On February 17, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement stating that, at the invitation of US President Donald Trump, Chairman of the Founding Committee of the Peace Council on Gaza, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam To Lam will have a working trip to the US to attend the opening meeting of the Peace Council on Gaza from February 18 to February 20.
In recent years, the Middle East region has continued to be one of the complex and persistent hotspots with prolonged armed conflicts, especially the Israel-Palestine conflict, causing serious humanitarian, economic and regional security consequences.
International mediation and engagement efforts, although implemented on a large scale, have not yet created an effective and sustainable mechanism capable of both promoting the cessation of conflict and organizing post-war comprehensive and long-term reconstruction.
In that context, on September 30, 2025, nearly 2 years after the conflict between Israel and Hamas broke out, causing one of the biggest humanitarian disasters in modern history for the Palestinian people, US President Donald Trump proposed the 20-point Peace Plan.
On October 9, 2025, Israel and Hamas forces reached a "first-stage" ceasefire agreement under the Peace Plan.
On November 17, 2025, the United Nations Security Council voted to adopt Resolution 2803 (2025):
(i) Unanimously approve President Trump's Peace Plan;
(ii) Welcoming the establishment of the Peace Council as a transition mechanism to manage the reconstruction process in the Gaza Strip;
(iii) The civil and security presence (in the Gaza Strip) authorized by the United Nations Security Council will be valid until December 31, 2027.
On January 22, 2026, US President Donald Trump chaired the signing ceremony of the Peace Council Charter in Davos, Switzerland. The US is expected to hold the first leadership conference and also a fundraising conference for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip on February 19, 2026.
The Plan for Peace and the Peace Council proposed by President Donald Trump is considered the most feasible initiative since the conflict broke out in the Gaza Strip (October 2023), creating conditions for relevant parties to dialogue and negotiate towards ending the conflict, towards a sustainable peaceful solution for the region.
To date, most of the invited countries have accepted to participate in the Peace Council, including countries that signed the Charter of the Peace Council in Davos, to show support and political commitment, but are in the stage of exploring and developing implementation plans, and have not made specific commitments to contribute and participate.
On January 16, 2026, President Donald Trump sent a letter inviting General Secretary To Lam and Vietnam to join the Peace Council as a Founding Member State, together with the international community to promote a sustainable peaceful solution to the Israeli and Palestinian conflict in the Gaza Strip.
Responding to President Donald Trump's invitation, General Secretary To Lam accepted the invitation to participate in the Peace Council and affirmed that Vietnam is ready to participate as a Founding Member State of the Peace Council, together with the US and the international community to actively contribute towards a long-term and comprehensive solution to the Middle East peace process, including the establishment of a Palestinian state coexisting peacefully with the State of Israel.
On January 22, 2026, Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son led the Vietnamese delegation to attend the signing ceremony of the Peace Council Charter on ending the conflict in the Gaza Strip on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, at the invitation of President Donald Trump.
