Vietnam affirms support for multilateralism following US decision to exit 66 int’l bodies

When asked about Vietnam’s stance on the U.S. decision at a regular press briefing on Thursday afternoon, Pham Thu Hang, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that Vietnam "supports multilateralism and values the role of multilateral organizations, especially the United Nations, in contributing to global governance and addressing common global challenges on the basis of the UN Charter and international law.”

“We hope that countries will continue to uphold multilateralism and actively contribute to the building and strengthening of multilateral institutions and international law, for the sake of peace, stability, cooperation, and sustainable development worldwide,” she said.

“In that spirit, Vietnam stands ready to participate in and actively contribute to global and regional multilateral institutions within its capacity."

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the United States would withdraw from dozens of international and UN entities, including a key climate treaty and a UN body that promotes gender equality and women's empowerment, because they “operate contrary to U.S. national interests,” Reuters reported.

They include 35 non-UN groups and 31 UN entities.

The White House said the dozens of entities that Washington was seeking to depart as soon as possible promote "radical climate policies, global governance, and ideological programs that conflict with U.S. sovereignty and economic strength."

Vietnam is currently a member of numerous international and regional multilateral organizations and mechanisms, including the United Nations (since 1977), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (since 1995), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (since 1998), and the World Trade Organization (since 2007).

At the press briefing, Hang also noted that on the multilateral front, Vietnam has continued to demonstrate a strong sense of responsibility and commitment through active participation in multilateral and regional institutions and mechanisms in 2025.

Vietnam has actively contributed to addressing shared challenges and proactively presented initiatives serving the common interests of the international community and the region.

In addition, Vietnam has taken part in various leadership and management mechanisms of international and regional organizations, while successfully hosting a range of multilateral diplomatic activities, including the ASEAN Future Forum, the P4G Summit, and the Opening for Signature of the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime (The Hanoi Convention).