02/09/2026
"๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐ง๐๐ฆ๐๐ฌ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ง๐ฎ๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐ง๐๐ฆโ๐ฌ ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ก ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ฎ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐จ๐๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ฌ. ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐โ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฏ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐จ, ๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐ง๐๐ฆ๐๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐ซ๐ข๐๐ก๐๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฅ๐จ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ฌ๐๐๐ฉ๐"
Singapore's Minister for Defence, Mr Chan Chun Sing, said that at the Vietnam Embassy's 81st National Day reception. I have thought about the line ever since.
Treaties are signed between governments. But between two peoples, the bridge is usually built at the table โ a bowl, a banh mi, an ordinary lunch on an ordinary Tuesday.
Every morning at Clarke Quay we bake, we fill, we hand over a bรกnh mรฌ, done properly. And every time a Singaporean eats a crunchy loaf, sips a bit of Vietnamese Milk Coffee, that bridge gets one plank wider. It is the most solid thing we know how to build.
That is why one full page in the National Day special edition of IN DIPLOMACY โ the magazine every one of the 400+ diplomatic guests carried home that evening โ means so much to us. It says this quiet, daily work is as powerful as anything signed in a room.
And thank you, H.E. Ambassador Trแบงn Phฦฐแปc Anh, for your tireless work for the Vietnamese community here. We are a long way from home, and somehow it rarely feels that way โ because someone is always working, quietly and without pause, to keep us connected to Vietnam and to one another. Thank you also to the Embassy team and friends in the Vietnamese community who make evenings like this possible.
Chรบc Mแปซng Quแปc khรกnh Viแปt Nam ๐ป๐ณ๐ธ๐ฌ
