Secretary-General and President To Lam just concluded a visit to three ASEAN countries and participated in the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue. Photo: Anadolu
The visit of Secretary General and President To Lam to Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines, from May 27 to June 1, concludes a remarkable diplomatic journey in Southeast Asia. Including his previous visits to Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia, the Vietnamese Party and State leader has visited seven of the ten member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) since taking office in August 2024.
According to an analysis entitled “Visits of Secretary-General and President To Lam to Southeast Asian countries expand Vietnam’s policy of ‘neighborhood diplomacy’,” recently published in The Diplomat the frequency of high-level contacts with regional countries shows that ASEAN continues to occupy a special place in Vietnam’s foreign policy under the leadership of Secretary-General and President To Lam, while reflecting new adjustments in the country’s approach to its strategic environment.
ASEAN is playing an increasingly central role.
For decades, ASEAN has been among the top priorities of Vietnamese foreign policy. Since joining the Association in 1995, Vietnam has gradually integrated into regional cooperation mechanisms, developed its external relations and promoted its economic development.
However, according to many scholars, the Vietnamese concept of “neighborhood diplomacy” has long focused primarily on countries sharing land borders, notably China, Laos and Cambodia. Other ASEAN countries are generally classified in the broader category of regional partners.
The developments of the last two years demonstrate a change in approach. According to experts, Vietnam now considers Southeast Asia not only as a region of economic cooperation, but also as a crucial strategic space for its security and development, in a rapidly changing international context.
This change is clearly demonstrated by a series of high-level diplomatic activities and the strengthening of bilateral relations with many ASEAN countries under the leadership of Secretary-General and President To Lam.
Accelerate the strengthening of relations with ASEAN partners.
From late 2024 to mid-2025, Vietnam has continuously strengthened its relations with many Southeast Asian countries.
Relations with Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand have been elevated to the rank of comprehensive strategic partnership, the highest level of cooperation in Vietnam’s current foreign policy system. More precisely, the upgrade of relations with Malaysia (November 2024), Indonesia (March 2025) and Singapore (March 2025) will be effective during the visits of Secretary General and President To Lam, while the framework of relations with Thailand will be strengthened during the visit of Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra to Vietnam in May 2025.
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Vietnam and the Philippines elevated their relations to a strengthened strategic partnership during the visit of Secretary-General and President To Lam from May 31 to June 1. Photo: Inquirer
During Secretary-General and President To Lam’s recent visit to the Philippines, the two countries strengthened their relations into an enhanced strategic partnership, laying the foundation for deeper and broader development in the future. Furthermore, Vietnam currently maintains a comprehensive partnership with Brunei and a comprehensive cooperation agreement with Myanmar.
Observers believe that the establishment or strengthening of Vietnam’s strategic relations with the five founding countries of ASEAN – Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand – demonstrates Hanoi’s growing influence in the region.
This also indicates that Vietnam is participating more actively and deeply in defining regional issues, instead of focusing only on economic development goals as in the past.
Diplomatic vision in the regional space
During his visit to Singapore in late May, Secretary-General and President To Lam delivered an important opening speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue, the Asia-Pacific region’s premier security forum. It was the first time that a Vietnamese general secretary and president was invited to speak at this forum.
The invitation extended to Vietnam’s Secretary-General and President To Lam to deliver the opening speech of the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue testifies to Vietnam’s increasingly high prestige and position. Photo: IISS
In his speech, Secretary-General and President To Lam stressed that Vietnam’s national interests are closely linked to the peace, stability and prosperity of the region. This message demonstrates Vietnam’s continued commitment to ensuring a peaceful environment conducive to development, while reaffirming ASEAN’s increasingly important role in Hanoi’s foreign policy strategy.
Analysts suggest that the concept of “neighbors” in current Vietnamese foreign policy thinking is expanding, encompassing not only countries sharing land borders, but also those with close geographic ties and strategic maritime interests, like Indonesia and the Philippines.
This approach is part of the trend towards strengthening intra-ASEAN ties, in a context where the region is faced with numerous challenges linked to strategic competition between great powers, geopolitical conflicts, disruptions in supply chains and new trade barriers.
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Towards a more united ASEAN
One of the notable results of Secretary-General and President To Lam’s recent trips is the expansion of cooperation in many areas, from trade, investment, defense and security to people-to-people exchanges and educational cooperation.
ASEAN is currently one of Vietnam’s main trading partners. By 2025, the total bilateral trade volume between Vietnam and ASEAN is expected to reach around 91 billion U.S. dollars, up from 84 billion the previous year. Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines remain among Vietnam’s most important partners in the region.
Beyond the economic benefits, strengthening relations with ASEAN countries is also of strategic importance. In a context of rapid change in the regional order, a united ASEAN, with a common voice, is considered essential to enable member states to protect their interests and preserve their room for maneuver in matters of development.
Therefore, the series of high-level diplomatic activities carried out recently by Secretary-General and President To Lam in Southeast Asia reveals an increasingly clear trend: ASEAN occupies a prominent place in politics Foreigner from Hanoi. Expanding and deepening relations with member countries not only helps strengthen Vietnam’s position, but can also inject new momentum into the integration and development of the entire region in the years to come.
Source : https://daibieunhandan.vn/mo-rong-ngoai-giao-lang-gieng-dau-an-moi-trong-chinh-sach-doi-ngoai-cua-viet-nam-10419361.html
