Deputy FM Dang Hoang Giang: Vietnam promotes a united, resilient, and people-centred ASEAN
On November 13, on the occasion of Prime Minister Le Minh Hung leading a high-level Vietnamese delegation to attend the 49th ASEAN Summit and related meetings in Manila, Philippines (November 14–17), Deputy Foreign Minister Dang Hoang Giang emphasised Vietnam's priorities in promoting unity, enhancing resilience, strengthening regional integration, and deepening relations with partners. Through this, Vietnam continues to affirm its proactive, responsible role and make substantial contributions to the ASEAN Community 2045 building process.
Latest
Could you please elaborate on the significance, importance, and key objectives of the 49th ASEAN Summit and related meetings?
The 49th ASEAN Summit and related meetings, taking place from November 14–17, 2026, in Manila, are crucial for leaders to summarize the ASEAN Chairmanship year of the Philippines, assess the first year of implementing the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, and determine cooperation priorities for the future.
The summits occur amidst rapid and complex global and regional changes. Strategic competition, economic instability, and transboundary challenges require ASEAN to enhance immediate response capabilities while solidifying long-term development foundations. In this context, the Philippines has strived to fulfill its role as Chair, working with member countries to promote priorities in peace, security, economic integration, and improving people's livelihoods.
In the first year of implementing the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, ASEAN continues to promote internal integration, develop new economic cooperation frameworks, and strengthen relations with partners. However, there is a need to further enhance coordination efficiency, overcome bottlenecks in commitment implementation, and translate cooperation results into tangible benefits.
At the 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, leaders agreed on various measures to enhance collective response capabilities, particularly in energy security, food security, supply chain stability, and citizen support. Building on these outcomes, the current summits need to generate additional momentum to translate policy into action, and commitments into results, maintaining the momentum of Community building amidst changes.
 |
| Deputy Foreign Minister Dang Hoang Giang answers media questions. (Photo: Thanh Long) |
Based on the priorities of the ASEAN Chairmanship 2026 and the cooperation results achieved, these summits are expected to focus on three major orientations:
First, strengthening unity, enhancing ASEAN's resilience and strategic autonomy; increasing consultation, coordination, and mutual support in preventing and responding to challenges, maintaining a peaceful, secure, and stable environment for development.
Second, promoting effective implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, enhancing coherence and complementarity among commitments, initiatives, and cooperation pillars. Emphasis is placed on economic integration, connectivity, exploiting new growth drivers, and coordinating to address cross-sectoral and transboundary issues, ensuring that people and businesses benefit practically from Community building achievements.
Third, reinforcing ASEAN's central role in the regional architecture; expanding and deepening relations with partners on the principles of equality and mutual benefit, leveraging resources to serve development priorities. Simultaneously, promoting ASEAN's common voice and role in fostering dialogue, cooperation, upholding international law, contributing to peace, stability, and prosperity in the region and globally.
Additionally, the 15th Dialogue Session between ASEAN Leaders and the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly from November 14–15 and the 47th ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly from November 17–18 will provide opportunities to enhance complementarity between intergovernmental and inter-parliamentary cooperation. Through legislative activities, oversight, and representing people's aspirations, parliaments contribute to effectively implementing regional commitments. This linkage helps connect cooperation orientations with actions in each country, bringing the Community building process closer to the people.
Could you please share the significance, objectives, and priorities of Prime Minister Le Minh Hung's participation in these summits?
At the invitation of President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. of the Philippines, ASEAN Chair 2026, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung will lead a high-level Vietnamese delegation to attend the 49th ASEAN Summit and related meetings in Manila, Philippines, from November 14–17, 2026.
The Prime Minister's trip is a step to implement and concretize the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, resilience, multilateralization and diversification as per the spirit of the 14th National Party Congress and the guidelines and orientations of the Politburo and the Secretariat on foreign affairs and international integration; continuing to affirm that ASEAN is a top strategic priority in Vietnam's foreign policy.
Building on proposals and contributions at the 48th ASEAN Summit, Vietnam will focus on promoting commitment implementation, resolving bottlenecks, and enhancing cooperation efficiency, with the overarching spirit of strengthening unity to enhance collective strength, promoting integration to enhance resilience, measuring results by the benefits to people and businesses.
 |
| At the invitation of President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. of the Philippines, ASEAN Chair 2026, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung will lead a high-level Vietnamese delegation to attend the 49th ASEAN Summit and related meeting sin Manila, Philippines, from November 14–17, 2026. (Source: Chinhphu.vn) |
Accordingly, Vietnam will focus on three priorities:
Firstly, together with other countries, maintaining a peaceful, secure, and stable environment, creating a strategic foundation for building a resilient, innovative, dynamic ASEAN Community 2045 centred on people. Vietnam continues to promote consensus, narrow differences, uphold ASEAN's foundational principles and international law, foster dialogue and ASEAN-led mechanisms, and strengthen unity and the Association's central role.
Secondly, creating substantial changes in integration, enhancing ASEAN's competitiveness and resilience. The focus is on economic, trade, infrastructure, and supply chain connectivity; removing intra-regional barriers; promoting science, technology, innovation, digital transformation, and green transition. Simultaneously, enhancing coordination to ensure energy security, food security, and human security, consolidating the region's sustainable development foundation.
Thirdly, deepening cooperation with partners, effectively leveraging resources to serve ASEAN's development priorities. Prime Minister Le Minh Hung's co-chairing of the Mekong – Japan Summit with the Japanese Prime Minister is a specific, practical activity to promote connectivity, sustainable development, and narrow development gaps, contributing to ASEAN Community building.
Additionally, bilateral meetings between our Prime Minister and leaders of other countries and international organizations during this occasion will continue to enhance political trust between Vietnam and other countries and partners; promote the implementation of agreements, resolve issues, and further expand cooperation opportunities; thereby effectively combining multilateral activities with promoting bilateral relations, maximizing resources for national development.
Notably, with the participation of National Assembly President Tran Thanh Man and the high-level delegation of the Vietnamese National Assembly at AIPA-47 and related activities during this occasion, it is an opportunity to enhance the synergy and complementarity between State Diplomacy and Parliamentary Diplomacy. The two delegations will jointly promote common priorities, align cooperation orientations with legal perfection, oversight, and commitment implementation, bringing regional cooperation to life.
Through activities at ASEAN and AIPA, Vietnam consistently conveys the message: proactively proposing, responsibly committing, substantively acting, jointly building a united, resilient, and people-centric ASEAN.
Thank you, Deputy Minister!
