“Everything has been perfect and I am sure, during the rest of the year, we will see Vietnam shine,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the awards ceremony for the “ASEAN Community of Solidarity and Prosperity” contest in Hanoi on July 19.

The ASEAN chief said, “Vietnam has been well prepared since the beginning of the year,” to welcome ASEAN officials and ministers to the foreign ministers’ meetings in Da Nang in January and the 16^th ASEAN Summit in April.

For the next few days, many meetings will take place, beginning with a launch on July 19 in Hanoi with the participation of ministers, officials from ASEAN member countries and dialogue partners, he said.

ASEAN is talking about how to cooperate more effectively in building the community and economic integration, along with reduction of barriers for regional investment, trade and travel, which he said will be very important for building an ASEAN community.

The dialogue partners will discuss what they can contribute and how they can benefit from the bloc, he added.

“We are not a small market, we are number three when we become one market, only behind China and India ,” he said.

According to the ASEAN chief the purchasing power in the region are growing and opportunities for investment, for trade, for cooperation in technology in science, and in education are also great.

“As I said, the eyes of the world will be on Hanoi because ASEAN is here, because major countries will have representatives here to talk with ASEAN,” he emphasised.

On this occasion, he congratulated Vietnam for its 15th anniversary of joining ASEAN - the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (July 28) and praised the country’s contributions to the bloc.