30 years of Vietnam in ASEAN is a meaningful journey and valuable lessons: Ambassdor of Timor Leste
WVR - Over the past 30 years, Vietnam has grown to become one of the key pillars of ASEAN. For Timor Leste, this experience offers valuable lessons. We are eager to learn from Vietnam’s path of integration and success within ASEAN.
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| Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chinh and President of Timor Leste Ramos-Horta at the high-level plenary session of the ASEAN Future Forum 2025 on February 26. (Photo: TH) |
Successful integration pathway
Vietnam's accession to ASEAN in 1995 marked a significant milestone, not only for the country itself but also for the organization. Vietnam's entry into ASEAN brought valuable strategic, political, and economic perspectives.
Vietnam strategically aligned its foreign policy with ASEAN principles such as non-interference, consensus-building, and regional cooperation. Even though the country’s socio-economic situation at the time was not as advanced, Vietnam demonstrated a strong commitment to being a responsible and constructive member of ASEAN.
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| Ambassador of Timor Leste to Vietnam Joao Pereira. (Photo: Linh Nguyen) |
Over the past 30 years, Vietnam has grown to become one of the key pillars of ASEAN. For Timor Leste, this experience offers valuable lessons. We are eager to learn from Vietnam’s path of integration and success within ASEAN. We are working hard to align our legal and institutional frameworks with ASEAN standards and the ASEAN Charter. Our aspiration is to be a committed and respectful member, fully engaged in all ASEAN-led mechanisms, including summits and ministerial meetings.
Having served in Vietnam for over a year, I can confidently say that Vietnam is a forward-looking country. While the world knows about Viet Nam's struggles for independence and resistance against invasion, the country has turned those lessons into drivers for growth and development. Viet Nam is focused on the future.
Vietnam is now considered one of the safest and fastest-growing economies in the region. In the first half of 2025, Viet Nam topped regional economic growth rankings, foreign direct investment into Viet Nam reached USD 21 billion. These economic indicators affirm Viet Nam’s role as an economic powerhouse within ASEAN.
Beyond economics, Vietnam is also seen as a peaceful and secure country, attracting a growing number of international tourists. The country will host the signing ceremony of UN Convention against Cybercrime in October 2025 - a testament to Viet Nam’s growing reputation in global governance.
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| Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son met Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Timor Leste Bendito dos Santos Freitas on the sidelines of the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM-58) in Malaysia on July 9, 2025. (Photo: Quang Hoa) |
Ambitious but achievable goals
Vietnam has emerged as a key ASEAN pillar, economically, politically, and socio-culturally. Timor Leste seeks to learn from Vietnam’s experience and enhance our bilateral cooperation accordingly.
My President and Prime Minister have repeatedly emphasized the importance of deepening ties with Vietnam. President José Ramos-Horta has already visited Vietnam twice in the past years. Both sides are actively coordinating to arrange high-level delegation exchanges in the near future.
I am truly impressed by Vietnam's recent reforms. Timor Leste is also undergoing decentralization reforms, but what Vietnam has achieved in under a year is unprecedented. The reduction the number of ministries and the streamlining local governance, moving from three tiers to two, reducing the number of provinces and communes significantly are massive undertakings. The number of provinces and centrally-governed cities in Vietnam reduced from 63 to 34, including 28 provinces and six centrally-run cities. The number of commune-level administrative units (communes, wards, and townships) has decreased significantly. This is a huge work of the government.
As a former governance expert, I can confidently say this is one of the most ambitious and well-executed reforms I have seen - not just in the region, but globally.
I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the Vietnamese government and people. According to Party General Secretary To Lam, these reforms are part of a broader strategy to make Viet Nam globally recognized and to pursue double-digit economic growth by 2030. This is an ambitious but achievable goal.
Vietnam is already home to over 200 billionaires and is on track to be among the top 20 economies in terms of growth. This speaks volumes about the country’s progress in governance, peace, stability, economic development, and social advancement.
Vietnamese citizens should be proud of your leaders whose intelligence and dedication are steering the country forward. Congratulations to the leaders and people of Viet Nam.
