Domestic and foreign policymakers, scholars and experts gathered for the third ASEAN Future Forum (AFF) 2026 in Hanoi on June 9, when three plenary sessions and one panel discussion put the bloc’s resilience and unity under debate.

Vietnam has successfully sustained and elevated the ASEAN Future Forum (AFF) into a dynamic platform for dialogue and cooperation, contributing to regional exchanges while reinforcing ASEAN’s central role in shaping the region’s future.

VOV.VN - General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and State President To Lam has emphasised that kindness should not only be viewed as an individual virtue but also promoted as a social norm that helps strengthen public trust, social discipline and sustainable national development.

Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet departed Hanoi on June 9 evening, concluding his official visit to Vietnam and participation in the third ASEAN Future Forum (AFF) from June 8 to 9.

VOV.VN - Vietnam and Austria are looking to expand cooperation in diplomatic education, research and academic exchanges as part of efforts to develop a highly qualified foreign affairs workforce capable of meeting the demands of an increasingly complex international environment.

Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul left Hanoi on June 9 evening, concluding his official visit to Vietnam and attendance at the third ASEAN Future Forum (AFF) from June 8 – 9, at the invitation of Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung.

VOV.VN - National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man has called for strict oversight of surplus public offices and state assets following administrative restructuring to prevent waste and improve public asset management.

Deputy Prime Minister Phan Van Giang on June 9 received Izumi Nakamitsu, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, who is in Vietnam to attend the third ASEAN Future Forum (AFF) held in Hanoi from June 9–10.

Nguyen Thanh Nghi, Politburo member, Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and Chairman of the CPV Central Committee’s Commission for Policies and Strategies, received a delegation of Timor-Leste’s National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction (CNRT) in Hanoi on June 9.

Party General Secretary and State President To Lam highlighted the need to measure success in the coming period by the extent to which ASEAN’s commitments are implemented in practice while meeting with heads of delegations, international experts the ASEAN Future Forum 2026 in Hanoi on June 9.

Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone departed Hanoi on June 9 night, concluding his official visit to Vietnam and participation in the third ASEAN Future Forum (AFF) 2026 from June 7 - 9, at the invitation of Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung.

Khammone Chanthachith, Deputy Head of the Commission for Propaganda and Training of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Central Committee, has commended Vietnam’s organisation of the ASEAN Future Forum (AFF) 2026 and highlighted the country’s increasingly prominent role within ASEAN.

Prime Minister Le Minh Hung and his Timor-Leste counterpart Rala Xanana Gusmao held talks in Hanoi on June 9, agreeing to further expanding the two countries’ cooperation in various spheres.

The Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) will create favourable conditions for the signing and implementation of bilateral cooperation agreements between Vietnam and Timor-Leste, said NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man.

Politburo member and Permanent member of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee’s Secretariat Tran Cam Tu on June 9 received a delegation from the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, led by its Vice Chairperson Xian Hui.

VOV.VN - Party General Secretary and State President To Lam on June 9 received heads of delegations, experts, scholars and representatives of international organisations attending the ASEAN Future Forum (AFF) 2026 in Hanoi.

Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee Nguyen Duy Ngoc hosted a reception in Hanoi on June 9 for Tanaka Akihiko, President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), during which the two sides discussed expanding cooperation in leadership and public-sector training.

Vietnam’s hosting of the ASEAN Future Forum (AFF) 2026 reflects its transition from an “active participant” to an increasingly influential “agenda shaper” within ASEAN, according to Professor Qu Qiang of the Minzu University of China and commentator for China Global Television Network (CGTN).

VOV.VN - Party General Secretary and State President To Lam and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul discussed measures to further deepen and enhance the effectiveness of the Vietnam-Thailand Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during their meeting in Hanoi on June 9.

VOV.VN - Prime Minister Le Minh Hung hosted an official welcome ceremony in Hanoi on June 9 for his Timor-Leste counterpart Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, who is on an official visit to Vietnam and attending the third ASEAN Future Forum 2026.

VOV.VN - Defence cooperation remains an important pillar of the great friendship, special solidarity, comprehensive cooperation and strategic cohesion between Vietnam and Laos, General Phan Van Giang has emphasized.

VOV.VN - Party General Secretary and State President To Lam has called for deeper research on socialism, as well as Vietnam’s model of and path towards socialism in the context of global changes, particularly the building of socialist localities.

Quang Ninh province and three northern Lao provinces – Xaynhabouly, Luang Prabang, and Houaphan – have reviewed the outcomes of their five-year cooperation programme for 2022–2026 and outlined orientations for collaboration in the 2026–2030 period.

Vietnam has consistently demonstrated a proactive and constructive role in addressing regional and global challenges, actively promoting dialogue, compromise and peaceful solutions to complex issues, according to Russian scholars.

VOV.VN - Deputy Prime Minister Le Tien Chau visited the Shibaura Institute of Technology on June 9, one of Japan’s renowned educational institutions that has trained and continues to train many specialists for Vietnam.

VOV.VN - Vietnam is committed to continuing to work together with ASEAN with an aspiration to shape the future, with all its heart and mind, stressing that the country's future is closely linked to ASEAN's future as well as to the region's peace, stability and shared prosperity.

VOV.VN - The ASEAN Future Forum (AFF) 2026 officially opened in Hanoi on June 9 under the theme “Shaping Our Future Together: Peace, Prosperity and People-Centred Development”.

The ASEAN Future Forum (AFF) demonstrates Vietnam’s growing role and standing in promoting a more synergised and proactively connected ASEAN, said Professor Vu Minh Khuong of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore.

Spouse of the Vietnamese Prime Minister Dao Thi Bich Thuy, together with Vandara Siphandone, spouse of the Lao PM; Pich Chamony, spouse of the Cambodian PM; and Thananon Niramit, spouse of the Thai PM, visited the Temple of Literature in Hanoi on June 8, within the framework of their official visit to Vietnam.

Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Bui Thi Minh Hoai received Vice Chairperson of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Xian Hui in Hanoi on June 8.