Dear Leaders of ASEAN member states,
Dear distinguished guests,
I am very honored to speak at the 3rd ASEAN Future Forum (AFF) in Hanoi. On behalf of the Government of Vietnam, I would like to send to all of you my most respectful greetings and sincere feelings. The presence of a large number of you today is a vivid proof of friendship, trust and solidarity for a peaceful, stable and sustainable development region.
Allow me to send my respectful greetings to Mr. Sonexay Siphandone, Prime Minister of the Lao People's Democratic Republic; Mr. Hun Manet, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia; Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand; Mr. Xanana Gusmão, Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste; and Mr. Kao Kim Hourn, ASEAN Secretary-General.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The ASEAN Future Forum 2026 is of particular importance. The theme of the Forum reflects the core values that ASEAN is pursuing and orienting the Association's future in the coming period. Therefore, I want to start with a not new question about the future. In a world that is changing deeply, the issue for us today is not only how ASEAN will adapt, but how ASEAN will shape its own future in the 21st century?
After 59 years of formation and development, the biggest mark of ASEAN lies not only in its population of nearly 700 million people or in its position as one of the most dynamic growth centers in the world, but also in its efforts to overcome differences, foster trust and expand cooperation to become a united, resilient, and unified Community in diversity.
If nearly six decades have passed as the journey to build ASEAN's identity, then the decades to come will be the journey to shape ASEAN's future in a world where the foundational rules of global economy, technology and power are being rewritten. Technology is redefining competitiveness. Artificial intelligence is redefining productivity. Data is redefining power. And green transformation is redefining the development model.
In such a pivotal moment, the advantage not only belongs to countries with large resources but also to countries and regions capable of participating in shaping new rules and standards of the times. Vietnam believes that ASEAN needs to and must become an active subject in that process - where it not only receives global trends, but is also a driving force contributing to shaping those trends!
To realize that aspiration, ASEAN needs to continue to promote the spirit of solidarity, self-reliance, and unity in diversity - values that make up its success - but with a more creative approach: Consensus on values but dynamic in action, steadfast in principles but innovative in methods, maintaining identity but proactively creating opportunities in the face of changes of the new era.
Ladies and gentlemen,
On the journey to implement the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, I believe that ASEAN needs to aim for three strategic dimensions:
First, not only participating in global trends but also contributing to shaping those trends.
For decades, ASEAN has been one of the regions enjoying peace, integration and open trade. But in an increasingly fragmented and highly competitive world, ASEAN needs to have a stronger voice in participating in building new standards, laws and cooperation structures, and resolving differences on the basis of international law.
ASEAN needs to become a center of dialogue, the focus of cooperation and the fulcrum of trust. That is ASEAN's special contribution to peace, stability and development of the region as well as the world.
Second, it is not only a production center but also a center of innovation.
Labor advantages and geographical location have made ASEAN an important link in the global supply chain. But in the digital age, the future does not belong to economies that only know how to produce but also to economies that know how to be creative. ASEAN is not only a place where technology is consumed but must become a place where technology is created, not only a place where supply chains pass through but must become a place where value chains are shaped.
This requires ASEAN to invest more strongly in science and technology, innovation, digital economy and high-quality human resources, towards forming a technology and digital ecosystem with ASEAN identity - reflecting our own values, while actively contributing to the process of forming common standards of the world.
Third, it is not only a community of nations but also a real community of people.
The ultimate goal of every development strategy is not growth figures but the quality of life of the people. We believe that innovation that increases the gap is not progress. And growth without inclusion cannot be sustainable.
Therefore, a successful ASEAN is measured not only by GDP but by the opportunities created for the younger generation, the role given to women, the protection for vulnerable groups, and the extent to which each citizen feels that this is the community they truly belong to.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The greatest value of ASEAN in nearly 60 years has been to prove to the world that differences do not lead to division, unity does not eliminate diversity, integration does not lose identity. The greatest value of ASEAN in the coming decades will prove that a united and resilient community can fully participate in positively shaping the peace, cooperation and development of the region and the world.
On that journey, Vietnam strongly commits to continuing to accompany ASEAN with the aspiration to build the future, with all our hearts and minds, because Vietnam's future is associated with ASEAN's future as well as associated with peace, stability and common prosperity of the entire region.
Thank you very much!
