The Hon. Speaker

¶ 01 ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF THE SPEECH

¶ 02 Hon. (Dr.) Jagath Wickramaratne, Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka, Hon. Parliamentarians of Sri Lanka, distinguished delegates and friends, it is a great honour for me to speak today before the Parliament of Sri Lanka, the supreme legislative body of your country, representing the will, the aspirations and interests of the people of Sri Lanka. On behalf of the Party, the State and the people of Viet Nam, I would like to convey to you, Hon. Speaker, Parliamentarians and the people of Sri Lanka as a whole, our finest salutation, best wishes and sincerest fraternity.

¶ 03 I wish to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the Parliament, the Government and the people of Sri Lanka for the gracious, generous and brotherly reception accorded to the Vietnamese delegation.

¶ 04 Allow me also to applaud you for the efforts that the State, the Parliament, the Government and people of Sri Lanka have made and outcomes achieved in bolstering national stability, fostering recovery and development. We are confident that, given the longstanding tradition of your civilization, the strategic location you occupy in the Indian Ocean, the resilience of your people and the resolve of your leaders, Sri Lanka shall continue to take step after steady step forward in the making of a nation of peace, stability, prosperity and happiness.

¶ 05 Hon. Speaker, ladies and gentlemen, Sri Lanka has a very special place in the memory and the living hearts of the people of Viet Nam. President Ho Chi Minh had stayed here on three separate occasions in his years of revolutionary activism. His statue in Colombo, inaugurated in 2013, has become a deeply touching symbol to the Vietnamese people of the affection and friendship that the people of Sri Lanka hold for Viet Nam.

¶ 06 To the people of Viet Nam, beyond the footsteps of a national leader on the journey for his people’s independence, this is also the natural crossing of paths between fellow nations with a love for freedom, peace, humanity and justice. To quote President Ho Chi Minh: “If the nation is independent, but the people does not get to enjoy happiness and freedom, then that independence means nothing.” This is deeply resonant with your people’s aspiration for a nation of independence, peace, stability, and for a better life for all citizens.

¶ 07 Geographically distant though, Viet Nam and Sri Lanka may be yet close together with our histories, our cultures, and our aspirations for development. Both nations boast a longstanding tradition, a rich identity, and attach great importance to benevolence, tolerance and harmony. Buddhism and oriental cultural values have helped nurture in each nation a love for peace, compassion and a sense of community.

¶ 08 Ever since the establishment of diplomatic relations on 21 July, 1970, relations between Viet Nam and Sri Lanka have had more than half a century to grow. Last year, we celebrated fifty five years of diplomatic relations. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake paid a State visit to Viet Nam and attended the International Day of Vesak in Ho Chi Minh City.

¶ 09 These events show that the relationship between our two countries have been built through not only diplomatic text but also mutual understanding, trust and heartfelt sincerity between our two peoples.

¶ 10 Today, before the Parliament of Sri Lanka, allow me to speak to you about Viet Nam’s development journey, especially the past forty years of Doi Moi - Renewal.

¶ 11 Honourable Delegates, dear Friends, forty years ago, when Doi Moi began in 1986, Viet Nam was facing innumerable adversities. The country had just come out of decades of war, our infrastructure ravaged, our economy in stagnation, the people’s lives in great deprivation, and resources for national development extremely limited. This was the backdrop against which Viet Nam chose Doi Moi - Renewal.

¶ 12 Doi Moi, first of all, meant a renewed way of thinking. We were well aware that to develop our country, we must look straight into the truth, evaluate reality as it stood, boldly change institutions that were no longer relevant, unlock the people’s creativity, promote the role of the businesses, open our door to integrate with the world, and build a rule-of-law Socialist State of the people, by the people, and for the people.

¶ 13 From a centrally-planned, subsidized economy, Viet Nam has since gradually built a socialist-oriented market economy, making full use of economic sectors, ensuring the role of the State as the regulator, guide and enabler of development, while respecting the market principles, encouraging competition, innovation and international integration.

¶ 14 In the agricultural sector, Viet Nam has further empowered farmers, unleashed productive forces, ensured food security and gradually moved away from food shortage to food self-sufficiency and then, to an important agricultural exporter in the world. In industry and services, Viet Nam has opened its doors to foreign investment, developed its infrastructure, built industrial and economic zones, promoted trade and participated more deeply in regional and global value chains.

¶ 15 In its foreign relations, Viet Nam perseveres with a foreign policy line of independence, self-reliance, self-empowerment, peace, friendship, cooperation and development, diversification and multilateralization of international relations, aiming to be a friend, a trusted partner and responsible member of the international community.

¶ 16 From this reality, Viet Nam has achieved important gains, a story told through socio-economic development figures. From food shortage and being one of the 20 poorest countries in the world, Viet Nam has become a top rice exporter, one of the world’s 32 largest economies. Its GDP in 2025 was US Dollars 514 billion and the per capita income exceeded US Dollars 5,000. Viet Nam is one of the world’s top 15 trading economies and investment destinations, and a member of more than 20 free trade agreements, connecting it to more than 60 key economies around the world.

¶ 17 All the same, we are well aware that Viet Nam still has many adversities ahead: labour productivity ought to be raised still; growth quality must be improved; climate change, aging population, strategic competition, digital transformation, energy transition and the volatility of global trade are all giving us new issues. The outcomes we have achieved do not lend themselves to complacency; on the contrary, the more Viet Nam develops, the more we understand that development is a continuous journey of adaptation, self-adjustment, self-improvement and advancement.

¶ 18 From that journey, Viet Nam has derived a number of lessons that we believe may be of use to fellow developing countries.

¶ 19 First, to be true to national independence and self-reliance, while actively and proactively integrating with the world; and understand that attracting foreign investment and developing trade must go hand-in-hand with building up internal capability.

¶ 20 Independence and self-reliance are the foundation on which each nation shall defend their legitimate interests and choose their own pathway to development appropriate to their respective conditions. But self-reliance does not mean closing oneself off from the world. It means having the resilience, capability and confidence to work together with all partners on the basis of equality, mutual respect and benefit. Viet Nam always considers internal power to be decisive while external assets, an important factor. “Internal power” means our people, our institutions, our culture, our tradition, and our people’s aspiration and creative minds. “External assets” mean knowledge, markets, technologies, investments, managerial know-how and international cooperation. The power of development lies in the degree these two forces can be brought together in harmony.

¶ 21 International integration opens up a vast window of opportunities, but power from within plays a decisive role still. Drawing in foreign investment is necessary, but insufficient. Sustainable development calls for bolstering the capability of domestic firms and the quality of the workforce, building supporting industries, advancing governance and fostering innovation and the capability to participate more deeply in the global value chains. Viet Nam is making all efforts to transition away from capital-labour and resource-intensive growth towards a growth driven by productivity, science, technology, innovation, digitalization, green transition and workforce quality.

¶ 22 Second, advance the role of the law, the Parliament and of national governance in enabling growth. Innovation must begin from the renewal of thoughts and institutional advancement.

¶ 23 Sustainable development requires a stable, transparent and fair legal foundation that is adaptive to changes. If the Government is to open a new path through policies, the Parliament must ensure that this path is illuminated by the law, accountability and the people’s will.

¶ 24 In Viet Nam, the National Assembly plays a very important role in institutionalizing the policy lines for growth, issuing laws, making decisions on major matters important to the country, monitoring the operations of the State and conveying the aspiration of the people. As I speak before the Parliament of Sri Lanka today, it becomes all the clearer to me the role that legislative bodies play in building trust, advancing reforms and ensuring inclusive growth.

¶ 25 A policy on the mark can give changes to an entire sector. Then, a correct development thought may open up a new path for an entire nation. In Viet Nam, Doi Moi does not just mean altering a number of discrete economic policies, but means changing the way we look at development and the role of the State, the market, the people and the businesses.

¶ 26 We are, at the same time, both doing and reviewing, both piloting and upscaling, without haste, without going to extremes, but instead persevere with Doi Moi. Viet Nam’s lesson is that all must stem from national realities, that we must respect objective laws and principles, while, at the same time, learning selectively from international experience, mindful of Viet Nam’s particular conditions.

¶ 27 Third, to put the people at the heart as the purpose and driver of development.

¶ 28 Development does not merely mean GDP growth. Rather, it must be measurable by a better life for the people, by opportunities for children to be educated, by stable jobs for our workers, by the safety of our community and by the trust the people put into us.

¶ 29 “The people are the roots of all things”. With this in mind, Viet Nam always attach economic growth with poverty reduction, social welfare, education, healthcare, rural development and quality of life improvement. The people are not simply beneficiaries, but are actors delivering innovation, participants and masters of the development process.

¶ 30 An economy may enjoy a short period of growth, but a nation can only enjoy sustainable development when the people feel they are truly the beneficiaries, participants and masters of that development process.

¶ 31 Fourth, to view agriculture, farmers and the countryside as a vital foundation for stability and development.

¶ 32 For many developing countries, agriculture, beyond one among many economic sectors, is also inseparable from food security, the livelihood of millions, social stability, community culture, and resilience in the face of crisis.

¶ 33 Much of Viet Nam’s Doi Moi began from agriculture and the countryside. From our experience, we understand that ensuring farmers’ livelihood, developing rural infrastructure, modernizing agricultural production, promoting deep processing, reducing post-harvest loss, building brands and adapting to climate change are all very important questions for sustainable development.

¶ 34 Dear Friends, the world is changing swiftly. Science, technology, AI, digital transformation, energy transition, climate change, supply chain shifts and strategic competition are creating both opportunities and challenges for all States.

¶ 35 The 14th National Party Congress of the Communist Party of Viet Nam set the target for Viet Nam: to become a developing country with modern industries and an upper-middle income by 2030, and to become a developed, high-income country by 2045.

¶ 36 To these ends, Viet Nam is accelerating institutional reforms, developing its workforce, building a modern integrated infrastructure system; driving science, technology, innovation, digital transformation, green transition; elevating national competitiveness; securing macroeconomic stability; taking better care of the people’s lives and building a Vietnamese culture, both advanced and rich with its national character.

¶ 37 We are aware that a great aspiration must be actualized by concrete actions, which is to say stronger reforms, more effective governance, broader delivery of democracy, deeper all-nation solidarity and more substantive international cooperation.

¶ 38 These matters are not particular to Viet Nam alone. They are questions universal to a great many developing countries, including both Viet Nam and Sri Lanka: How, then, shall we drive faster but more sustainable development? Be more modern, but more inclusive? Engage in deeper integration, but still upholding national independence, self-reliance and identity?

¶ 39 Dear friends, each country possess their own history, culture, conditions, resources and a chosen path of development. What we would like to share is the path we have tread, its successes and not-quite-successes, with an open mind and willingness to learn.

¶ 40 Regarding our bilateral relations, it is our hope to work with Sri Lanka to open up a new chapter of cooperation, deeper, more substantive and more effective.

¶ 41 I am delighted to inform your Parliament and people that, grounded in our political trust, traditional friendship and growing needs for cooperation, Viet Nam and Sri Lanka have reached an agreement to upgrade relations to a Comprehensive Partnership. This is an important milestone, opening up a new, better-rounded, more substantive and more effective cooperation space between our two countries.

¶ 42 Through this new framework, we are better positioned to deepen political, defence and security, economic, trade, investment, agricultural, educational, cultural, scientific and technological, digital transformation, and coordination at multilateral frameworks.

¶ 43 In this spirit, let me propose the following major lines of cooperation:

¶ 44 First, bolster political trust and Parliamentary cooperation. Our two countries should maintain the exchange of visits at the highest and all other levels; augment cooperation between organs within our respective parties, States, Governments, Parliaments and localities and make good use of existing consultations, dialogues, joint committees and other bilateral cooperation channels. I would like to stress that our two Parliaments may also engage in more experience exchange concerning legislation, oversight, administrative reform, digital transformation in Parliamentary affairs, and law-making to support sustainable development, protect vulnerable groups, drive gender equality and create opportunities for the youths. Viet Nam hopes that our two Parliaments will facilitate the work of the Parliamentary Friendship Groups as a bridge to foster closer, more concrete ties between our two countries.

¶ 45 Second, usher in greater advances in economic, trade and investment cooperation. There remains vast room for economic cooperation between our two countries to grow. Our markets, products, geographical locations and capabilities are mutually complementary. Viet Nam can be a bridge for Sri Lanka to strengthen cooperation with the ASEAN and Southeast Asia, while Sri Lanka may provide an important gateway for Viet Nam to expand collaboration with South Asia and the Indian Ocean region. Our two countries have agreed on a target of US Dollars 1 billion in bilateral trade in the near future, providing concrete incentives to this end: facilitating trade, promoting B2B links, exchanging trade missions, attending each other’s trade fairs and conferences, connecting supply to demand and considering the possibility of more conducive legal frameworks for investment and trade. Beyond a figure, the one-billion dollar target stands for a new confidence in, new driver of and space for cooperation between our two business communities. I call on our respective competent authorities to work closely together, translate existing agreements into concrete programmes, projects and outcomes for our peoples and businesses. We may give priority to agriculture, food processing, manufacturing, renewables, electronic and auto parts, pharmaceuticals, hospital, telecommunication, logistics, infrastructure, tourism, services and IT sectors. These are sectors you have expressed an interest in for investment from and cooperation with Viet Nam.

¶ 46 Third, accelerate cooperation in agriculture, food security and rural development. Agriculture is near and dear to both our countries. Viet Nam stands ready to share its experience with Sri Lanka in accordance with the spirit of the 2025 Joint Statement. I trust that agricultural cooperation, beyond creating more economic value, will also help safeguard food security and livelihood for the rural people, facilitate climate adaptation and promote inclusive growth.

¶ 47 Fourth, develop new engines for cooperation: maritime economy, logistics, digital transformation, AI and green growth. Sri Lanka occupies a strategic location in the Indian Ocean. It is an important hub for international maritime routes. Meanwhile, Viet Nam is a littoral State in Southeast Asia currently engaging a strategy of sustainable maritime economy development. We can work together in logistics, ports, maritime transport and trade, marine environment protection, disaster response and the development of the blue ocean economy. We can also drive cooperation in digital transformation, e-commerce, AI, digital public services, education, digital healthcare, renewables and green finance. Our two countries have pledged to work together in harnessing new technologies, including artificial intelligence, e-commerce and digital transformation to foster sustainable development and elevate public service quality. These areas are unfettered by geographical distance. Intellect, technology, innovation and data may well become new bridges to link Viet Nam and Sri Lanka together.

¶ 48 Fifth, bolster educational, cultural, tourism and people-to-people connections. Relations between two nations may only be truly solid once they are nurtured not only by agreements and texts, but also by mutual understanding, exchange and sympathy between their peoples. Viet Nam and Sri Lanka are well-poised to develop cultural, Buddhism, heritage, maritime and eco-tourism. We have reached a common understanding on the importance of air connectivity and encourage air carriers to early open direct flights, while driving measures to facilitate travel, business and people-to-people links. We should also enhance the exchange of students, scholars, researchers, artistes and young entrepreneurs; expand scholarship eligibility; advance collaborations between our universities and research institutes and organize Viet Nam cultural weeks in Sri Lanka and vice versa. We treasure your willingness to share with us your experience in archaeology and cultural heritage preservation. We also look forward to bolstering collaboration in the studies of Buddhism, culture and history between us. I also count on the Parliament, the Government and people of Sri Lanka to continue giving due attention and support to the Vietnamese community in Sri Lanka, for them to lead a stable life, integrate into the local society and make positive contributions to the friendship between our two nations.

¶ 49 Sixth, work closely together at regional and international forums. In a volatile world, developing countries must strengthen solidarity, cooperation and a shared voice. Viet Nam and Sri Lanka both attach importance to multilateralism, international law, the role of the United Nations, the Non-aligned Movement and regional cooperation mechanisms. Our two countries should continue to work in concert in matters of common concern, such as peace, stability, security and safety of navigation, combating transnational crime, terrorism, cybercrime and illegal migration; participation in UN peacekeeping, climate adaptation, climate finance for developing countries and the delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals. The 2025 Joint Statement also reaffirmed the importance of peace, stability, security and freedom of navigation and the respect for international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Viet Nam welcomes Sri Lanka’s strategy of bolstering cooperation with Southeast Asia and the ASEAN. Viet Nam is ready and willing to be a bridge for Sri Lanka to expand cooperation with the ASEAN, and conversely hope that Sri Lanka would continue to be a bridge between Viet Nam and South Asia and the Indian Ocean.

¶ 50 Dear friends, medium and small-sized countries do not seek power through confrontation. We seek power through solidarity, international law, self-reliance, governance quality, the confidence of our peoples and trust among nations. Viet Nam is deeply conscious of the value of peace, precisely because we had undergone wars. We are conscious of the value of independence, because we had to fight a protracted war to reclaim and defend that independence. We are conscious of the value of development because we began our journey from a place of poverty. And, we are conscious of the value of friends, because in our toughest years, we had received invaluable support, solidarity and affection from the progressive peoples of the world, including the people of Sri Lanka.

¶ 51 Today, Viet Nam hopes to translate traditional friendship into an engine for growth in its own right; political trust into concrete economic cooperation; cultural exchanges into profound mutual understanding; shared aspirations into tangible projects, programmes and gains, giving real benefits to our two peoples.

¶ 52 I am confident that the foundation of more than half a decade of diplomatic relations, the commonalities in history, culture and the aspiration to grow, the resolve of our leaders and support of our two peoples will usher in a new developmental period for the relationship between Viet Nam and Sri Lanka, deeper, more substantive and more effective.

¶ 53 Hon. Speaker, Hon. Parliamentarians, Dear Friends, from Hanoi to Colombo, from the East Sea to the Indian Ocean, we share the same faith: that peace is the foundation, the people, the centre, development, our target and friendship, the most solid bridge connecting our two nations.

¶ 54 May the Parliament of Sri Lanka remain a symbol of the will, wisdom and aspiration of the people of Sri Lanka!

¶ 55 May peace, stability, sustainable development and prosperity be upon the State, the Government and people of Sri Lanka!

¶ 56 May the bond of friendship and cooperation between Viet Nam and Sri Lanka continue to flourish, in the interest of our two peoples, for peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the world!

¶ 57 Thank you very much.