Vietnam foreign minister gets street food treat in Singapore

After joining a talk with his Singaporean counterpart Vivian Balakrishnan on Tuesday, Son was taken to the Maxwell Hawker Center, one of Singapore’s biggest centers for street food, located in Chinatown with more than 100 stalls.

Minister Balakrishnan introduced Son to the stall owned by Nguyen Thi Kieu Hanh, a Vietnamese Singaporean woman.

Hanh used to work for a restaurant serving Vietnamese food in Singapore but then she switched to selling a type of crepe that originated from Indian cuisine and has now become a signature of Singapore.

At the stall, the two ministers enjoyed a meal with the crepe, chicken rice, and milk tea.

Vietnam’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son (2nd, R) and Sinagore’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan (2nd, L) have lunch at Maxwell Food Center, July 18, 2023. Photp by Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Son is paying an official visit to Singapore on the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, as well as the 10th anniversary of the Singapore-Vietnam Strategic Partnership.

Balakrishnan said Singapore considered Vietnam an important partner in the region and wishes to continue strengthening the bilateral relationship, according to a statement from the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The two ministers agreed to coordinate with related agencies to effectively implement what has been pledged during the visit in February to Singapore by Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and prepare for the upcoming visit of Singapore’s PM Lee Hsien Loong to Vietnam.

Singapore leads in Southeast Asia and stands second in the world in terms of investment in Vietnam with 3,273 projects worth a total of US$73.4 billion.

The two countries’ two-way trade last year hit $9.15 billion last year, up 11.57% compared to 2021.  

The Vietnam Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) model is the icon of the two countries’ economic ties.

There are currently 14 VSIPs in 10 localities of Vietnam that are home to 866 projects worth $18.7 billion and creating jobs 300,000 jobs.