ASEAN Future Forum 2026: Shaping a People-Centered Common Future
The ASEAN Future Forum 2026 (ASEAN Future Forum – AFF 2026) will take place on June 9-10, 2026 in the capital Hanoi.
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During the press conference to officially announce this event, held on May 26 in Hanoi, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Manh Cuong recalled that this initiative had been proposed by the Vietnamese Prime Minister during the 43e ASEAN Summit in Indonesia, in September 2023. After two successful editions in 2024 and 2025, the Forum is now asserting itself as a regional platform for strategic dialogue, complementary to the official ASEAN mechanisms.
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| Delegates at the press conference to officially announce the Future of ASEAN Forum 2026. |
| Photo : VNA/CVN |
According to the Deputy Minister, AFF 2026 represents a major multilateral diplomatic event for Vietnam, organized after the 14the National Party Congress, legislative elections and the consolidation of the main leading functions of the country. The Forum will illustrate Vietnam’s foreign policy of independence, autonomy and peace, while strengthening the image of a modern, dynamic and deeply integrated country with the world.
Placed under the theme “Shaping a common future together: peace, prosperity and people at the heart of the action”, this edition intends to respond to current geopolitical challenges while emphasizing the well-being of residents.
Nguyen Manh Cuong stressed that the “people-centered” principle should guide the construction of the ASEAN Community so that no one is left behind in the ongoing economic and technological transformations.
The AFF 2026 program will include around twenty activities. On June 8, several preparatory events will be held, including a Southeast Asian political party dialogue, an ASEAN city leaders’ conference, a roundtable on the Mekong sub-region, a Southeast Asian youth conference, and an exchange of views on artificial intelligence governance (AI).
The official opening will take place on June 9 at the Melia Hanoi Hotel, in the presence of senior Vietnamese leaders and officials from several ASEAN member countries. Discussions will include regional resilience, conflict prevention, AI, financial technologies (Fintech), energy security and development models.
Doctor Nguyen Hung Son, director of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, indicated that the Forum would bring together, beyond political leaders, representatives of the business world, academics, young people, representatives of social organizations as well as residents. He expressed the hope that the AFF would become an “incubator” of new ideas to meet regional challenges.
During the question-and-answer session organized as part of the press conference, officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Diplomatic Academy answered questions from journalists regarding the implementation of the theme “putting citizens at the center”, dialogue between political parties of Southeast Asia as well as the role of major cities within ASEAN.
Regarding the East Sea issue, Nguyen Hung Son reaffirmed that peace, stability, respect for international law and peaceful resolution of disputes remain key priorities for Vietnam and ASEAN.
AFF 2026 should extend the successes of previous editions and further confirm its status as a reference forum, providing strategic ideas and concrete actions to achieve the Vision of the ASEAN Community 2045, with the ambition of a peaceful, united ASEAN, resilient, dynamic, innovative and truly people-centered.
VNA/CVN
