Marcos arrives in Vietnam for state visit

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam for a state visit.

The presidential plane carrying Marcos and the entire Philippine delegation landed at 3:05 p.m. (Vietnam time).

Earlier, Marcos said strengthening maritime cooperation with Vietnam would be on his agenda during the visit.

''During my visit, I shall meet with the President of Vietnam Vo Van Thuong, the Prime Minister of Vietnam, Pham Minh Chinh, and the Chairman of the National Assembly of Vietnam, Vuong Dinh Hue,'' Marcos had said.

''And maritime cooperation will be one of the cornerstones of the strategic partnership which we are going to forge, and we hope to strengthen this aspect during my visit to promote peace and stability in our region. I will also discuss cooperation in defense and security, trade and investments, education, tourism, as well as regional and multilateral issues of concern,'' he added. 

Marcos will also meet with the business sector to explore how the country can further strengthen trade and investment between the Philippines and Vietnam.

He will meet with officials from the Vingroup Company to deepen the Philippines' engagement with them. 

The Presidential Communications Office said that it is Vietnam’s largest private company with $21.1. billion market cap as of April 2023 through its subsidiary VinFast, which has a valuation at $15 billion.   

VinFast plans to sell and launch its electric vehicles (EVs) in the Philippines through dealership business by April 2024 to test the local market first as it expressed its intention to engage in the manufacture/assembly of CKD EVs depending on the outcome of its market tests.  

Some Philippine private sector leaders will join Marcos during the meeting in a bid to accelerate partnership opportunities. —LDF, GMA Integrated News