PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday held bilateral meetings with his Vietnamese counterpart, Nguyen Tan Dzung, and Philippine President Gloria Arroyo on the sidelines of the 16th Asean Summit.

His meeting with the two leaders touched on trade flow and investment, among others.

Earlier, Najib launched Berjaya's InterContinental Hanoi Westlake, the latest addition to the company's portfolio of hotels and resorts.

Berjaya Corporation Bhd chairman and chief executive officer Tan Sri Vincent Tan said InterContinental was the only hotel in Vietnam listed in the Conde Nast Traveller's Hot List 2008 and voted Vietnam's best city hotel at the TTG Asia Travel Awards for two consecutive years.

Besides the hotel industry, Berjaya's investments in Vietnam also include property investment and development, stockbroking services and education.

"This has helped to foster a bilateral relationship between the two Asean countries, paving the way for further investments in the future," Tan said.

Also present were International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed and Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh Trong.

Later, Najib and Nguyen witnessed the signing of an agreement by Malaysia's Jaks Resources Bhd, Vietnam Ministry of Trade and Industry, Vinacomin (Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group) and Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) in the building of Hai Duong thermal power plant at Phuc Tanh Commune in the Hai Duong province.

The project will be developed under a build-operate-transfer structure and run as an independent power plant (IPP), with a 25-year power agreement with RVN, the Vietnamese state-owned national utility.

At the expiry of the concession term, Jaks will transfer the plant to Vietnam's Trade and Industry Ministry.

The project will be fuelled by domestic coal supplied by Vinacomin, the state-owned owner of coal resources in the Auang Ninh province.

Najib also witnessed the signing of agreements between AirAsia Berhad and VietJet, and Gamuda Bhd and Gamuda Land Vietnam LLC in a strategic partnership to provide airline-related services and build a sewage treatment plant in the Hoang Mai district.