Vietnam and the Philippines seal a strategic rapprochement with To Lam's visit to Manila

Vietnamese leader To Lam will pay a state visit to the Philippines next week, a meeting aimed at strengthening trade and security ties between the two countries, Manila announced Wednesday. The visit comes as Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. seeks to solidify his country's regional alliances amid heightened tensions in the Asia-Pacific region.

To Lam, both President of Vietnam and head of the Vietnamese Communist Party, will be received by Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for a two-day visit scheduled from May 31 to June 1. Discussions are expected to focus on trade, security, and maritime cooperation, according to a statement from the Philippine presidential office.

This initiative is part of Manila's strategy to expand its network of security partnerships, particularly in the face of China's increasingly assertive presence in the region. The Philippines, a US ally, recently held its largest-ever multilateral military exercises, illustrating this desire to strengthen its defensive posture.

Despite overlapping territorial claims between Vietnam and the Philippines in the South China Sea, relations between the two countries remain generally cordial. Tensions are limited, and their coastal forces even conducted their first joint exercises in 2024, a sign of an unprecedented operational rapprochement.

However, both countries share long-standing disputes with Beijing, which claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea. In recent years, incidents involving Chinese vessels have been reported by the Vietnamese and Philippine coast guards, fueling security concerns in the region.

Before arriving in Manila, To Lam is scheduled to visit Thailand on Wednesday, then Singapore on Friday, where he will deliver the opening address at the Shangri-La Dialogue, a major annual security conference. The Vietnamese leader had also met with the Chinese president. Xi Jinping in April, during his first trip abroad since becoming President of the State.