.jpg "Secretary-General and President To Lam delivered the opening speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue: When National Vision Meets International Opportunity.")
A series of strategic measures in foreign policy.
Secretary-General and President To Lam will be the second Vietnamese leader to deliver the opening speech at the high-level security forum. However, the year 2026 takes on even greater significance in one major respect: General Secretary and President To Lam is not only the highest-ranking Vietnamese leader to speak at this forum, but also the first general secretary of a communist party to speak at the Shangri-La Dialogue.
The Shangri-La Dialogue, organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) based in London, has an importance that goes well beyond the framework of ordinary diplomatic activities.
Since taking office as secretary general in August 2024, leader To Lam has launched an intense diplomatic campaign, according to the expression used by certain international media. In 2026 alone, he participated in a series of important bilateral and multilateral activities, including state visits to Laos and Cambodia in February, his presence at the inaugural meeting of the Peace Council, and his meeting with the President American Donald Trump at the White House the same month; a four-day state visit to China in April; and state visits to India and Sri Lanka in May. These initiatives demonstrate the leader’s vision for Vietnam’s foreign policy in this new era.
New ambitions, a new vision of foreign policy.
Vietnam is currently pursuing an ambitious development goal: double-digit GDP growth and achieving high-income country status by 2045, “the era of national progress.” To achieve this, Vietnam must attract massive foreign investment, expand its market access and benefit from technology transfers in order to position itself higher in the global value chain.
According to the author, these objectives cannot be achieved through domestic policies alone. Secretary General and President To Lam has placed economic diplomacy at the heart of his foreign policy. Consequently, the numerous discussions on investment and trade during his recent trips are fully part of a strategy of economic development.
Furthermore, Vietnam demonstrates a proactive approach to great power diplomacy. Superpower competition is creating widespread uncertainty in global trade, technology and security. The successive trips of Secretary General and President To Lam in early 2026 demonstrate a deliberate desire to manage geopolitical risks, influence regional rules and maintain a stable international environment, conducive to Vietnam’s economic development ambitions.
Singapore – the ideal place for Vietnam’s message.
The fact that Secretary-General and President To Lam delivered an important speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue and simultaneously made his second visit to Singapore in less than a year is believed to serve the aforementioned foreign policy objectives.
Singapore is increasingly asserting itself as a major economic and strategic partner of Vietnam, and as a natural bridge between Hanoi and the international community. It is seen as an ideal place for Vietnam to project an image of confident, proactive and open leadership to the world.
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“The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) is delighted to host this year’s Shangri-La Dialogue, which will officially open in three weeks. HAS”
The Shangri-La Dialogue is recognized as Asia’s premier defense summit. This year’s discussions in Singapore will be chaired by Mr. To Lam, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, who will deliver the opening speech on Friday, May 29.
Dr. Bastian Giegerich, Director General and CEO of the IISS, said: “Mr. To Lam assumed the presidency of Vietnam at a time when the world is going through a period of profound upheaval, with far-reaching repercussions throughout the Asia-Pacific region. From his first weeks in office, he pledged to share the vision of Vietnam as an emerging strategic power and to engage with key defense policy makers globally. We are honored that he has chosen the 23rd IISS Shangri-La Dialogue as the forum to do so.”
The three-day dialogue brought together heads of state, defense ministers, military leaders and senior defense officials, as well as business leaders and security experts from the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, North America and other parts of the world to discuss key challenges in terms of security.
Extract from the press release published on the official IISS website.
The speech by Secretary General and President To Lam will therefore convey two main groups of messages:
For the population remaining in the country, this reflects the image of a Vietnam which is increasingly asserting its position on the international scene, determined to continue reforms and led by a leadership team with a strategic vision and decisive governance to transform national aspirations into reality.
For the international community, this speech demonstrated Vietnam’s position, based on an independent and autonomous foreign policy; he affirmed Vietnam’s status as a “responsible member”, ready to actively contribute to the regional security structure and international peacekeeping operations; and he sent a message to international partners, indicating that Vietnam is a safe, politically stable and strategically reliable destination, and ready for extensive cooperation in the field of future technologies.
An increasingly flexible diplomatic stance, a deeper and broader role in regional and global forums, and the aspiration to be recognized as an emerging middle power – these are the central messages of Secretary-General and President To Lam’s speech, and what Vietnam is currently and will continue to strive towards.
Source : https://daibieunhandan.vn/tong-bi-thu-chu-tich-nuoc-to-lam-phat-bieu-dan-de-tai-doi-thoai-shangri-la-khi-tam-nhin-trong-nuoc-gap-go-co-hoi-doi-ngoai-10418275.html
