Vietnam and Brunei have agreed to build action plan for the implementation of the comprehensive partnership in the next five years.

Vietnam’s Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son in a phone talk with his Brunei's counterpart on April 13. Photo: MOFA

The two sides reached the concensus at a phone talk on April 13 between Vietnam’s Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son and Brunei’s Second Minister of Foreign Affairs Dato Seri Setia Haji Erywan bin Pehin Datu Pekerma Jaya Haji Mohd. Yusof.

The diplomats stressed the need to maintain the dialogues while studying to establish a political consultation mechanism and signing a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between the two foreign ministries.

Vietnam and Brunei upgraded their relations to comprehensive partnership in 2019 on the occasion of the visit to Hanoi given by Sultan of Brunei Haji Hassanal Bolkiah.

The status is aimed to renew the bilateral collaboration in a more effective and practical manner, especially in political relations, defense and security, trade and investment, energy, education and social cooperation, and people-to-people exchange.

Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong (R) welcomes Brunei's Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi on March 27, 2019. Photo: VGP

According to the joint statement on the establishment of the comprehensive partnership, both sides acknowledged the importance of maintaining the momentum of exchanges of visits between officials from both sides at all levels including through the existing Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) to explore opportunities for cooperation in their mutual interests and to further enhance bilateral trust and partnership

Brunei and Vietnam, two fellow Southeast Asian states, have had a defense relationship in place as part of their wider bilateral ties, and in recent years, that has gradually grown to include a more formal naval component as well, Dr. Prashanth Parameswaran wrote for The Diplomat.

Particularly following the signing of a memorandum of understanding on bilateral cooperation by the Royal Brunei Navy (RBN) and the Vietnam People’s Army (VPN) in 2013, both sides have been looking for opportunities to strengthen naval ties in various areas including goodwill visits, training, and boosting communication, while also managing some challenges, whether it be on illegal fishing or responding to China’s growing maritime assertiveness in the South China Sea as claimants, he said.