ASEAN

Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung proposed that ASEAN–UK cooperation shift its focus from growth to enhancing resilience, self-reliance and innovation on the basis of increasingly strengthened mutual trust.

The Vietnamese delegation proposed making energy security and transition a pillar of ASEAN-Canada relations, and urged Canada to support the implementation of the ASEAN Power Grid and expand cooperation in renewable energy, hydrogen, energy storage and nuclear power for civilian purposes.

Viet Nam has shared its experience and reaffirmed its commitment to United Nations (UN) peacekeeping at the 22nd ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) Experts' Working Group (EWG) on Peacekeeping Operations, with a strong focus on advancing the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda.

Viet Nam highly values UNODC’s support for ASEAN and the region and calls on the organisation to continue prioritising capacity-building programmes, technical assistance, and the effective implementation of international legal instruments against transnational crime, Vietnamese Ambassador to Austria Vu Le Thai Hoang has said.

In a message delivered to the ASEAN-Russia Business Forum, held in the city of Kazan on the sidelines of the ASEAN-Russia Commemorative Summit, Putin said the sides have accumulated substantial experience in multifaceted cooperation, built strong partnerships, and laid a solid foundation for further expanding cooperation.

Ahead of the ASEAN-Russia Summit, scheduled to take place in Kazan, Russia, from June 17 to 19, Nhan Dan Newspaper’s resident correspondent in Russia spoke with Professor Dmitry Mosyakov, Doctor of Historical Sciences and Head of the Centre for the Study of Southeast Asia, Australia and Oceania under the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, about the significance of the summit.

The third ASEAN Future Forum (AFF), held in Ha Noi from June 9 to 10, provided an open and substantive platform for dialogue on ASEAN’s future. The initiatives and solutions put forward in Ha Noi are expected to serve as a springboard for member states to achieve new successes in realising the Association’s aspirations for greater prominence and development.

The ASEAN Future Forum (AFF) 2026 continued on June 10 with three discussion sessions focusing on ASEAN–US cooperation, solutions to ensure energy security and accelerate the green transition in the region, and the identification of new development models amid global transformation.

Domestic and foreign policymakers, scholars and experts gathered for the third ASEAN Future Forum (AFF) 2026 in Ha Noi on June 9, when three plenary sessions and one panel discussion put the bloc’s resilience and unity under debate.

The measure of success in the coming period should not simply be how many additional documents, mechanisms or action plans ASEAN produces; more importantly, it should be measured by the extent to which ASEAN’s commitments are implemented in practice, what changes they bring about for the region, and what benefits they deliver to people, businesses and each member economy, said the top Vietnamese leader.

NA Chairman Man praised the initiative to convene the ASEAN City Leaders Conference, describing it as a significant step in recognising the increasingly important role of cities in building the ASEAN community.

Canadian Ambassador to Viet Nam Jim Nickel emphasised that this year’s theme – “Shaping Our Future Together: Peace, Prosperity and People-Centred” – demonstrates ASEAN’s potential to contribute to not only regional but also global peace.

Against the backdrop of a rapidly evolving, increasingly complex and unpredictable regional and global environment, Party General Secretary and State President To Lam stressed that ASEAN’s foremost priority is to preserve a peaceful and stable environment conducive to development, strengthen economic competitiveness and resilience, and improve the well-being of its people.

The ASEAN Future Forum 2026 carries special significance. Its theme not only reflects the core values that define ASEAN, but also points to the direction our Association should take in the years ahead.

Deputy PM Nguyen Van Thang proposed a shared vision for an ASEAN fintech ecosystem that is open, secure, transparent, inclusive, and sustainable: “Open” to foster connectivity, “Secure” to enable growth, “Transparent” to build trust, “Inclusive” to ensure that no one is left behind, and “Sustainable” to strengthen resilience and support long-term progress.

The opening session of the ASEAN Future Forum (AFF) 2026 took place on June 9 in Ha Noi, featuring a keynote address by Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung, alongside remarks from leaders of ASEAN member states, senior United Nations officials and recorded messages from foreign ministers.

At the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, delegates visited the Doan Mon Gate and learnt about the formation and development of the ancient capital through different historical periods at display spaces. They also explored the Kinh Thien Palace’s Dragon Steps (large stone steps with dragon carvings), regarded as the political and ceremonial centre of the imperial citadel during successive Vietnamese dynasties.

In his welcoming remarks, Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung said Viet Nam established the forum with the aim of creating an open, substantive and forward-looking space for dialogue among ASEAN member states and international partners.

ASEAN should continue upholding the values that have underpinned its success - solidarity, resilience and unity in diversity, while embracing greater innovation in both thinking and action. The bloc should remain firm in its principles while becoming more agile in its responses to emerging challenges and opportunities, said PM Le Minh Hung.

A series of side events held in Ha Noi on June 8 within the framework of the third ASEAN Future Forum (AFF) 2026 focused on the strategic role of the Mekong subregion and the contribution of young people as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) works towards realising the its Community Vision 2045.