Hanoi (VNA) – Party General Secretary and State President To Lam on August 4 received ASEAN ambassadors and chargés d'affaires in Hanoi on the occasion of the 59th anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), and the 31st anniversary of Vietnam's accession to the regional bloc.
Welcoming the diplomats, the leader thanked ASEAN and other member states for accompanying Vietnam throughout its development journey, expressing the hope that they would continue to serve as important bridges in strengthening cooperation and coordination, thereby further fostering ties between Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries.
The General Secretary and President highly valued the bloc’s achievements across political, security-defence, economic, socio-cultural and other areas through numerous programmes and initiatives. He voiced confidence that member states would uphold solidarity, strengthen cooperation, reinforce ASEAN's centrality, and successfully realise the ASEAN Community Vision 2045.
Sharing Vietnam's foreign policy, he reaffirmed that the country remains steadfast in pursuing a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, self-strengthening, peace, friendship and cooperation, diversification and multilateralisation of external relations.
Vietnam attaches great importance to its relations with ASEAN and fellow member states, regarding the bloc as a family, General Secretary and President Lam said.
Acknowledging the positive progress in Vietnam's relations with ASEAN and other members in recent years, the top leader stressed Vietnam's desire to further deepen these partnerships in a substantive, stable, trustworthy and sustainable manner while working together to build a united and strong ASEAN Community.
On behalf of the ASEAN ambassadors and chargés d'affaires in Hanoi, Philippine Ambassador Francisco Noel R. Fernandez III congratulated Vietnam on its significant socio-economic achievements, expressing confidence that the country would achieve its strategic development goals of securing a modern industrial base and upper-middle-income status by 2030, and becoming a high-income developed nation by 2045.
The ambassador said ASEAN member states highly value Vietnam's contributions over more than three decades of its membership. He commended Vietnam for hosting the ASEAN Future Forum 2026, which attracted broad participation from across the region, helping strengthen the bloc’s connectivity through multiple channels and contributing to the Philippines' ASEAN Chairmanship priorities of advancing ASEAN Community-building and enhancing the bloc's engagement with key external partners.
He also affirmed member states' shared commitment to advancing ASEAN Community-building, implementing the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, following up on the key outcomes of the 48th ASEAN Summit, expanding the grouping’s external partnerships, and maintaining its unity in addressing common challenges.
Discussing ASEAN's future direction, General Secretary and President Lam stressed that amid a rapidly evolving and increasingly complex global landscape, ASEAN and its member states should intensify exchanges and cooperation, strengthen political trust, solidarity, resilience and strategic autonomy, while resolving differences within the bloc.
He also called for enhanced socio-economic, trade and investment cooperation both among ASEAN members and between ASEAN and its partners, with greater focus on sectors offering complementary strengths and on narrowing development gaps among member states.
Echoing the top leader's views, Fernandez underscored ASEAN countries' commitment to continuing close coordination with relevant Vietnamese agencies to strengthen bilateral ties and contribute to building a resilient, dynamic, innovative and people-centred ASEAN Community, thereby promoting peace, stability, cooperation and development in Southeast Asia and beyond./.
