At the invitation of Politburo member and President Luong Cuong, President of the Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Anura Kumara Dissanayaka will pay a state visit to Vietnam and attend the United Nations Buddha's Day on May 4-6, 2025.
President Dissanayaka was born on November 24, 1968, and has been the President of Sri Lanka since 2021.
From 1997-1998, he was Head of the National Executive Committee of the Socialist Student Association, elected to the Central Committee of the People's Liberation Front (JVP).
In 1998-2000 , Dissanayaka was admitted to the JVP's Politburo. In 2000-2004, he was a National Assembly Member.
In 2004-2008, Mr. Dissanayaka was Minister of Agriculture, Land, Irrigation and Livestock.
From 2008-2010, Dissanayaka led the JVP in the National Assembly. In 2010-2014, he was re-elected as a National Assembly member.
2014-2020: Leaders of the Central Committee of the People's Liberation Front (JVP).
2020-2021: Re-election of National Assembly members.
In 2021-2024, Mr. Dissanayaka will be President, JVP leader, and the core of the ruling coalition of the National People's Power Party (NPP).
Vietnam and Sri Lanka established diplomatic relations on July 21, 70. The two countries have a traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation.
Political parties in Sri Lanka sympathize and attach importance to the relationship with Vietnam, considering Vietnam a successful model in economic development for Sri Lanka to learn from. Sri Lanka has recognized Vietnam as having a full market economy.
Major milestones in the development of relations:
May 1971: opened a Vietnamese Embassy in Colombo, then temporarily closed in 1982 for economic reasons (Vietnamese Ambassador to India concurrently serving Sri Lanka at the time).
April 2011: Reopened the Vietnamese Embassy in Colombo.
On January 16, 2003, Sri Lanka opened the Sri Lanka Embassy in Hanoi. Previously, the Sri Lanka Embassy in Beijing concurrently visited Vietnam.
visits to Sri Lanka by senior Vietnamese leaders: Prime Minister Pham Van Dong paid an official visit (March 23, 1978); President Truong Tan Sang paid a state visit (October 13, 2011).
Vietnam visits by senior leaders of Sri Lanka: Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake paid an official visit (6-29.11.2006); President Mahinda Rajapaksa paid an official visit (10.2009); Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne attended the Lunar New Year (7 11.5.2014); Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe paid an official visit (16-18.4.2017), attended the IOC Conference (26-29.8.2018) and WEF-ASEAN (11-14.9.2018).
The two countries have established 3 bilateral cooperation mechanisms: (i) the Joint Committee on Economy, Science and Technology (Ministry of Foreign Affairs level), (ii) Political Consultation (Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs level); and (iii) Joint Trade Subcommittee (Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade level).
Sri Lanka has 4 friendly organizations with Vietnam: the Vietnam Solidarity Association (1966), the Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians Association (2011), the Vietnam - Sri Lanka Friendship Fund of the People's Liberation Front Party (JVP, 2011), and the Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians Group (2025).
On the Vietnamese side, there is the 14th National Assembly Friendship Group with Sri Lanka (2021) and the Vietnam - Sri Lanka Friendship Association (2014).
