AFF 2026: Advancing Resilient, People-Centered ASEAN

	Overseas Vietnamese in Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines Bridge Ties
	Vietnam Co-Chairs Mekong-US Partnership Senior Officials’ Meeting

AFF 2026 will take place in Hanoi on June 9-10 under the theme, “Shaping Our Future Together: Peace, Prosperity, and People-Centered Development.” On this occasion, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ online portal published an interview with Nguyen Manh Cuong, Member of the Party Central Committee, Permanent Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, on the significance, key priorities, and expectations for AFF 2026.

Nguyen Manh Cuong, Member of the Party Central Committee, Permanent Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. (Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

- AFF 2026 carries the theme “Peace, prosperity, and people-centered.” Why did Vietnam choose this message for this year’s Forum?

- This year’s theme accurately reflects the core priorities that ASEAN and the wider region are pursuing. Peace is a prerequisite for development; prosperity is the shared goal of all member states; and placing people at the center embodies the overarching spirit of the ASEAN Community.

The future of the region cannot be shaped without the participation of its people, who are both the driving force behind and the beneficiaries of the cooperation process. Therefore, this year’s Forum has been designed as an open and inclusive space for dialogue, bringing together not only leaders but also scholars, businesses, youth, social organizations, representatives of political parties, and local authorities to contribute their perspectives.

- The message of ASEAN centrality was recently emphasized by the General Secretary and State President at the Shangri-La Dialogue. How does AFF 2026 carry forward that spirit?

- At the Shangri-La Dialogue 2026, General Secretary and State President To Lam delivered a keynote address in which he underscored the need to build an open, inclusive regional architecture with ASEAN at its center. General Secretary and State President To Lam also noted that ASEAN centrality is not guaranteed by default; rather, it must be reinforced through unity, strategic autonomy, and the capacity to shape a common agenda.

AFF 2026 serves as a continuation and practical manifestation of that spirit at the regional dialogue level. The Forum provides a venue for ASEAN and its partners to discuss how to preserve the bloc’s position in an increasingly dynamic strategic environment, ensuring that every initiative and every new mechanism complements one another and does not undermine ASEAN centrality.

Vietnam’s initiative in launching and consistently organizing a forum such as AFF, together with its proactive and responsible participation in regional and international mechanisms, clearly demonstrates its role as an active and responsible member. This is also how Vietnam makes a practical contribution to the peace, stability, and shared development of the region.

- Resilience is also a prominent keyword of the Forum. Could you elaborate on what this concept entails?

- Resilience is an essential requirement in a rapidly changing and unpredictable world. However, I would like to emphasize one important point: resilience does not mean isolation or self-reliance in the sense of standing alone. For small and medium-sized countries, and even for a region like ASEAN, genuine resilience is achieved through cooperation. A country that withdraws into itself does not become safer; it merely becomes easier to overlook.

Sustainable strength does not come from isolation, but from becoming an indispensable link in multiple networks of cooperation at the same time, so that no party can easily exert unilateral pressure. When members are closely connected, share resources, improve infrastructure connectivity, and coordinate policies, each country becomes stronger, and so does the entire community. A resilient ASEAN is an ASEAN that knows how to transform connectivity into its own source of strength.

This spirit is clearly reflected in this year’s discussion sessions, covering issues ranging from regional solidarity, conflict prevention, and artificial intelligence governance to energy security. What we are particularly committed to is bringing these seemingly macro-level issues closer to people’s daily lives: promoting an “AI for people” approach that helps citizens adapt to the digital economy and narrow the digital divide; and advancing green transformation and energy security in ways that deliver tangible benefits to communities. All of these efforts are aimed at strengthening ASEAN’s strategic autonomy on the foundation of cooperation.

- This year’s Forum coincides with several important high-level diplomatic activities and includes a number of new participants. Could you share more details?

- On the occasion of the Forum, four Prime Ministers from ASEAN member states will attend and pay official visits to Vietnam: Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, and Timor-Leste Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão. The presence of senior leaders from multiple countries clearly demonstrates the spirit of regional solidarity as well as Vietnam’s proactive and responsible role.

Regarding participation, this year’s Forum features two notable innovations. For the first time, AFF will host a dedicated discussion session on cooperation among political parties in Southeast Asia - a new channel of dialogue that complements government-to-government cooperation. In addition, for the first time, the Forum will organize the ASEAN Cities Leadership Conference, chaired by the City of Hanoi. Together with a series of side events focusing on the Mekong sub-region, Southeast Asian youth, and artificial intelligence governance, the participation of political parties, city leaders, young people, and businesses demonstrates that AFF is truly an open forum where policies are discussed through multiple channels, making them more responsive to practical realities and more directly aligned with the goal of placing people at the center.

- What are your expectations for this year’s Forum?

- The ASEAN Future Forum is an initiative proposed by Vietnam and announced at the ASEAN Summit in 2023. Through its two previous editions in 2024 and 2025, many of the ideas and initiatives generated by the Forum were incorporated and reflected in the documents adopted at the ASEAN Summits held in the same years. This demonstrates that AFF is not merely a platform for academic exchange, but also a practical contributor to ASEAN’s formal processes.

This year, the Forum takes place at a time when ASEAN is implementing the ASEAN Community Vision 2045. It is also the first major high-level multilateral diplomatic event hosted by Vietnam following the 14th National Party Congress, the election of the 16th National Assembly, and elections to People’s Councils at all levels.

We hope that AFF 2026 will contribute further perspectives, initiatives, and practical policy recommendations to the process of building the ASEAN Community. Through the Forum, Vietnam also seeks to continue demonstrating its role as a proactive and active member that makes responsible contributions to regional affairs, thereby effectively implementing the Party’s and the State’s foreign policy and international integration strategy.

- Thank you very much!

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