General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and State President To Lam's official visit to Thailand, state visits to Singapore and the Philippines, and participation in the Shangri-La Dialogue 2026 were of special significance and achieved their objectives, according to Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung.
The trip from May 27 to June 1 marked the Party and State leader's first tour of ASEAN countries following the success of the 14th National Party Congress and the election of deputies to the 16th National Assembly and People’s Councils at all levels for the 2026–2031 tenure, Minister Trung told the press on the outcomes of the tour.
It was particularly meaningful as Vietnam and both Thailand and the Philippines are celebrating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year, he added.
The visits also took place at a time when the Philippines is serving as ASEAN Chair in 2026, Singapore is preparing to assume the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2027, and Vietnam is set to host the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in 2027.
Against a backdrop of profound regional and global changes, the visits opened up new directions for cooperation between Vietnam and the three partners, all of which are entering new stages of development with evolving priorities and aspirations, the minister underscored.
General Secretary and State President Lam, his spouse, together with a high-level Vietnamese delegation, engaged in an extensive programme of activities, including substantive meetings and exchanges with senior leaders of Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines. The delegation also participated in important forums with major corporations, businesses and research institutions, visited leading science and technology facilities, and met with Vietnamese communities in the three countries, according to the FM.
The hosts extended warm, respectful and exceptionally cordial receptions to the delegation, with ceremonial arrangements at the highest level and several special gestures. Notably, the Prime Minister of Thailand and his spouse personally saw off the Vietnamese Party and State leader and his spouse at the airport, while both the President and Prime Minister of Singapore held separate talks and hosted official receptions in his honour.
A major highlight of the trip was General Secretary and President Lam’s keynote address at the Shangri-La Dialogue, one of the Asia-Pacific region’s most influential security and defence forums, attended by approximately 500 delegates from more than 40 countries.
His remarks on international and regional peace and security clearly articulated Vietnam’s views on the current global situation, the challenges facing the international community, and a number of important proposals and recommendations. The address received widespread attention and positive assessments from participating delegations and the international community.
The trip effectively conveyed Vietnam’s development vision to key regional partners, while demonstrating the country’s strategic thinking, development priorities and aspirations in the new era. It reaffirmed Vietnam’s consistent policy of attaching importance to relations with neighbouring countries and ASEAN members, while highlighting its proactive, responsible and constructive role in strengthening ASEAN unity, reinforcing the bloc’s centrality, and contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region.
The message of peace, conveyed convincingly through the General Secretary and State President’s address at the Shangri-La Dialogue, attracted considerable attention from the public both inside and outside the region. It underscored Vietnam’s role as a responsible member of the international community and a respected voice on issues relating to peace, security and development at both regional and global levels.
Another notable outcome was the significant strengthening of political trust between Vietnam and the three countries. Vietnam advanced the substance of its Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Thailand, elevated strategic cooperation with Singapore through the establishment of a Strategic Dialogue mechanism between the two ruling parties, and upgraded relations with the Philippines to an Enhanced Strategic Partnership.
Leaders agreed on a number of new mechanisms aimed at deepening political trust and broadening cooperation, including the Vietnam–Thailand Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Action Programme for 2026–2031 and the Strategic Dialogue mechanism between the Communist Party of Vietnam and Singapore’s People’s Action Party.
The visits also helped consolidate and expand cooperation across Party, State, parliamentary and people-to-people channels, while fostering greater connectivity between Vietnam and its ASEAN partners. They further advanced cooperation in defence and security, trade and investment, science and technology, innovation, culture, education and training, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.
At the same time, collaboration was expanded in a number of emerging and strategically important areas, including artificial intelligence, digital transformation, innovation, the digital economy, the green economy, just energy transition, e-government, tourism and local-to-local connectivity.
The visits also witnessed vibrant and substantive engagement among ministries, sectors, localities and businesses from Vietnam and the three countries. Members of the official delegation held numerous working sessions and exchanges with their counterparts throughout the tour.
The Vietnam–Thailand Business Forum was attended by the Thai Prime Minister and attracted nearly 700 enterprises from both countries, including 550 Thai companies. Meanwhile, the TechConnect Forum in Singapore brought together around 500 representatives from government agencies, businesses and research institutions of the two countries.
A total of 20 cooperation and business agreements were signed in Thailand, 31 in Singapore and nearly 20 in the Philippines. These impressive figures reflected both the strong interest of partners in expanding cooperation with Vietnam and the vast potential for future collaboration.
Trung underlined that the visits were highly successful and generated a wide range of substantive outcomes. They contributed to strengthening a peaceful and stable external environment, particularly with ASEAN partners, creating favourable conditions for Vietnam’s socio-economic development while supporting peace, stability, cooperation and prosperity in the region.
The visits also served as a clear demonstration of Vietnam’s growing stature and influence on the international stage, as well as the country’s proactive and constructive contributions to addressing issues of common regional and global concern.
Stressing the special significance of the visits, Trung said that first, they affirm the importance that the Vietnamese Party and State attach to relations with Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, as well as with ASEAN countries in general.
Taking place just over a month after the consolidation of key State leadership positions, this was the first tour of Southeast Asian countries by General Secretary and President To Lam in his new capacity. It also marked the first time a Party leader of Vietnam had visited the Philippines. Besides, Thailand, Singapore, and the Philippines all hold important positions in Southeast Asia, are founding members of ASEAN, and also key partners of Vietnam in the region.
Second, with the profound and comprehensive results mentioned above, the visits have elevated Vietnam’s relations with the three other ASEAN countries, creating important stepping stones and setting directions for promoting relations with the countries in a more extensive and substantive manner in the time ahead.
Vietnam's enhancement of ties with the three countries, especially in the context of many similarities shared by the parties in their new stage of development that match the aspirations of the people and the interests of each nation, further strengthens solidarity within ASEAN and positively contributes to peace, stability, cooperation, and prosperity in the region and the world.
Third, he went on, with the results and agreements reached, the visits have opened up great opportunities to leverage international cooperation, experience, and resources, especially from Thailand, Singapore, and the Philippines, to support efforts to achieve the strategic goals for 2030 and 2045, and implement the country's socio-economic development plan until 2030.
In particular, public opinion in various countries paid close attention to General Secretary and President Lam’s visits to the three countries, especially the fact that this was the first time a Party and State leader of Vietnam delivered a speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue.
The achievements of the visits and the keynote address at the dialogue affirmed Vietnam's foreign policy of peace, independence, self-reliance, self-strengthening and multilateralisation and diversification of external relations, as well as its wish to contribute to international and regional issues of common concern, the FM noted.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung (Photo: VNA)
That General Secretary and President Lam was invited to deliver the keynote address not only demonstrates the international community's respect for Vietnam's role and stature, but also shows that the international community has high expectations for the country's contributions to regional peace, security, and development.
The trips clearly reflect the foreign policy set at the 14th National Party Congress while showing a renewal in thinking and methodology of organising diplomatic activities, with priority given to effectiveness and substance based on friendly and strategically important relationships. They also demonstrate the effectiveness and significance of head-of-state diplomacy in giving strategic guidance for relations, creating momentum and elevating long-term cooperation between Vietnam and its partners, according to the official.
He said the leaders of Vietnam and the three countries all emphasised the implementation of the trips’ results by focusing on substantive actions and full tapping into cooperation potential.
The comprehensive, strategically significant, and long-term results of the visits will create new momentum heralding a new phase of development for Vietnam’s friendship and cooperation with Thailand, Singapore, and the Philippines, Trung added./.
