By Chloe Mari A. Hufana, Reporter
MANILA AND HANOI expanded their cooperation in defense, economic and agriculture, and tourism as they upgraded their diplomatic ties to an enhanced strategic partnership, Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. said on Monday.
Mr. Marcos said the elevation, which takes place on the cusp of the 50th 12 months of the 2 nations’ diplomatic ties, affirms Vietnam’s “unique and enduring position” because the Philippines’ sole strategic partner in Southeast Asia.
Mr. Marcos and Vietnamese President To Lam agreed to renew the 2010 Philippines-Vietnam Memorandum of Agreement on Defense Cooperation to strengthen joint capabilities in maritime security, military education and disaster risk reduction and management.
Each countries have competing claims within the South China Sea.
“We stand resolute in our commitment to the peaceful resolution of disputes, grounded firmly in international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award,” Mr. Marcos said during their joint press conference.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a separate statement that the 2 leaders agreed to reinforce existing maritime cooperation mechanisms, including the Joint Commission on Maritime and Ocean Affairs on the Deputy Minister level, the Joint Everlasting Working Group on Maritime and Oceans Concerns, the implementation of the Understanding on Incident Prevention and Management within the South China Sea.
They will even improve the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Maritime Cooperation between their coast guards.
“In addition they committed to resolve maritime incidents through peaceful and amicable means in accordance with international law,” the DFA said.
The 2 nations also agreed to completely use and repeatedly convene the institutionalized bilateral mechanisms for dialogue and cooperation, including the Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation, the Joint Trade Committee, defense and security dialogues, and maritime and ocean affairs consultations.
BEYOND $10 BILLION
Also on Monday, the 2 Southeast Asian nations aimed to expand trade beyond the mutual goal of $10 billion, by fostering a highly conducive environment for two-way investments in manufacturing, green technology and the digital economy.
“Agriculture stays an important cornerstone of our Enhanced Strategic Partnership,” Mr. Marcos said.
“Moving forward, we’re opening latest pathways for our collaboration in agribusinesses, seafood processing, and joint scientific research for climate-resilient farming to make sure food security for each our people.”
Hanoi is Manila’s 11th largest trading partner.
The Philippines and Vietnam also signed an MoU on Information Technology and Digital Transformation Cooperation and welcomed the finalization of the Tourism Cooperation Program for 2026 to 2029, which can bolster tourism cooperation and enhance flight connectivity between the 2 countries.
The Philippine leader said the move builds upon a “strong” tourism performance last 12 months, where nearly 500,000 Filipinos visited Vietnam and Vietnamese tourists increasingly went to the Philippines.
“We’ve agreed to work closely to reinforce air connectivity and increase business flight frequencies,” he said during a joint press conference in Malacañang.
In a separate statement, the Department of Tourism said the cooperation covers agreements in travel facilitation, research and development, tourism management and operation, human resource capability constructing and joint promotion and marketing.
In addition they reaffirmed their commitment to protecting and promoting human rights, safety, welfare, equality and dignity of seafarers.
The 2 leaders instructed their respective authorities to review and improve visa policies and arrangements for his or her seafarers to facilitate entry into the 2 nations.
“We recognized the urgent need for a unified front against severe cross-border threats similar to web fraud, human trafficking, illegal gambling, and other people smuggling,” Mr. Marcos said.
“We’ve agreed to handle these challenges decisively through accelerated intelligence sharing and coordinated law enforcement actions.”
He also noted the signing of an MoU between the University of the Philippines and the Academy of Public Administration and Governance, Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, and the strategic partnership between VietJet and the Airworks Aviation Academy in Cebu for cadet pilot training.
Meanwhile, Mr. Marcos said the 2 nations will launch joint cultural initiatives and business partnerships within the creative sector, including animation and game development.
“Capitalizing on our shared demographic dividend of a young, tech-savvy, and highly revolutionary workforce, we have now agreed to launch joint cultural initiatives and business partnerships in high-growth creative sectors, including animation and game development,” said Mr. Marcos.
Lastly, Mr. Marcos said the 2 nations discussed regional and multilateral affairs and affirmed their mission to advertise a people-oriented and people-centered Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
“Our exchanges today have made one truth abundantly clear: the Enhanced Strategic Partnership doesn’t merely secure our bilateral interests,” he said. “It firmly positions the Philippines and Vietnam as steadfast anchors of peace, innovation, dynamism, and sustainable growth across ASEAN and the broader Indo-Pacific region.”