The Malaysian PM was accompanied by Foreign Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir, Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, and Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Chan Foong Hin, among others.
This is the first official visit to Vietnam since he took office in December last year, taking place in the context that the two countries are celebrating the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations. The two countries upgraded their relations to a strategic partnership in 2015.
On Thursday afternoon, the Malaysian PM attended an official welcoming ceremony held at the Presidential Palace before meeting with Vietnamese PM Pham Minh Chinh and witnessing the signing of some co-operation papers.
After that, he had a meeting with Communist Party of Vietnam General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in the late afternoon.
On the morning of July 21, the Malaysian PM is scheduled to meet with National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue. Anwar Ibrahim then will go with PM Pham Minh Chinh and their two spouses to visit 19/12 Book Street in Hoan Kiem District.
The Malaysian PM will conclude the Vietnam visit with a meeting with State President Vo Van Thuong on the afternoon of July 21.
Two-way trade surpassed 14.8 billion USD last year, up 17.90 percent year on year. Malaysia is also among the top 10 investors in Vietnam, with 718 valid projects whose total registered capital stands at USD13 billion.