At the invitation of President of the Republic of the Philippines Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr, ASEAN Chair for 2026, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung will lead a high-level Vietnamese delegation to attend the 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, the Philippines, from May 7 to 8.

 The Prime Minister’s participation strongly demonstrates Viet Nam’s continued and consistent implementation of its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, self-strengthening, peace, friendship, cooperation and development, along with the diversification and multilateralisation of external relations. It also reaffirms that ASEAN remains a top strategic priority in Viet Nam’s overall foreign policy. This is also a clear message of Viet Nam’s commitment to the ASEAN Community-building process, with a spirit of proactiveness, positivity, responsibility and substantive, effective contributions to the Association’s common work.

 This is the first annual summit in the Philippines’ ASEAN Chairmanship Year 2026, and it carries special significance as ASEAN officially enters a new development phase following 10 years of ASEAN Community-building during the 2015–2025 period. The year 2026 marks the first year ASEAN implements the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 together with Strategic Plans across the four pillars of Political-Security, Economic, Socio-Cultural and Connectivity cooperation. This is a strategic orientation framework aimed at building a united and resilient ASEAN, promoting its central role in advancing cooperation and addressing regional issues.

This summit takes place amid rapidly evolving, complex and unpredictable regional and global developments, especially tensions arising from conflicts in the Middle East. Challenges related to strategic competition, supply chain disruptions, energy security, food security and trade protectionism are directly affecting stability and people’s livelihoods in the region.

ASEAN has had to address numerous challenges, particularly in maintaining its central role, promoting cooperation and resolving regional issues, mobilising resources, and enhancing the effectiveness of collective and coordinated responses to external fluctuations and shocks, especially the recent complicated developments in the world and the Middle East, which have had direct and multidimensional impacts on ASEAN countries in ensuring energy security, food security and supply chains.

Before developments in the Middle East, the Philippines, as ASEAN Chair, and ASEAN itself made initial timely responses and adjustments to cope with the situation. ASEAN Foreign Ministers issued a Joint Statement on the situation in the Middle East on March 4, 2026, and held two online Special Meetings on March 13, 2026 and April 13, 2026 to discuss the political, security and economic impacts on ASEAN, as well as coordination in action.

The 32nd ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Retreat on March 13, 2026 issued a Joint Statement on strengthening ASEAN’s economic resilience amid global geopolitical and economic uncertainties. The Special Meeting of the ASEAN Economic Community Council (AECC) on the Middle East situation on April 30, 2026 adopted a Joint Statement on the economic implications of the situation in the Middle East. The Special ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting (AMEM) on April 27, 2026 issued a Joint Statement on developments in the Middle East. This represents a new approach by ASEAN, showing that the group is adapting and becoming more effective.

After 10 years of implementing the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 (2015–2025), ASEAN has achieved many positive results, helping affirm its important role in peace, stability and prosperous development in the region.

Since 2009, ASEAN has implemented the Master Plans for ASEAN Community building across three pillars: Political-Security, Economic, and Socio-Cultural. In 2015, the ASEAN Community was established, guided by the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and the Master Plans under the three pillars, with the aim of developing a Community that is politically cohesive, economically integrated and socially responsible, rules-based, people-oriented and people-centred. ASEAN plays an important role in ensuring regional peace, security and stability, creating a favourable environment for the development of its member countries; continuing to promote and uphold shared principles and norms of conduct among nations; and bringing into play its central role and common voice in the face of global and regional volatility and instability.

In terms of the economy, ASEAN has recorded notable achievements in scale, growth rate and level of integration. In terms of culture and society, ASEAN is affirming and disseminating the identity of the ASEAN Community, enhancing the quality of life for its people, promoting education, safeguarding human rights, and strengthening responses to global challenges such as climate change and natural disasters; whilst actively implementing cultural, artistic, and sporting exchanges alongside people-to-people activities, thereby contributing to deepening understanding, trust, and cohesion within the regional community.

With the approach of building a “resilient, dynamic, innovative, and people-centred” ASEAN Community, the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 has outlined four Strategic Plans on Political-Security, Economic, Culture-Society, and Connectivity.

On political-security, ASEAN commits to maintaining peace, security, and stability in the region, resolving disputes peacefully on the basis of respect for international law, consolidating internal unity, enhancing ASEAN’s central role, and affirming ASEAN’s voice on regional and global issues.

On the economy, ASEAN focuses on promoting digital transformation, green economic development, and renewable energy to build an integrated, cohesive, and highly competitive economy.

On culture-society, ASEAN aims to improve the quality of life for its people, working towards an inclusive, sustainable, and people-centred cultural and social community.

On connectivity, ASEAN sets out directions to enhance regional connectivity through synchronised infrastructure, digital innovation applications, and strengthened cybersecurity, good governance, logistics and supply chain connectivity, addressing challenges arising from the urbanisation process.

With the theme ‘Navigating Our Future, Together’, the 48th ASEAN Summit will focus on exchanging measures to consolidate ASEAN’s unity, self-reliance, and capacity to respond to challenges; promoting the effective implementation of strategic priorities, especially the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and the key cooperation focuses during the Philippines’ ASEAN Chairmanship Year 2026; continuing to amplify ASEAN’s common voice and central role on the basis of upholding respect for the rule of law, supporting multilateralism, and deepening relations with partners. These efforts will help maintain a peaceful, stable and conducive environment for development, while enhancing ASEAN’s standing and role regionally and globally.

ASEAN cooperation in 2026 will be organised around three broad orientations, aligned with the bloc’s three pillars:

Peace and security anchors: Championing peace and regional stability through dialogue, adherence to international law, and strengthened cooperation on emerging and non-traditional security threats.

Prosperity corridors: Building systemic connections towards a shared prosperity through economic integration, digital transformation, and inclusive and sustainable development that benefits all ASEAN peoples.

People empowerment: Empowering ASEAN’s people by fostering social inclusion, protecting vulnerable groups, and promoting a sense of shared identity and community.

After more than 30 years of ASEAN membership, Viet Nam has become a major contributor, working alongside other member states to maintain peace and stability and promote development in the region. The country has strengthened ties with partners and leveraged ASEAN’s economic linkage networks to advance trade and investment.

Against the backdrop of significant regional impacts from the conflict in the Middle East, Viet Nam has proactively put forward several concrete initiatives at recent ASEAN meetings to strengthen the bloc’s collective response capability, among them an initiative to build an ASEAN cooperation framework for strengthening joint responses to the situation in the Middle East and future crises.

Viet Nam’s bilateral relations with ASEAN countries have continued to strengthen. Having elevated its ties with Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand to comprehensive strategic partnerships, Viet Nam is also expected to soon upgrade its relations with Timor-Leste.

At the summit, the Vietnamese delegation will work closely with ASEAN member states to drive effective implementation of the 2026 ASEAN Chairmanship priorities and the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, toward building a resilient, dynamic, innovative and people-centred ASEAN Community.

Viet Nam will work together with ASEAN to promote the maintenance of a peaceful, secure, and stable environment; uphold respect for international law and multilateralism; strengthen intra-regional connectivity; and expand and deepen relations with partners, thereby reinforcing ASEAN’s central role in the regional structure.

Prime Minister Le Minh Hung’s participation in the 48th ASEAN Summit affirms ASEAN’s strategic position and Viet Nam’s continued commitment to actively, proactively, and responsibly participate and contribute to ASEAN cooperation.

The Vietnamese Prime Minister’s trip will help enhance ASEAN’s role, prestige, and substantive, effective cooperation; ensure a peaceful and stable environment; contribute to maintaining solidarity and unity while strengthening ASEAN’s resilience and capacity to respond to crises and overcome common challenges; and, together with the Philippines as ASEAN Chair and other member states, actively implement the priorities of 2026 and orientations set out in the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 in order to build a resilient, dynamic, innovative, and people-centred ASEAN Community for a peaceful, stable, cooperative, and sustainably developed region.

Prime Minister Le Minh Hung is expected to hold meetings with leaders of ASEAN countries to strengthen friendship, enhance political trust, and promote substantive and effective cooperation. These will be the Prime Minister’s first direct meetings with leaders of ASEAN member nations in his new position.

I am confident that, with the special significance of the trip, and the diverse working agenda and Viet Nam’s thorough preparations, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung’s participation in the 48th ASEAN Summit will be highly successful, continuing to affirm the image of a proactive, active, sincere, and responsible Viet Nam that is ready to contribute to ASEAN’s peace, stability, and common development, while also further enhancing Viet Nam’s role and position in the region and strengthening relations between Viet Nam and ASEAN member states.