Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his spouse arrived at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on Thursday afternoon, beginning his two-day visit to Vietnam at the invitation of his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Minh Chinh.

This marks PM Ibrahim’s first state visit to Vietnam since he assumed power in December last year.

A Vietnamese delegation comprising Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung Viet, Head of Directorate of State Protocol Nguyen Viet Dung, Vietnamese Ambassador to Malaysia Dinh Ngoc Linh, along with Malaysian Foreign Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir and Malaysian Ambassador to Vietnam Dato' Tan Yang Thai welcomed PM Ibrahim and his entourage at the airport.

The top Malaysian official was accompanied by Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Zafrul Aziz, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Chan Foong Hin, and other officials.

The visit takes place at a time when the Vietnam - Malaysia bilateral ties have kept flourishing since the establishment of their strategic partnership in August 2015.

PMs Chinh and Ibrahim will hold talks and witness the signing of some cooperation deals on Thursday afternoon after a welcoming ceremony for the latter.

Then, Vietnamese Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong will host a reception for the Malaysian government leader on the same day.

PM Ibrahim will meet with Vietnamese State President Vo Van Thuong and Chairman of Vietnam’s lawmaking National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue on Friday.

Further, the two cabinet leaders and their spouses will stroll along a book street in the Vietnamese capital.

Malaysia is Vietnam’s second-largest trade partner in ASEAN and ninth-largest in the world, with bilateral trade reaching US$14.8 billion last year.

Malaysia operates 718 valid FDI projects with a total pledged capital of nearly $13 billion in Vietnam, making it among the top 10 investors in the country.

The two nations also saw their cooperation in education, labor, tourism, and aviation thriving over time.

Moreover, their cooperation in the halal food industry is expected to generate more upbeat outcomes in the years ahead.

Halal, which means lawful and permitted, refers to food products and services that adhere to Muslim law.

The food is processed, manufactured, and transported under stringent Islamic rules.

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