietnamese side expressed its willingness to provide scholarships in the field of Buddhist studies.
- Both sides recognized their strengths in the areas of Artificial Intelligence (AI), e-commerce, and digital transformation and expressed their commitment to harnessing emerging technologies for sustainable development, improved public service delivery, and innovation-led economic growth. Both sides agreed to enhance cooperation through capacity building, knowledge exchange, and technology transfer.
- The two leaders expressed satisfaction with the close cooperation and support provided by the two countries in regional and multilateral fora and agreed to further expand cooperation and coordination on issues of importance to the Global South.
- Reaffirming the importance of collective action as enshrined in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the two leaders stressed the urgent need for accessible climate finance, especially for developing countries that are disproportionately vulnerable due to limited adaptive capacity. They emphasized that a concerted international effort, including innovative financing mechanisms and the implementation of commitments by developed countries, is essential to effectively address global warming and sea-level rise.
- They also announced that Sri Lanka welcomes the opportunity to host the signing of the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime in Hanoi, Vietnam in 2025.
- Sri Lanka and Vietnam reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security, and freedom of navigation, and stressed the importance of respecting and adhering to international law, in particular the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), in order to maintain a stable and peaceful international maritime environment.
- President Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated that advancing cooperation with Southeast Asia and ASEAN is a key principle of Sri Lanka’s foreign policy under his administration. Vietnam acknowledged this policy and emphasized the need for close coordination and cooperation. In this regard, both leaders expressed satisfaction with the active role played by Vietnam and Sri Lanka in the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) as co-chairs of the Inter-Sessional Meeting on Disaster Relief during the period 2023–2026. The Vietnamese side also noted Sri Lanka’s interest in becoming an ASEAN sectoral dialogue partner.
- The leaders agreed that the MoUs and agreements signed during the visit have laid the foundation for strong cooperation between Vietnam and Sri Lanka in areas of specific and mutual interest and will lead to further enhancing the multifaceted bilateral partnership.
- The leaders expressed their satisfaction with these fruitful discussions, which were held in a spirit of mutual understanding, to further promote and elevate the excellent relationship between the two countries.
- President Anura Kumara Dissanayake expressed his gratitude to the State, Government, and people of Vietnam for the warm welcome and hospitality received during his state visit to Vietnam and invited General Secretary To Lam and President Luong Cuong to visit Sri Lanka at a mutually convenient time. The invitation was gratefully accepted.
