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KUALA LUMPUR, Aug. 25-- Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad will make a three-day official visit to Vietnam to strengthen bilateral ties from Monday to Wednesday, the Malaysian Foreign Ministry said on Sunday. Mahathir is scheduled to meet with Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to discuss Malaysia-Vietnam bilateral cooperation, as well as regional and international issues of common concern to both countries, the ministry said in a statement. "Vietnam is a close friend and an important partner of Malaysia. The visit will provide an opportunity for both countries to consolidate the already close bilateral ties, and further reinforce the commitment outlined in the Framework of the Strategic Partnership, signed in August 2017," it said. Vietnam and Malaysia are both members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the visit is Mahathir's first official to the country since 1996. Trade between the two countries stood at 13.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2018 and Malaysia is Vietnam's eighth largest trading partner as well as the eighth largest foreign investor in the country with registered capital valued at 12.48 billion U.S. dollars. | 
