MM Lee: Singapore-Vietnam ties win-win

April 18, 2009

Singapore-Vietnam ties

Long term, win-win: MM

Sharing expertise with one of Asean's most promising countries can be beneficial

By Sim Chi Yin
		ST PHOTO: SIM CHIN YIN

HANOI: Vietnam is one of the most promising Asean countries in the long term and Singapore can keep a win-win bilateral relationship with it by sharing its expertise, said Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew yesterday.

MM LEE ON SINGAPORE-VIETNAM RELATIONSHIP 'I see a long-term relationship, 15, 20, more, years. It will be something like the Singapore-China relationship.' ON WORLD ECONOMY'S RECOVERY ... more

Wrapping up a five-day official visit to Vietnam, Mr Lee gave an upbeat assessment of the country's development and of bilateral ties.

Speaking to Singapore journalists, he said: 'I see a long term win-win relationship as long as we stay ahead and they've got something to learn from us. And they are quite open. I mean, they will come and learn from us as long as they haven't got what we have.'

Over the next 20 to 30 years, Vietnam will emerge as 'a country with tremendous potential' and Singapore's relationship with the South-east Asian state may become like the links the Republic has with China, noted Mr Lee.

Singapore has nothing to lose and will win Vietnam's goodwill by helping them, said Mr Lee.

'What we take four to five years to learn, we pass over to them in one year, which is a lot of time saved for them. Sometimes, what we learn in 20 years we can show them in one or two years. That's of immeasurable value to them and they know that.'

While Singapore's transfer of expertise to China is helped by the fact that most Singaporeans speak Mandarin, that the Republic does not have many Vietnamese speakers might make the exchange with Vietnam a little more difficult. But this may be less of a problem in years to come since the Vietnamese are now furiously learning English, said Mr Lee.

Vietnam's export-driven economy - trade makes up some 160 per cent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) - has dipped in the current global slowdown, but Mr Lee noted: 'In the long term I think of all the Asean countries, they show the greatest potential.'

South-east Asia's third most populous country behind Indonesia and the Philippines, Vietnam's 'serious-minded' leaders, hardworking people and strength in maths and science stand it in good stead, added Mr Lee.

The Vietnamese students who go to Singapore on Asean scholarships are a case in point, he said.

http://forums.delphiforums.com/sunkopitiam/messages?msg=27224.1