Meeting with Ambassador Ton Thi Ngoc Huong, head of the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to ASEAN in Jakarta, Indonesia, on April 21, Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn congratulated Vietnam on the successful organisation of the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the positive outcome of the 16th National Assembly elections. He also extended congratulations to General Secretary and State President To Lam, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung on their appointments to key leadership positions.

The Secretary-General recalled his positive impressions of General Secretary To Lam’s historic visit to the ASEAN Secretariat on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Vietnam’s accession to ASEAN.

He welcomed the major policy orientations set out at the 14th Party Congress, particularly Vietnam’s long-term vision of becoming a developed, modern, high-income country by 2045, noting that these orientations align closely with the ASEAN Community Vision 2045.

The Secretary-General voiced confidence in Vietnam’s strong economic performance and consistent foreign policy, and affirmed that Vietnam is well positioned to continue making meaningful contributions to regional integration and to strengthening the ASEAN Community.

Highlighting the important role of the Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN (CPR), he praised Vietnam’s active engagement, including its role as coordinator for ASEAN–New Zealand and ASEAN–United Kingdom relations, as well as Chair of the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) Task Force. He reaffirmed the ASEAN Secretariat’s readiness to work closely with and support Vietnam in advancing ASEAN cooperation.

For her part, Ambassador Huong reaffirmed that the 14th National Party Congress underscored Vietnam’s consistent foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation, and diversification, while attaching importance to ASEAN and demonstrating a strong commitment to contributing to ASEAN unity, centrality, and enhanced regional standing.

The Ambassador also discussed directions for promoting more substantive and effective cooperation within ASEAN and with its partners, particularly in areas such as innovation-driven growth, science and technology, sustainable development, green transition, energy security, food security, and regional infrastructure development.

She also informed the Secretary-General of Vietnam’s plan to host the ASEAN Future Forum 2026, and expressed hope for his continued support and active participation in the high-level platform for dialogue on ASEAN’s future development.

The two sides exchanged views on recent developments within ASEAN, including the implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, as well as collective efforts to address emerging regional and global challenges.

Vietnam highlights role in advancing multilateralism at ASEAN–GRULAC meeting

VOV.VN - Vietnam underscored its proactive and responsible role in promoting multilateralism and strengthening cooperation among developing countries at a meeting between ASEAN and the Group of Latin America and the Caribbean (GRULAC) held in Vienna, Austria, on April 8.