ASEAN is at a crucial juncture, marking the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the ASEAN Community, the completion of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, and preparations for a new vision.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son meets with ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn in Hanoi on February 25, 2025. Photo: VNA
Hanoi (VNA) 🍃– Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son met with ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn in Hanoi on February 25.
At the meeting, Son praised the Secretary-General’s participation in the second ASEAN Future Forum (AFF 2025) in Vietnam’s capital, highlighting his valuable contributions to the success of the event.
Discussing ASEAN cooperation, the Deputy PM emphasised that the grouping is at a crucial juncture, marking the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the ASEAN Community, the completion of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, and preparations for a new vision.
Preparing for the new phase of development, Son said that ASEAN member states, together with the Secretariat, should make further efforts to fully and effectively complete the roadmaps and plans already outlined, along with reviewing and evaluating their implementation processes. This would serve as a foundation for the building and more effective implementation of new visions and development plans.
He proposed the ASEAN Secretariat continue to actively collaborate with member states to strengthen communication efforts for enhanced community awareness to ensure that ASEAN is truly a people-centred community. He also emphasised the need to further strengthen institutional capacities, improve inter-sectoral and inter-pillar coordination efficiency, as well as closely link sub-regional development with ASEAN’s overall development process.
On this occasion, Son reaffirmed Vietnam’s strong support for Timor-Leste’s efforts to soon become an official member of ASEAN.
The ASEAN Secretary-General expressed his pleasure at attending AFF 2025, noting its increasingly robust growth, attracting high-ranking leaders from ASEAN countries and major partners, as well as significant attention from the public both inside and outside the region.
Agreeing with the Deputy Prime Minister’s assessments and proposals, Kao Kim Hourn stated that the ASEAN Secretariat is actively assisting member states in completing their roadmaps and plans, conducting a review of the 10-year process of building the Community, and preparing a new development roadmap.
It has also identified key priorities and implemented several measures to enhance the effectiveness of its communication efforts, inter-sectoral and inter-pillar coordination, capacity-building for personnel, and sub-regional cooperation mechanisms, all of which contribute effectively to the ASEAN Community building process, he said.
During the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son also discussed several regional issues of mutual concern with the ASEAN leader./.
As a country committed to regional cohesion and peace, Vietnam is urging ASEAN nations to turn commitments into concrete outcomes, enhance coordination in addressing both traditional and non-traditional challenges, and build on past achievements to drive ASEAN’s overall development, he told the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)'s resident correspondents in Jakarta.
The ASEAN Future Forum 2025, “Building a United, Inclusive, and Resilient ASEAN amidst Global Transformation,” will focus on creating a cohesive and adaptive ASEAN capable of navigating the volatile global landscape.
PM Chinh underscored the importance of reinforcing ASEAN’s strategic self-control by strengthening the bloc's solidarity and centrality. An ASEAN with strategic self-control must be consensus-driven, cohesive, balanced and flexible in its external relations. The bloc should play an active role in shaping the regional order and fostering international cooperation amid growing global uncertainties.
State President Luong Cuong’s trip once again reaffirmed the Party and State’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification and multilateralisation of relations. It also reflected the strong trend of enhanced cooperation among countries of the Global South in shaping a new, more multipolar, fair and equitable world order.
The outcomes of Party General Secretary To Lam's visit will serve as a driving force and source of inspiration for the two countries to inherit, promote, and elevate their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, contributing to the national construction and development cause in each country, and to peace, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on August 9 inspected the construction site of the new Phong Chau bridge, and surveyed a planned route for the Lao Cai – Hanoi – Hai Phong railway section running through the northern province of Phu Tho.
Across print, broadcast, and online platforms, Angolan media portrayed State President Luong Cuong's visit as a warm and historic occasion, strengthening bilateral ties and boosting Vietnam’s presence in Africa through the AU.
The 500kV Lao Cai – Vinh Yen power transmission line has a total investment of over 7.41 trillion VND (282.5 million USD), and a total length of 229.5 km, passing through 31 communes in the two provinces, and comprising 468 transmission tower foundations.
The visits reflected the elevated position of Vietnam’s foreign policy in the new era—aimed at not only advancing ties with key regional partners like Egypt and Angola but also delivering a strategic message about Vietnam’s commitment to deepening relations with African nations as a whole.
At their talks and meetings, President Cuong and Angola’s top leaders affirmed that the close brotherhood and traditional friendship are a valuable shared asset and a solid foundation for the two nations to advance into a new phase of development.
The ruling People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) attaches great importance to the friendship, solidarity, and comradeship with the Communist Party of Vietnam, and voiced her Party’s wish to further deepen and expand relations between the two sides for the benefit of the Vietnamese and Angolan people.
Vietnam pledges to do its utmost to build an ASEAN of solidarity, consensus, and unity in diversity, and to foster a fast and sustainable development path for ASEAN, grounded in science, technology, and innovation, said Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.
Party General Secretary To Lam called on the criminal police force to accelerate the application of science, technology, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation in criminal investigation tasks such as crime prevention, detection, tracking and verification, ensuring that no area remains out of their reach.
Many Koreans living, studying, and working in Hanoi see the upcoming state visit to the Republic of Korea (RoK) by Party General Secretary To Lam as an opportunity to generate strong synergy in economic cooperation, people-to-people exchanges, and cultural understanding.
The achievements of the five decades of Vietnam–Angola cooperation provide a strong and enduring foundation, as well as momentum for the two sides to consolidate, expand, and bring their partnership into a new phase of development.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stressed that the emulation and commendation work is a vital driver, fostering patriotism, dedication, and collective momentum in the run-up to the 11th National Patriotic Emulation Congress, Party congresses at all levels, and the 14th National Party Congress.
Emphasising the need for sustainable, long-term collaboration, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man called on Japanese investors not only to bring in capital but also to share expertise and modern technology, especially in areas such as green transformation, the circular economy, and advanced corporate governance.
President Luong Cuong's activities during his state visit to Angola, the celebration of the financial sector's 80th traditional day, and the Foreign Ministry's flag-hoisting ceremony marking the 58th founding anniversary of ASEAN are among news highlights on August 8.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Pham Viet Hung praised the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ meaningful initiative, noting that the ASEAN Family Run was not only a sporting activity but also an opportunity for diplomats and their families to show unity, connection, and solidarity within the ASEAN family.
Politburo member, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on August 8 attended the first congress of the Party Organisation of Tay Ho ward of Hanoi for the 2025–2030 term, during which he called for fresh momentum to turn the ward into a model that takes the lead in all fields.
The size of the economy increased from over 5 billion USD in 1986 to over 476 billion USD by 2024, making Vietnam the fourth-largest economy in Southeast Asia and the 34th largest in the world.
The ASEAN flag-hoisting ceremony is observed by the 10 ASEAN member countries on August 8 every year, aiming to spread and promote the ASEAN identity and affirm the determination to unite and cooperate for the common aspiration of long-term peace and prosperity of Southeast Asian countries under the common roof of the ASEAN Community.
Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Manh Cuong highlighted ASEAN’s nearly six decades of development, during which the region transformed from division to harmony, from confrontation to cooperation, and from poverty to dynamic growth, becoming a global bright spot for regional cooperation.
