At a press conference, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Manh Cuong officially announced that the ASEAN Future Forum 2026 will be held in Hanoi on June 9-10, 2026. Initiated by the Vietnamese Prime Minister during the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Indonesia in September 2023, the Forum experienced two successful editions in 2024 and 2025, gradually confirming its role as an open dialogue channel that effectively complements official ASEAN processes.
The Deputy Minister stressed that AFF 2026 is of considerable strategic importance for the host country. This is the first large-scale and high-level multilateral diplomatic event hosted by Vietnam since the successful 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the 16th legislative elections and the consolidation of key leadership positions in the Party and the state.
The success of this forum will vividly demonstrate Vietnam’s independent, autonomous and peaceful foreign policy, while strongly promoting the image of a reformed, developing and deeply integrated Vietnam with the regional and international community.
This year’s forum has the central theme: “Building a common future together: peace, prosperity and a human-centered approach.” Explaining this choice, Deputy Minister Nguyen Manh Cuong said that this theme responds precisely to the most urgent needs of our times, in a complex global geopolitical context, while reflecting Vietnam’s strategic vision.
Putting people at the center is not just a slogan, but a guiding principle in the process of building the ASEAN Community, ensuring that in transforming the growth model and responding to global changes, the interests and resilience of all segments of the population are strengthened and no one is left behind for account.
In terms of scale and program, AFF 2026 is significantly greater in duration and content than previous conferences, with more than 20 activities designed to be rich, open and inclusive.
More specifically, before the main event, June 8 will be marked by a series of preparatory activities such as: a roundtable among Southeast Asian political parties, the ASEAN City Leaders Conference, a roundtable on the Mekong sub-region, the Southeast Asian Youth Conference and Seminar on Artificial Intelligence (AI) Governance.
On the morning of June 9, the official opening session will be solemnly held at the Melia Hanoi Hotel, in the presence of important figures from the Vietnamese Party and State, as well as senior leaders from several ASEAN member states, who will deliver opening speeches.
This will be followed by plenary sessions focusing on key issues such as ASEAN resilience and solidarity, new conflict prevention initiatives and the development of AI applications in the region. Delegates will participate in a closed-door round table, punctuated by a working lunch, focused on financial technologies (Fintech).
On the second day of the forum (June 10), the plenary discussion on energy security and development models will continue before the closing session.
Elaborating on the nature of the event, Dr. Nguyen Hung Son, director of the Diplomatic Academy, said that AFF 2026 will mobilize participation of unprecedented diversity. In addition to policy makers, the forum will also bring together business leaders, academics, young people, representatives of social organizations and citizens.
The director of the Diplomatic Academy hopes that this forum will become an “incubator” of new ideas, making it possible to find global and relevant solutions to common challenges in Southeast Asia and throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
During the live question-and-answer session organized during the press conference, representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Diplomatic Academy answered questions from journalists from different news agencies. Asked about the implementation of the theme “Putting the People at the Center,” Dr. Nguyen Hung Son emphasized that this year’s forum addressed the most important issues for citizens’ lives and security.
This involves finding ways for people to benefit from the achievements of artificial intelligence (AI), or finding solutions to ensure energy security in the context of disrupted global supply chains, thereby strengthening people’s resilience in the face of any changing times.
Regarding the dialogue initiative between Southeast Asian political parties, Deputy Minister Nguyen Manh Cuong said it was a major step forward for regional diplomacy. For the first time, relations between the parties are no longer limited to the bilateral level, but are part of a space of multilateral dialogue. This initiative aims to harness the potential and optimize the role of political parties in maintaining stability, guiding cooperation and promoting development throughout the region.
Regarding the role of big cities in ASEAN, Dr. Nguyen Hung Son analyzed that if the government is the place of policy planning, then big cities are where these visions come to fruition, acting as the nerve center of population, economy, technology and finance.
He particularly highlighted the role of Hanoi, whose Forum logo bears the symbol of the Khue Van Cac pavilion, not only as the cradle of this event, but also as testimony to a thousand-year-old capital always eager to contribute to the common peace and prosperity of ASEAN.
Regarding the South China Sea issue, Dr. Nguyen Hung Son affirmed that peace and stability in this region remain the top priority of Vietnam and ASEAN. Although not addressed as a separate session, the spirit of respect for international law and the peaceful resolution of disputes will naturally be integrated into the sessions devoted to conflict prevention.
Meanwhile, Dr Nguyen Hung Son also stressed that regional energy security cannot be separated from the security and smooth functioning of vital sea lanes crossing the South China Sea.
The AFF 2026 event is expected to build on the success of previous years, thus confirming its position as a prestigious forum, contributing through strategic ideas and concrete actions to the realization of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, for a ASEAN is peaceful, cohesive, resilient, dynamic, innovative and truly people-centered.
Source : https://baotintuc.vn/thoi-su/dien-dan-tuong-lai-asean-2026-dinh-hinh-tuong-lai-chung-lay-nguoi-dan-lam-trung-tam-20260526171931799.htm
