Opening ceremony of the third ASEAN Future Forum 2026 in Hanoi

Politburo member and Prime Minister Le Minh Hung attended the event and delivered the opening speech.

Also present were the Prime Minister of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Sonexay Siphandone; the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, Hun Manet; the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, Anutin Charnvirakul; the Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of East Timor, Xanana Gusmão; Politburo member and Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung; and ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn.

At the 43rd ASEAN Summit, Vietnam announced the ASEAN Future Forum initiative – a multi-stakeholder, multi-level and multi-dimensional platform aimed at complementing existing ASEAN forums and helping policymakers develop a viable and effective long-term roadmap for the ASEAN community. ASEAN.

In his welcome speech, Le Hoai Trung, Politburo member and Minister of Foreign Affairs, said Vietnam is organizing the ASEAN Future Forum with the desire to work with international partners, both within and outside ASEAN, to create a space for dialogue open, constructive and forward-looking; a place to bring together the wisdom, vision and initiatives of ASEAN policymakers, academics, businesses, citizens and international partners to jointly contribute to a strong ASEAN community.

The 2024 and 2025 ASEAN Future Forums were held successfully, enjoying wide attention, strong support and strong participation from member countries and international partners. Many bold ideas and innovative and concrete proposals were debated. Among these, several were further explored and developed by delegates, thereby helping to define ASEAN’s future policy directions.

“In a context of profound global and regional upheaval, marked by increased competition, mistrust and even military confrontations, we hope that the AFF will offer more opportunities for diplomacy, dialogue, mutual understanding and cooperation. We also hope that the AFF will constitute a real forum for ASEAN, an effective complementary channel for the construction of the ASEAN Community,” declared Minister Le Hoai Trung.

The minister said that under the theme “Shaping a shared future together: peace, prosperity and a people-centered approach”, this year’s Forum will be structured to focus on discussing crucial and urgent issues of utmost importance to ASEAN, today and in the future.

Delegates will have the opportunity to exchange views and listen to the opinions of officials and experts on topics of long-term importance, ranging from strengthening unity, enhancing autonomy and strategic independence, and preventing conflicts to current issues such as transformation of the growth model, energy security, artificial intelligence and financial technology.

This forum not only allowed exchanges between government leaders, but also marked the first ever meeting of political parties from Southeast Asian countries, a meeting of local authorities from ASEAN countries and a meeting of delegates from economic, business and academic circles.

Forum discussions can therefore generate new ideas and innovative solutions, thereby contributing to the realization of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and helping ASEAN better adapt to new challenges.

“A united, resilient, dynamic, innovative and people-centered ASEAN will be strengthened through the efforts of each member state. This is also the common aspiration of ASEAN leaders and people. Today’s forum is organized in this spirit,” emphasized Minister Le Hoai Trung.

After welcoming remarks, Forum delegates listened to Prime Minister Le Minh Hung’s opening speech, addresses by leaders of various countries and ASEAN, as well as recorded messages from foreign ministers of participating countries.

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Source : https://www.vietnamplus.vn/khai-mac-dien-dan-tuong-lai-asean-lan-thu-ba-nam-2026-tai-ha-noi-post1115358.vnp