Manila, Hanoi to tackle trade, security in visit

VIETNAMESE President To Lam will visit the Philippines from May 31 to June 1 as Manila and Hanoi mark 50 years of diplomatic relations amid deeper economic and security cooperation in Southeast Asia.

Mr. Lam, who also serves as general secretary of Vietnam’s Communist Party, is scheduled to meet with President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to discuss trade and investment, food security, maritime and defense cooperation, education, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.

“The visit will hold a special significance as it comes at the cusp of the 50^th anniversary of the Philippines and Vietnam diplomatic relations and a decade of the two countries’ strategic partnership,” the Presidential Communications Office said in a statement on Wednesday.

“At the bilateral meeting, it is expected that the discussions of the two leaders will reflect on the five decades of robust cooperation between the Philippines and Vietnam,” it added.

The trip will mark the first state visit by a Vietnamese Communist Party chief to Manila and comes as the Marcos administration seeks stronger regional partnerships amid heightened tensions in the South China Sea.

The Philippines has been broadening defense and security ties with regional and Western allies as maritime confrontations with China intensify.

Last month, Manila held its biggest multilateral military exercises with the US, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and France.

Although Manila and Hanoi maintain overlapping claims in the South China Sea, disputes between the two countries have remained limited, allowing broader cooperation to expand.

The Philippines and Vietnam established diplomatic relations on July 12, 1976, and elevated ties to a strategic partnership in 2015.

Vietnam remains the Philippines’ only strategic partner within Southeast Asia, with cooperation spanning government, business and grassroots exchanges.

The visit also comes as the Marcos administration seeks to stabilize domestic food supply and contain rice prices following disruptions linked to war in the Middle East and global commodity markets.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed Vietnam remained the Philippines’ top rice supplier in the first four months of 2026, accounting for 87% of total imported rice volume.

Vietnam exported 1.46 million metric tons of rice to the Philippines during the period.

More than 7,000 Filipinos live in Vietnam, while the Philippine government plans to open a consulate general in Ho Chi Minh City by mid-2026. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana