The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that on March 10, 2025, General Secretary To Lam and his wife, along with a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, visited the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia.
At the meeting with ASEAN Secretary General Kao Hourn and the Permanent Representative Committee for ASEAN (CPR), General Secretary To Lam affirmed that Vietnam always attaches importance to and contributes its all to ASEAN's development over the past 30 years for the great goals of ASEAN and will continue to contribute to the common development of the ASEAN Community.
ASEAN Secretary General Kao Kim Hourn assessed the first visit of the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam to the ASEAN Secretariat as a historic milestone, demonstrating ASEAN's important position in Vietnam's foreign policy, especially in the context of 2025 marking Vietnam's 30th anniversary of joining ASEAN (1995-2025) and the 10th anniversary of the formation of the ASEAN Community (2015-2025). The General Secretary hopes that Vietnam will continue to play a leading role in ASEAN.
On this occasion, the General Secretary attended the 30th anniversary of Vietnam's admission to ASEAN and delivered an important policy speech.
The General Secretary outlined a number of major orientations to help ASEAN develop more and more strongly, strengthening its central role in the regional structure.
On the basis of inheriting and continuing the achievements over the past 60 years, ASEAN needs to have a breakthrough thinking and a sharp strategy to create a breakthrough for regional linkages and cooperation.
The General Secretary emphasized the importance of continuing to strengthen internal solidarity and strategic autonomy, enhancing economic self-reliance through innovative development solutions, and promoting ASEAN identity.
The General Secretary also affirmed that ASEAN is an important pillar in Vietnam's foreign policy, and an inseparable part of Vietnam's development and integration strategy.
With ASEAN as the starting point, Vietnam has increasingly expanded its international integration and has now had diplomatic relations with 194 countries, including establishing comprehensive/Strategic/ released strategic partnerships with 35 countries, including all ASEAN members and important ASEAN partners.
Vietnam is also a member of more than 70 regional/international forums/organizations and has an FTA network with more than 60 countries and economies, thereby becoming one of the 40 largest economies in the world and the world's top 20 economies in attracting foreign investment and in terms of trade scale.
Sharing about Vietnam's foreign policies and guidelines in the new era, the General Secretary affirmed that Vietnam is ready to make more active and proactive contributions to world politics, the global economy and human civilization. In particular, identifying ASEAN as a mechanism for direct and important multilateral cooperation, Vietnam will promote the sense of responsibility, actively contribute to the common work of the Association with the motto of creativity in thinking, innovation in approach, flexibility in implementation, efficiency in working methods, and determination in action.
Speaking at the ceremony, ASEAN Secretary General Kao Kim Hourn, Ambassador, Head of Delegations to a number of member countries and partners at ASEAN and Executive Director of ERIA Public Policy School highly appreciated Vietnam's proactive and active role in ASEAN over the past 30 years.
The Ambassadors highly appreciated General Secretary To Lam's policy speech with Vietnam's assessments, in-depth assessments and vision of ASEAN. The countries expressed their confidence that with strong commitments and the wise leadership of General Secretary To Lam, Vietnam will continue to develop prosperously and be one of the important driving forces to steadily move ASEAN in the new development stage.
