Both are neighboring nations that have a maritime border which lies on the South China Sea and are members of ASEAN and APEC.

[1]: 225  In mid-11th century, Vietnamese king Ly Thanh Tong (r. 1054–1071) was said to have purchased a precious pearl from a Javanese merchant.

[2]: 145  A Majapahit epic poem called Nagarakretagama mentioned several states that is today Vietnam: Champa and Yawana (Đại Việt).

Eventually, on 10 August 1964 an embassy was established in Hanoi, which resulted in severance of diplomatic ties with South Vietnam and closure of the Saigon consulate.

On 27 June 2013, Vietnamese President Trương Tấn Sang visited Indonesia and paid a courtesy call to his Indonesian counterpart, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, to strengthen bilateral relations and deepen cooperation in key sectors, as well as agreeing to establish a strategic partnership.

[7] in December 2022, Vietnamese President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc visit Indonesia to deepen cooperation and finalize the demarcation on both of the Maritime Borders.

[11] The Indonesian President expressed his desire to resolve EEZ issues to his Vietnamese counterpart during the 2017 G20 Hamburg summit, of which Vietnam was a guest.