President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. arrived in the country on Wednesday morning, January 31 after his two-day state visit in Vietnam, the Presidential Communication Office (PCO) announced.
The president and his delegation on board PAL Flight PR001 landed at Villamor Airbase at 2:47 in the morning.
Marcos' state visit to Vietnam aimed to strengthen the Philippines' ties with the said country, particularly across vital sectors, including maritime cooperation, defense, trade, education, and tourism.
LOOK: Nakabalik na si Pang. Bongbong Marcos sa bansa matapos ang dalawang araw niyang state visit sa Vietnam.
— DZRH NEWS (@dzrhnews) January 30, 2024
Alas-2:47 ng madaling araw kanina nang lumapag ang Flight PR001 ng PAL sa Villamor Airbase sakay ang pangulo at kanyang delegasyon. | DZRH News
📷: PCO pic.twitter.com/ph3eIncV5n
In a video statement posted on PCO's official Facebook page, the President announced some of the outcomes of his state visit.
"I am pleased to inform you and the Filipino people of the outcomes of the state visit to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The state visit aims to further strengthen our strategic partnership with Vietnam. Vietnam, being our only strategic partner in Asia, and further exploring areas of cooperation while building on existing ones,” he said.
During their meeting, Marcos and President Vo Van Thoung of Vietnam reaffirmed their commitment to fortifying their bilateral ties and observed the exchange of agreements between the Philippines and Vietnam.
"We discussed areas of cooperation including defense, maritime, trade and investment, economics, education, tourism, and culture," Marcos said.
"We also witnessed the exchange of several agreements, including on rice, agriculture, culture, and maritime cooperation," he added.
Moreover, the Executive Chief also had separate meetings with Vietnam Prime Minster Pham Minh Chinh and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue to discuss "the strengthening of bilateral relations, people-to-people exchanges, parliamentary cooperation, and many other areas of collaboration."
He also assured that in terms of trade and investment, the Philippine government has succeeded in safeguarding Filipino interests in operating businesses in Vietnam.
"We have successfully safeguarded the interests of Filipino businesses operating in Viet Nam by providing them with the platform to voice their experiences, plans, and challenges at the very highest level. We want to assure them that the Philippine government stands ready to support them in their endeavors in competing foreign markets," he said.
Vietnamese business leaders, meanwhile, had also expressed their interest in expanding their companies in the Philippines and exploring potential business sectors in various traditional and non-traditional economic activities.
Marcos also acknowledged the Filipino community in Vietnam.
"I had the pleasure, of course, to speak with the Filipinos living in Viet Nam, and I expressed my appreciation for their continued good work in projecting a very positive image of the Philippines in Viet Nam," he said.
Assuring the Filipinos, the Chief Executive said that the government will continue to strive for the betterment of Filipinos inside the country and abroad.
"I gave them my assurance that my administration will continue to strive for the betterment of all Filipinos in the Philippines and abroad," he remarked.
