Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung (R) shakes hands with Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. during their meeting on the sidelines of the 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, the Philippines, May 7, 2026. Photo: Vietnam News Agency
The meetings took place during Hung’s May 7–8 working trip to the Philippines for the summit, which brought together regional leaders to discuss cooperation and development priorities, according to the Vietnam News Agency.
Vietnam, Philippines discuss deepening ties across key sectors
During his meeting with Hung, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. welcomed the positive progress in the strategic partnership between the two countries in recent years and expressed hope for more comprehensive, substantive, and effective cooperation in the coming period.
The Philippine leader said both countries still hold significant potential for cooperation in areas such as the economy, trade, defense and security, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.
He also expressed interest in expanding direct air routes between the two countries.
PM Hung emphasized that 2026 will mark a significant milestone as the two countries celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
He reaffirmed Vietnam’s strong commitment to further deepening the strategic partnership with the Philippines.
Security, defense remain key pillar in Vietnam-Cambodia relations
Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung (L) meets Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on the sidelines of the 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, the Philippines, May 7, 2026. Photo: Vietnam News Agency
In his meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, Hung stated that Vietnam will continue close coordination with Cambodia to promote increasingly practical and effective bilateral relations.
Both leaders welcomed their agreement on key principles to manage differences based on mutual respect for legitimate interests.
They agreed that defense and security cooperation remains a solid pillar of bilateral ties, while economic cooperation continues to be a bright spot.
They also reaffirmed a shared commitment not to allow hostile forces to use the territory of one country to harm the security and interests of the other, stressing that each country’s political security contributes to the security, stability, and development of the other.
The two sides agreed to accelerate work on a proposal for a new economic cooperation mechanism linking the two economies through 2035, with a vision to 2050.
They also supported studying options to connect Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City–Moc Bai expressway with Cambodia’s Bavet–Phnom Penh route.
Vietnam, Brunei seek deeper cooperation in trade, fisheries
Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung (L) shakes hands with Brunei’s Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah during their meeting on the sidelines of the 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, the Philippines, May 7, 2026. Photo: Vietnam Government Portal
During talks with Brunei’s Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, PM Hung called for the effective implementation of the 2023–27 Action Program for the Vietnam–Brunei Comprehensive Partnership, with a focus on strengthening economic and trade cooperation.
He also suggested establishing a Joint Committee on Trade Cooperation and expanding collaboration in fisheries.
The Brunei leader reaffirmed support for Vietnam’s successful hosting of APEC 2027 and expressed readiness to cooperate in areas of mutual strength and interest.
He also called for enhanced cooperation in trade and energy amid global and regional uncertainties.
Vietnam pledges support for Timor-Leste’s ASEAN integration
Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung (R) meets Timor-Leste Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao on the sidelines of the 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, the Philippines, May 7, 2026. Photo: Vietnam News Agency
Meeting Timor-Leste Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, PM Hung congratulated Timor-Leste on its first participation in the ASEAN Summit as a full member and underlined Vietnam’s readiness to support the country’s full integration into regional cooperation mechanisms.
Gusmao praised Vietnam’s growing role and standing in the region and thanked Vietnam for its consistent support for Timor-Leste’s national development and ASEAN integration process.
PM Hung said Vietnam is willing to share experience in economic development and policymaking, including support for small- and medium-sized enterprises through credit provision and development policies.
Vietnam, ADB discuss future cooperation strategy to 2031
Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung (R) holds talks with Asian Development Bank President Masato Kanda on the sidelines of the 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, the Philippines, May 7, 2026. Photo: Vietnam News Agency
In his meeting with ADB President Masato Kanda, Hung highly valued the bank’s long-standing contributions to Vietnam’s development.
He emphasized the importance of concessional loans and development assistance in the new phase and welcomed ADB’s plan to develop its Country Partnership Strategy for Vietnam for 2027-31, reflecting the bank’s commitment to supporting Vietnam in achieving its development goals.
PM Hung called for closer coordination to improve project implementation, remove obstacles, expand flexible financial tools, and strengthen technical assistance and policy advisory support.
Kanda affirmed that ADB will remain a trusted partner of Vietnam in the new development era and that the above-mentioned strategy will align closely with Vietnam’s socio-economic development strategies and plans.
He added that ADB will continue improving procedures and developing new financial instruments to better meet the funding needs of Vietnam and other member countries.
