Party General Secretary To Lam begins visits to Indonesia, ASEAN Secretariat

The trip is made at the invitations of Indonesian President and President of the Great Indonesia Movement Party Prabowo Subianto and ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn.

Indonesia honored the delegation with a ceremonial seven-gun salute, showing the host attaches importance to this visit.

This marks the first visit by a General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam to Indonesia in nearly eight years, since August 2017, and also the first by a Vietnamese Party chief to the ASEAN Secretariat.

The timing of the visit is particularly significant as the two countries are celebrating the 70th anniversary of their diplomatic relations this year, with Indonesia being the first Southeast Asian country to set up diplomatic ties with Vietnam. Over the past years, particularly since the establishment of the Strategic Partnership in 2013, Vietnam – Indonesia cooperation has developed in a more comprehensive and intensive fashion. The exchange of high-ranking delegations and contacts have been carried out regularly through both bilateral and multilateral forums.

Additionally, the trip coincides with the 30th anniversary of Vietnam's accession to ASEAN, a historic milestone for the country's regional and international integration process. Vietnam's contributions have been closely tied to ASEAN's meaningful development, helping strengthen a united, self-reliant, and open ASEAN Community.

Indonesia is Vietnam's second-largest trading partner in ASEAN, with bilateral trade reaching $16.7 billion in 2024, a 21.6% increase from 2023. The two countries aim to raise this figure to $18 billion by 2028.

Indonesia was among the first countries in the region to establish security and defense ties with Vietnam, opening a military attaché office in 1964. The two nations regularly exchange defense and security delegations, sign bilateral defense agreements, and actively participate in ASEAN security initiatives.