ASEAN Future Forum 2026: Vietnam’s Imprint and Message of Regional Unity

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The ASEAN Future Forum (AFF) 2026, currently taking place in Hanoi, has attracted significant attention and received high praise from diplomats and international scholars.

The event not only reaffirmed ASEAN’s central role but also underscored the standing and proactive engagement of Vietnam and other regional countries in promoting unity and development amid shifts in the global geopolitical landscape.

Overview of Plenary Session 1, “Resilience and Unity in a Changing World.” (Photo: An Dang/VNA)

Key messages from the opening remarks

One of the highlights of this year’s Forum was the keynote opening address delivered by Prime Minister Le Minh Hung. Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Canadian Ambassador to Vietnam Jim Nickel described the Prime Minister’s message as “very powerful.”

Against a backdrop of intensifying geopolitical competition, economic fragmentation, and the erosion of international rules and institutions, Ambassador Jim Nickel noted that Prime Minister Le Minh Hung’s speech clearly emphasized Vietnam’s view that ASEAN countries and their partners must stand shoulder to shoulder and work together to address common challenges for the benefit of all parties.

French Ambassador to Vietnam Olivier Brochet also paid particular attention to Prime Minister Le Minh Hung’s address at this year’s Forum.

“This was a highly engaging and important speech, building upon the messages delivered by General Secretary and State President To Lam at the Shangri-La Dialogue. What is especially meaningful for us is witnessing Vietnam’s strong commitment to supporting all efforts aimed at ASEAN’s development, fostering peaceful relations, and maintaining stability in the region,” Ambassador Olivier Brochet said.

Ambassador Olivier Brochet observed that the atmosphere of this year’s Forum reflected a greater sense of optimism, providing confidence amid ongoing international crises. He also reaffirmed France’s desire to maintain close cooperation with Vietnam as well as ASEAN member states in support of efforts toward regional stability, dialogue, and development.

Meanwhile, Julien Guerrier, Ambassador and Head of the European Union (EU) Delegation to Vietnam, commended Vietnam’s organization of the event, which brought together the prime ministers of Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam for a high-level dialogue on the future of peace, stability, and inclusive growth in the region.

Speakers at Plenary Session 3. (Photo: An Dang/VNA)

Upholding ASEAN centrality and the spirit of unity

International delegates noted that the Forum carries profound strategic significance. Canadian Ambassador Jim Nickel emphasized that this year’s theme, toward a peaceful, prosperous, and people-centered future, is an extremely important message, demonstrating that ASEAN can play a role in building peace not only for the region but also for the wider world.

Singaporean Ambassador to Vietnam Rajpal Singh described AFF as a valuable platform for leaders to directly exchange perspectives. He stressed that the core message is that ASEAN must “remain strong, uphold its centrality, and preserve its spirit of unity” to overcome risks and seize opportunities for development.

“We have had the opportunity to hear from many regional leaders. They have offered valuable insights into both regional and international geopolitical developments, particularly in light of the uncertainties we are currently facing. Hearing directly from them has been immensely useful. I believe the key takeaway from this Forum is that ASEAN must continue to remain strong, uphold its central role, and maintain close cohesion. By acting together as a unified entity, ASEAN is fully capable of addressing these challenges while also capitalizing on the growth and development opportunities available to our region,” Ambassador Rajpal Singh said.

Amid growing competition among major powers, scholar Jaideep Singh from Malaysia’s Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) argued that ASEAN’s strategy of maintaining neutrality and non-alignment has proven effective in responding to great-power rivalry.

“Thus far, the most effective strategy has been to maintain a neutral and non-aligned position. In international relations, this is often referred to as ‘hedging.’ This means that countries do not necessarily need to choose sides or align themselves with any particular major power. Instead, they should seek to maintain neutrality, balance, and non-alignment. At the same time, we need to position ASEAN as a reliable, secure, and stable region for investment and development activities,” Jaideep Singh stated.

Seksan Anantasirikiat, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for International Studies in Thailand, pointed out that the Forum addressed high-priority issues such as geopolitical competition, climate change, energy transition, and the role of youth.

The Forum went beyond identifying challenges and also proposed a range of practical solutions, including reducing non-tariff barriers to promote deeper intra-regional integration.

Affirming Vietnam’s position and role

Vietnam’s proactive engagement at this year’s Forum received widespread praise from international delegates.

Seksan Anantasirikiat affirmed that the event serves as clear evidence of Vietnam’s “leadership role.” Thanks to its extensive network of friendly foreign relations, Vietnam is expected to play a particularly important role in shaping ASEAN’s future.

Meanwhile, scholar Jaideep Singh viewed Vietnam as a notable “success story” within the bloc in terms of deep integration and efforts to narrow development gaps.

“Vietnam can be regarded as a success story within ASEAN, particularly in terms of achieving closer integration with the core economies of the ASEAN-5.

One of the greatest challenges facing ASEAN is the development gap between the core ASEAN countries, namely the original founding members such as Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand, and the countries traditionally referred to as CLMV (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam).

These later entrants joined the ASEAN community at a later stage and faced significant challenges in integrating with the core member states. However, Vietnam has emerged as a major success story in pursuing deeper integration and narrowing development disparities among ASEAN countries.

Video message from RoK's Foreign Minister Cho Hyun at Plenary Session 3. (Photo: An Dang/VNA)

Therefore, I believe ASEAN currently has a number of initiatives underway to reduce development disparities, and Vietnam has achieved considerable success in this regard. Its experience can certainly serve as a valuable lesson for other countries in the region,” Jaideep Singh noted.

In both bilateral and multilateral partnerships, Canadian Ambassador Jim Nickel described Vietnam as a key partner, not only in advancing the Canada-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which is expected to be completed this year, but also as an important bridge between the member states of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the European Union (EU).

Oleg Shloma, Deputy Ambassador of Belarus, praised Vietnam’s “proactive approach” in proposing confidence-building initiatives and creating platforms where countries can seek common ground and resolve differences through dialogue rather than force.

“One of the most important keywords I heard today was ‘proactiveness.’ We need to be more proactive in addressing current issues, challenges, and risks, not only within the region but across the globe. Vietnam is playing one of the leading roles in this process, not only within ASEAN and Southeast Asia but also on the global stage.

Vietnam consistently seeks to introduce various initiatives aimed at building trust, finding common ground, and bringing countries closer together. The ASEAN Future Forum is one such initiative.

The event has been truly successful. Year after year, we have seen the level and breadth of representation continue to grow. This is because not only ASEAN countries but also partners and other nations increasingly recognize the importance of gatherings and discussions like these.

Dialogue and discussion are always far better than attempting to resolve differences and conflicts through violence. Therefore, this is one of the forums that helps us find common ground and provides a venue where solutions to current challenges and difficulties can be discussed and explored,” Oleg Shloma said.

Green future and human-centered technology

One of the key topics discussed at this year’s Forum was ASEAN’s green future and the development of human-centered technology. Sharing his views on energy cooperation within ASEAN, Singaporean Ambassador Rajpal Singh emphasized that green energy development is a priority for the bloc, with the ASEAN Power Grid project serving as a key mechanism through which all member states can share and benefit from sustainable energy resources.

Regarding the application of technology, Canadian Ambassador Jim Nickel argued that artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced technologies must be developed in ways that respond to the needs and interests of society.

Meanwhile, Belarusian Deputy Ambassador Oleg Shloma stressed that people must always remain at the center of technological innovation, including artificial intelligence (AI).

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