Malaysia–Vietnam relations date to at least the 15th century. Malaysia forged diplomatic ties with the modern-day Vietnamese state on 30 March 1973; , these ties are still in existence. During the late 1970s and 1980s, the countries' relationship became strained as a result of the Cambodian–Vietnamese War and the influx of Vietnamese boat people into Malaysia. The subsequent resolution of these issues saw the cultivation of strong trade and economic ties, and bilateral trade between the countries grew strongly, with an expansion into areas including information technology, education and defence. Both countries are members of APEC and ASEAN.
Vietnam and Malaysia share a maritime border in the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea, and have overlapping claims in the Spratly Islands. Both have an embassy located in the other's capital; Vietnam has an embassy in Kuala Lumpur, and Malaysia has an embassy in Hanoi and a consulate office in Ho Chi Minh City. Historical records show that Vietnamese people have visited states and Sultanates comprising modern-day Malaysia in small numbers since the 18th century, and Malaysia is currently home to a large Vietnamese expatriate community consisting of migrant workers, mail order brides and students, numbering around 100,000 people.Lourdes Charles, Hanoi offers to help in criminal probes involving Vietnamese , 16 May 2009, The Star (Malaysia), retrieved 24 September 2013 Vietnam also hosts a small Malaysian expatriate community, consisting mostly of businessmen based in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.King takes pride in M'sian investors contributing to Vietnam's wellbeing 7 September 2013, New Straits Times, retrieved 25 September 2013
History Early contacts (7th to 18th century) The earliest record of historic contact between present-day Malaysia and Vietnam dates back to 7th century, when according to the Tang dynasty's annals, Buddhist monks from northern Vietnam ventured to the Malay peninsula during their trips to India. In 767, Srivijaya or Javanese fleets invaded northern Vietnam. Champa and Malay kingdoms throughout the Medieval age often maintained close contact. The earliest record of diplomatic contact between the Viet state and Malaysia is dated back to 1469, when soldiers of Vietnamese Dai Viet kingdom had captured a Malaccan tributary mission en route to the Chinese Ming dynasty, killing some of them, and castrating and enslaving the survivors. Dai Viet expressed their intent to conquer Malacca by naval force at the time; this intent was conveyed to the Chinese emperor in a later mission in 1481. The Chinese emperor ordered Malacca to raise soldiers in the event of a similar attack and pressured Vietnam to not take a naval expedition to Malacca.Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Straits Branch, Reinhold Rost (1887), p. 251Tsai (1996), p. 15 Malaccan auxiliaries defeated the Vietnamese during a battle in Lan Xang as reported in a Chinese account. The Malay Annals also mention a Cham prince taking some of his followers to form a small Cham colony in Malacca when Vietnam invaded Champa in 1471,Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Malaysian Branch (2001), p. 5 and deploying military assistance to Johor to fend off a botched military conquest in the 1590s. In the mid 17th-century, the Cham vassal states Panduranga and Kelantan cultivated close diplomatic ties when they led a long-term diplomatic mission to Kelantan to learn more about Malay culture and Islam.Wong (1995), p. 11 Subsequent Champa kings after Po Rome, beginning with his son Po Saut, periodically received Malay Muslim missionaries from Kelantan in the 17th and 18th centuries.Gordon (2001), p. 308 The town of Pengkalan Chepa (lit. "Champa Landing") was known as a focal point of Cham migrants to Kelantan during this time.
British colonial era (18th to mid-20th century) Not long after Penang was established as a port by the British at the end of the 18th century, Vietnamese junks began to visit the area for trade at the instruction of the Vietnamese emperor in Hue. An early account in the late 1790s showed Nguyen Anh's (who became Emperor Gia Long) merchant ship docking in Penang carrying cargoes of sugarcane en route to India.Lamb (1970), p. 191 Soldiers referred to Penang in its Sino-Vietnamese terminology, Tân Lang dữ (Chinese character: 檳榔嶼); a royal narrative in 1810 showed the Vietnamese began to refer to Penang as Cù lao Cau, meaning Palm Island.Woodside (1971), p. 245 Vietnamese Catholics travelled to Penang for seminary studies from the 1840s; these included illuminary Pétrus Ky.Ramsay (2008), p. 125 ethnic Chinese from Cochinchina sailed to the east in the Sultanate of Terengganu to trade in poultry and rice; some also settled there and assimilated with the local Chinese.Tan (2002), p. 17
In the late 1920s and early 1930s, Ho Chi Minh played a key role in facilitating the formation of the Nanyang Communist Party—later renamed the Malayan Communist Party (MCP)—and visited Malaya on several occasions, such as presiding over a ceremony to mark the formation of the Malayan Communist Party in Buloh Kasap, Johor, in April 1930. Ho Chi Minh's influence on the MCP paved the way for Lai Teck, who was also of Vietnamese origin, to be appointed as the MCP's Secretary General between 1934 and 1938.Harper (2001), p. 33–4 Collaboration and communications between the MCP and the Vietnamese Communists increased following Lai Teck's disappearance in the late 1940s; the MCP briefly facilitated the shipping and transport of light ammunitions to the Viet Minh around this time. During World War II, both the Viet Minh and Malayan Peoples' Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA) opposed the Japanese invasion of French Indochina and Malaya. Closer ties between communist cadres from Malaya and Vietnam were forged following successful efforts by the Communist victory at Dien Bien Phu in 1954; the Viet Minh provided small-scale logistical and communication support and training to the MCP in the 1950s and 1960s.Lau (2012), p. 97–8
Vietnamese refugees (1975 to 2005)
In May 1975, shortly after the Fall of Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War, the first Vietnamese refugees arrived in Malaysia, and the first boat that arrived carried 47 refugees.Last Vietnamese boat refugee leaves Malaysia, 30 August 2005, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, retrieved 17 September 2013 Until 1978, more Vietnamese fled their country, and many of them were of Chinese descent. According to Malaysian government statistics, the country hosted 19,000 refugees in November 1978, compared to 500 in 1977.A. R. Dean Navigating boat people away from Third World, p. 4, 6 September 1988, New Straits Times, retrieved 19 September 2013 The Malaysian government responded by directing its Home Ministry to set up Federal Task Force VII in 1978, which was tasked with limiting the rising number of refugees from landing in Malaysia.Tough action against illegals, p. 1, 23 September 1985, New Sunday Times, retrieved 17 September 2013 The press reported incidents of Malaysian police and army personnel turning away the refugees, but some refugees resorted to deliberately sinking their boats to gain admittance to Malaysia.Viet smash craft to avoid return to sea, p. 26, 29 November 1978, The Telegraph Herald, retrieved 18 September 2013 When the government was informed of boat-sinking attempts made by the refugees, then Deputy Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad announced in June 1979 that legislation would be introduced to empower the police and navy to shoot refugees attempting to land.Wee, S.C. Malaysia threatens to shoot landing Vietnamese Refugees, p. 14, 16 June 1979, The Sarcosta Tribune, retrieved 18 September 2013 The government quickly recanted Mahathir's shooting threat.Boat people won't be shot, p. E13, 18 June 1979, The Edmonton Journal, retrieved 18 September 2013
The first Vietnamese refugee camp was opened in Pulau Bidong in August 1978 with United Nations assistance; the island accommodated up to 25,000 refugees. Other refugee camps were set up at Pulau Tengah, Pulau Besar, Kota Bharu, Kuantan, Sarawak and Sabah. In 1982, a transit centre was established at Sungei Besi, where refugees awaiting deportation to Western countries that were willing to accept them would be housed.Stone, Scott C.S. , p. 13A, 24 November 1980, The Miami News, retrieved 18 September 2013 The number of Vietnamese refugee arrivals fluctuated between 1981 and 1983,Boat People: More are landing, 21 June 1983, New Straits Times, retrieved 25 September 2013 before a period of significant decrease from 1984 to 1986.Welcome wears out for Boat people, p. 14B, 18 May 1988, Park City Daily News, retrieved 18 September 2013 In 1987, Malaysia and other neighbouring countries saw a sudden increase in the number of Vietnamese refugees landing in Malaysia. At an ASEAN summit in June 1987, member countries chastised the Vietnamese government for not having sufficiently addressed the refugee problem.Vietnam not stopping boat people, p. 5, 29 June 1988, New Straits Times, retrieved 18 September 2013
In August 1988, Malaysia and Vietnam jointly proposed an involuntary repatriation agreement, which provided for Vietnamese refugees that failed to gain admittance to Western countries to be counselled to return to Vietnam.Vietnam agrees with Malaysia on refugees, p. 18, 30 August 1988, Lodi News-Sentinel, retrieved 18 September 2013 A few Vietnamese government delegations were deployed to conduct outreach sessions at some of the refugee camps.Vietnamese officials to persuade refugees to return, p. 3, 10 October 1988, New Straits Times, retrieved 18 September 2013 This arrangement was considered unsuccessful because less than 40 individuals registered for the voluntary repatriation programme between 1988 and 1989.Wisma Putra Officials to meet Hanoi officials on boat people problem, p. 1, 15 January 1990, New Straits Times, retrieved 18 September 2013Reason for thorough screening of refugees, p. 5, 2 August 1990, New Straits Times, retrieved 18 September 2013 A deadline was set for 14 March 1989, whereby all Vietnamese who arrived before that date would automatically be considered refugees and all refugees arriving after that date would undergo a screening process to assess whether they qualified for refugee status.Faezah, Ismail Nothing like home for boat people, p. 23/30, 14 March 1992, New Straits Times, retrieved 19 September 2013 The screening process was proposed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in June 1988; it involved thorough background checks on arrivals to determine whether they qualify for refugee status to be sent to any Western countries that were willing to accept them. Within 10 months, 4,000 of 9,000 refugees were sent to Western countries. In the same period, an additional 11,000 refugees arrived in Malaysia.