On the afternoon of June 9, at the National Assembly Headquarters, Politburo Member, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man received the delegation of ASEAN city leaders attending the ASEAN City Leaders' Meeting within the framework of the ASEAN Future Forum (AFF) 2026.
At the reception, Member of the Party Central Committee, Chairman of Hanoi People's Committee Vu Dai Thang, on behalf of the ASEAN city leaders' delegation, reported to the National Assembly Chairman on the ASEAN City Leaders' Meeting, which was successfully held in Hanoi on June 8.
Representing the Vietnamese locality hosting the Conference, Chairman of Hanoi City People's Committee emphasized the significance of the Conference as the first time within the framework of the AFF Forum, leaders of ASEAN cities and local authorities have a separate dialogue space on regional urban cooperation and development, marking an important step in bringing the voices of cities into the ASEAN agenda.
Speaking at the working session, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man highly appreciated the initiative to organize the ASEAN City Leaders' Meeting, emphasizing that this is an important milestone affirming the increasingly prominent role of cities in the process of building the ASEAN Community.
The National Assembly Chairwoman emphasized that this reflects an increasingly clear awareness of the role of cities not only as places to implement policies, but also as important actors directly contributing to the process of building the ASEAN Community and realizing the ASEAN Community Vision 2045.
Affirming that ASEAN is always a top priority in Vietnam's foreign policy, the National Assembly Chairwoman said that the Vietnamese National Assembly always accompanies the Government in perfecting the legal framework, creating favorable conditions for international integration and implementing regional cooperation commitments.
Within the framework of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), the National Assembly of Vietnam also actively coordinates with the parliaments of member countries to promote regional integration, ensuring development policies towards the people and serving the common interests of ASEAN.
The National Assembly Chairwoman proposed that ASEAN cities continue to play a pioneering role in innovation, digital transformation and science and technology development; promote green growth, energy transition and building sustainable developed cities; and at the same time put people at the center of all development policies, ensuring that all people benefit from the process of building the ASEAN Community and no one is left behind.
Representatives of ASEAN city leaders, including leaders of Luang Prabang province (Laos), Mandalay Region (Myanmar) and Siem Reap province (Cambodia) expressed their gratitude for the solemn reception of the National Assembly and Vietnamese agencies.
Delegates highly appreciated the ASEAN City Leaders' Meeting as an important platform for cities to exchange experiences, share effective development models and promote cooperation.
