Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, who was sworn in as the 16th King of Malaysia on January 31 (Photo: New Straits Times/VNA)

Sultan Abdullah, the Sultan of Pahang, was elected king by the Conference of Rulers on January 24. He replaced Sultan Muhammad V, who resigned on January 6 after over two years on the throne. Vietnam and Malaysia established diplomatic relations in 1973 and lifted their ties to strategic partnership in 2015.