Top Vietnamese leader’s visits to 3 ASEAN countries highlights peace, political trust

The Party chief, his spouse, and a high-level Vietnamese delegation returned to Hanoi on Monday, successfully concluding trips to Thailand, Singapore, and the Philippines from May 27 to June 1.

Commenting on the trips, Politburo member and Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung said they were of special significance and achieved all objectives at a high level.

He said the tour clearly reflected the foreign policy set out at the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam, demonstrating renewed thinking and methods of organizing foreign affairs activities that prioritize effectiveness and substance on the foundation of friendly and strategically important relationships.

According to Minister Trung, the diplomatic activities also demonstrated the effectiveness and significance of head-of-state diplomacy in providing strategic direction for bilateral ties, creating momentum, and elevating long-term cooperation between Vietnam and its partners.

Highest-level reception with special arrangements

The visits opened up new directions for cooperation between Vietnam and all three partners at a time when Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, and the Philippines are entering new stages of development with new requirements amid a complex regional and international environment.

All three countries accorded the Vietnamese delegation a warm, sincere, and thoughtful welcome, with reception protocols conducted at the highest level, with many special arrangements, according to the foreign minister.

Thailand’s prime minister and spouse personally saw off Party General Secretary and State President Lam and his spouse at the aircraft, while both the president and prime minister of Singapore held talks, meetings, and hosted receptions for the top Vietnamese leader.

Party General Secretary and State President To Lam’s opening remarks at Shangri-La Dialogue highly regarded

A major highlight of the trip was Party General Secretary and State President Lam’s opening remarks at the Shangri-La Dialogue, one of the Asia-Pacific region’s most influential international security and defense forums, attended by around 500 delegates from more than 40 countries.

His remarks on international and regional peace and security clearly reflected the views of Vietnam regarding the current global situation, emerging challenges, and important proposals and recommendations.

The speech was recognized and highly appreciated by delegations attending the dialogue as well as by the broader international community.

“The invitation extended to Party General Secretary and State President Lam to deliver the opening remarks not only reflects international recognition of Vietnam’s role and position, but also demonstrates the international community’s expectation of Vietnam’s contributions to peace, security, and development in the region,” Minister Trung said.

Conveying message of peace

The visits conveyed Vietnam’s development message to key regional partners by clearly presenting the country’s thinking, needs, and development orientation in a new era.

The trips also reaffirmed Vietnam’s consistent policy of attaching importance to relations with neighboring countries and ASEAN members, while demonstrating the country’s proactive, active, and responsible role in working with ASEAN partners to strengthen unity, reinforce ASEAN centrality, and maintain peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region.

“The message of peace was conveyed persuasively in the Party General Secretary and State President’s opening remarks at the Shangri-La Dialogue," the minister remarked.

"The speech captured significant attention and received highly positive responses both within and beyond the region, clearly demonstrating Vietnam’s role as a responsible member and a respected voice on issues of peace, security, and development in the region and globally."

Political trust strengthened

Another notable outcome of the visits was the significant strengthening of political trust between Vietnam and the three countries.

Vietnam advanced the substance of its comprehensive strategic partnership with Thailand, elevated strategic cooperation with Singapore through a strategic dialogue mechanism between the two ruling parties, and upgraded its relationship with the Philippines to an enhanced strategic partnership.

Leaders agreed to establish new mechanisms reflecting political trust, deepening bilateral relations, and creating frameworks to promote more substantive cooperation.

These include the Vietnam–Thailand Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Action Program for 2026–31 and the strategic dialogue mechanism between the Communist Party of Vietnam and Singapore’s People’s Action Party.

Figures reflect substantive cooperation

According to Minister Trung, the visits strengthened connectivity between Vietnam and the three countries as well as among ASEAN members, while concretizing cooperation frameworks and promoting breakthroughs and qualitative advances in defense and security, economy, trade, investment, science, technology and innovation, culture, education and training, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.

Cooperation was also expanded in emerging areas with strong potential and strategic importance for Vietnam’s development, particularly artificial intelligence, digital transformation, innovation, the digital economy, the green economy, just energy transition, e-government, tourism, and local-level connectivity.

Another notable result was the vibrant and diverse engagement between Vietnamese ministries, sectors, localities, and businesses and their counterparts in the three countries.

Members of the official delegation held numerous substantive meetings and exchanges during the visits.

The Vietnam–Thailand Business Forum, attended by Thailand’s prime minister, attracted around 700 businesses from the two countries, including 550 Thai enterprises.

Meanwhile, the TechConnect technology networking forum in Singapore brought together 500 representatives from government agencies, businesses, and research institutions from both countries.

Le Hoai Trung said 20 cooperation and business agreements were signed in Thailand, 31 in Singapore, and nearly 20 in the Philippines.

These impressive figures demonstrate partners’ strong desire to deepen cooperation with Vietnam and spotlight the substantial potential for collaboration between Vietnam and the three countries.

The foreign affairs minister said Vietnam’s efforts to strengthen ties with all three countries, particularly at a time when they share many similarities in their new stages of development, are consistent with the aspirations of the people and the interests of each country, thereby further strengthening ASEAN unity and contributing positively to peace, stability, cooperation, and prosperity in the region and the world.

He added that the comprehensive outcomes and long-term strategic significance of the visits would create new momentum and open a new stage in friendly and cooperative relations between Vietnam and Thailand, Singapore, and the Philippines.