Vietnam plays core, leading role in ASEAN growth

An art performance at the ASEAN Children Festival in 2017 (Photo: VNA)

Since Vietnam joined the “common house” of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on July 28, 1995, the country has always affirmed its core and leading role in the grouping and made contributions to the growth of the association.

With a positive, active and responsible spirit, Vietnam has joined hands with other members of the association in building a strong ASEAN Community, maintaining the solidarity, unity of the grouping and promoted its central role for peace, stability, cooperation and development of the region.

The engagement in ASEAN has become an important part of Vietnam’s external policy in the new period, and a strategic focus of the country’s multilateral diplomacy.

Promoting its core role in strengthening solidarity and unity among the ASEAN, right after joining the association, Vietnam worked hard for the admission of Laos, Myanmar (1997) and Cambodia (1999) to the grouping. The efforts contributed to realising the idea of an ASEAN having all the 10 regional countries as members, creating a new transformation for ASEAN and the regional situation at that time.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (second, left) and ASEAN leaders meet US President Joe Biden during the US-ASEAN Special Summit in Washington D.C on May 12, 2022 (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam has made important contributions in defining the development goals and orientations as well as the decision-making process for many important issues of the association, including the ASEAN Vision 2020, ASEAN Charter, ASEAN Community Vision 2025, ASEAN Master Plans on community building, and roadmaps for ASEAN Community, as well as plans for particular pillar of the ASEAN Community and many other important agreements, especially those on connectivity and the narrowing of development gaps.

Along with successfully performing the role of the ASEAN Chair in 2010 and 2020 and organising many ASEAN Summits, Vietnam has chaired many high-level meetings and conferences of ASEAN in intra-bloc, regional and international cooperation areas. The country has left a strong imprint on many ASEAN cooperation mechanisms.

In the context of many complicated changes in the world and the region, Vietnam has engaged in the process of building principles and shaping the "rules of the game" in the region, together with ASEAN to ensure peace, security and stability and promote dialogue and cooperation.

Vietnam promoted the development of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) into a set of rules for relations among ASEAN countries as well as countries outside the region. It also participated and actively contributed to the development and adoption of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP), helping form the common stance of ASEAN and promoting cooperation on the basis of coherence with ASEAN's core values, principles and centrality.

Participants at the ASEAN-Korea Youth Network Workshop in 2023 (Photo: VNA)

Together with other ASEAN members, Vietnam has actively and positively built the ASEAN Community across all pillars from politics, economy to socio-culture, while giving the highest priority to strengthening ASEAN connectivity and expanding the groupings’ relations with partners across the nation. Through ASEAN cooperation, Vietnam has proved its high sense of responsibility to the ASEAN Community, the region and the world.

Vietnam has also made many important contributions to the expanding and promoting cooperation between ASEAN and partners. As the ASEAN Chair in 2010, Vietnam worked to expand the East Asia Summit with the participation of Russia and the US.

Following Vietnam’s initiative, the SEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM ) was formed, gathering ASEAN and partners. Vietnam also successfully took the role of the coordinator for the ASEAN-China relations (in the 2009-2012 period), the ASEAN-EU relations (2012-2015), ASEAN-India relations (2015-2018), and ASEAN-Japan relations (2018-2021).

Participating in ASEAN has always been one of the top priorities in Vietnam’s external policy. While enjoying benefits brought about by the ASEAN Community, Vietnam will continue to give its ideas to join hands with other member in building the community. A strong and self-reliant ASEAN Community will be a solid support for Vietnam in overcoming difficulties and challenges in the time to come.

Founded on August 8, 1967, the ASEAN has been the starting point for an intensive connection process for peace, stability and development in Southeast Asia.

A dialogue of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) at the 56th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Jakarta (Photo: VNA)

From five initial members, the association has gathered 10 members of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. A roadmap for the admission of Timor-Leste as an official member of the grouping has also been adopted.

Over the past 56 years, the association has left many important hallmarks in the regional cooperation and connection process, while gaining outstanding achievements.

ASEAN members have always supported each other for common development in all fields, turning Southeast Asia into a region of cooperation, development, trust and global integration.

Over the years, ASEAN has been a model for successful regional connectivity.

ASEAN's most important success during the past 56 years has been to ensure peace and stability in Southeast Asia. All member states have built a better and better cooperative relationship. Differences among members, certain disagreements or disputes have been prevented and resolved on the basis of common interests.

ASEAN-led forums has gathered many world powers. The association has established close cooperation with many countries and important organisations in the world, including world powers. So far, 94 countries have sent their ambassadors to ASEAN, while 54 ASEAN committees have been established in third countries and at international organisations./.