Vietnam and Malaysia Deepen Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, Eye $18B Trade Goal by 2025

Vietnam and Malaysia Deepen Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, Eye $18B Trade Goal by 2025 Vietnam and Malaysia have forged a robust Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, significantly enhanced in 2024, fostering deep cooperation across politics, diplomacy, economy, trade, defense, security, culture, and sustainable development.

Politics & Diplomacy The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2024 lays out a clear framework to enhance the bilateral relationship on a strategic, comprehensive and long-term perspective, deepening mutual trust and cooperation on the basis of mutual respect, equality, mutual benefits which serve the best interests of the two peoples. Vietnam and Malaysia maintain robust political ties through frequent high-level exchanges, including prime ministerial visits and ministerial consultations.

Regular dialogues strengthen mutual trust, align strategic interests, and enhance coordination on regional and global issues, fostering a stable diplomatic partnership. The two sides encouraged the exchange and cooperation between the Vietnam-Malaysia Friendship Association and Malaysian relevant organisations in an endeavour to make a strong linkage and contribute to further enhancing friendship and understanding between the two peoples. Both sides maintain and develop the effectiveness of cooperation mechanism such as the Malaysia – Vietnam Senior Officials Dialogue (SOD) to encourage continued annual consultations and dialogue between senior officials of both countries and the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs as well as between other ministries, aiming at enhancing cooperation and exchanging of views on bilateral and major international and regional issues of mutual interest.

This dynamic relationship, underpinned by frequent collaboration closely in ASEAN, supports ASEAN’s centrality. They align on global platforms like the UN and APEC, advocating for sustainable development, regional unity, and a rules-based international order. Economically Bilateral trade reached USD 10.64 billion in the first nine months of 2024, targeting USD 18 billion by 2025. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chinh usually contacted and reaffirmed Vietnam’s role as a key strategic partner, advancing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Anwar Ibrahim praised Vietnam’s socio-economic progress, while Chinh highlighted the partnership’s upgrade and Malaysia’s economic competitiveness under the MADANI policy. Both leaders noted strengthened ties through high-level visits, including Ibrahim’s 2023 trip to Vietnam and Party General Secretary To Lam’s 2024 visit to Malaysia.

A strategic partnership

Cooperation spans politics, defense, security, economy, and culture, with Malaysia as Vietnam’s second-largest ASEAN trading partner and third-biggest investor. Some important plans include the 8th Vietnam-Malaysia Joint Commission in 2025, a 2025-2028 Action Programme, and a Halal cooperation MoU, alongside collaboration in digital and green economies, cybersecurity, and maritime issues like a hotline to combat illegal fishing. Both support Malaysia’s 2025 ASEAN Chairmanship, ASEAN unity, for peace and stability. Malaysia and Vietnam share robust economic and trade ties, with Malaysia as Vietnam’s second-largest ASEAN trading partner and Vietnam as Malaysia’s third. Bilateral trade hit USD 12.5 billion in 2021, USD 14.67 billion in 2022, USD 12.66 billion in 2023, and USD 10.64 billion in the first nine months of 2024, targeting USD 18 billion by 2025 and USD 25 billion by 2030.

Vietnam exports telephones, crude oil, rice, and coffee, while importing computers, machinery, and petroleum from Malaysia. Vietnam seeks better market access for agricultural and seafood products, Halal industry support, and investment in digital transformation and green energy. Malaysia, with USD 13 billion in 748 projects, is Vietnam’s 10th-largest investor. Cooperation extends to security, defense, education, and tourism, with the 30,000-strong Vietnamese community in Malaysia strengthening ties. Highlights:

ASEAN Chairmanship: Vietnam supports Malaysia’s 2025 ASEAN leadership, emphasizing ASEAN’s centrality. East Sea: Commitment to peace via the DOC and ongoing COC negotiations. Digital Economy: Expanding digital transformation and innovation. Halal Food: Growing collaboration in the halal industry. The Vietnam-Malaysia partnership drives regional stability, economic growth, and shared progress. Culture & Tourism: The countries enhance people-to-people connections by promoting cultural exchanges, festivals, and tourism. The 30,000-strong Vietnamese community in Malaysia strengthens ties, while increased flight connectivity and cultural programs foster mutual understanding and tourism growth. South China Sea Vietnam and Malaysia prioritize regional security, particularly in the South China Sea, a critical maritime region with overlapping territorial claims. Both nations are committed to fostering equitable, inclusive, and sustainable development within the ASEAN Community, emphasizing diplomacy and international law to maintain stability.

The Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), signed in 2002 by ASEAN and China, serves as a framework to promote peace, self-restraint, and cooperation, though its non-binding nature limits enforcement. Vietnam and Malaysia advocate for the full implementation of the DOC while pushing for a substantive Code of Conduct (COC), a legally binding agreement under negotiation since 2013, to regulate activities and prevent escalation. The COC aims to align with the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), ensuring freedom of navigation and overflight. In the past, both nations coordinated within ASEAN to advance COC talks and ensure a rules-based regional order, fostering peace and sustainable development.

Future cooperation

The future of cooperation between Vietnam and Malaysia Now, US tariffs are also a challenge to ASEAN. How can ASEAN help all countries in ASEAN to make sure we do not become a victim of the superpower in this world? ASEAN remains to the challenges within the US. Tariff is the last past 2025 but Malaysia’s remaining term is an opportunity to propose solutions, but only if all member of ASEAN, including Vietnam champions constructive leadership, inclusive, engagement and very principle in terms of diplomacy. Malaysia and Vietnam, both very fast growing economies and active ASEAN members, are focusing on several promising sectors, such as fishery to manage maritime resources sustainability; green energy and renewable technology, Halal industry processing. Malaysia is popular for global halal certification expertise, and it can help Vietnam penetrate a new market, especially in the Middle East.

We can see that Malaysia and Vietnam can be catalysts for ASEAN Renewable, especially if they continue to align national development goals with concentrated, especially Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), in line with the United Nation. Conclusion The Vietnam-Malaysia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, established in 2024, exemplifies a shared vision for prosperity and stability. By targeting USD 18 billion in trade by 2025, advancing digital and green economies, and strengthening security through maritime cooperation and COC negotiations, both nations are pivotal in shaping a resilient ASEAN. Their commitment to peace in the South China Sea, backed by UNCLOS, counters regional tensions, while cultural and economic ties, bolstered by the Vietnamese diaspora, deepen mutual trust. As Malaysia leads ASEAN in 2025, this partnership stands as a beacon of unity, sustainability, and progress for Southeast Asia.

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