Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng delivers a keynote address at the opening of the third ASEAN Future Forum (AFF) on Tuesday morning in Hà Nội. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng has said that ASEAN must move beyond adapting to global change and play a more active role in shaping emerging economic, technological and geopolitical trends.

Speaking at the opening of the third ASEAN Future Forum (AFF) on Tuesday morning in Hà Nội, the PM said the bloc is at a pivotal stage in its development as the fundamental rules governing the global economy, technology and power are being rewritten.

Held under the theme 'Shaping a Shared Future Together: Peace, Prosperity and People-Centred Development', the forum has drawn more than 600 in-person participants, including senior leaders, ministers and representatives from ASEAN member states, ASEAN partners, regional and international organisations, research institutions, businesses and localities from Việt Nam and abroad.

Among the distinguished guests attending the opening session were Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, Timor-Leste Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão and United Nations Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu.

ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn also attended the session via video call.

Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng (centre), Timor-Leste Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, VNA/VNS Photo

Delivering the keynote address, Hưng said AFF carries special significance because its theme reflects the core values ASEAN upholds and the direction it seeks to pursue in the years to come.

After 57 years of development, ASEAN’s greatest achievement lies not just in its population of nearly 700 million people or its position as one of the world’s most dynamic growth centres, but in its success in overcoming differences, fostering trust and expanding cooperation to build a resilient, united community that embraces diversity, he said.

“If the past six decades have been ASEAN’s journey of building its identity, the decades ahead will be a journey of shaping ASEAN’s future in a world where the rules of economics, technology and global power are being rewritten,” he noted.

The PM said that technology is redefining competitiveness, AI is transforming productivity, data is reshaping power and the green transition is redefining development models. At such a turning point, advantages will belong not only to countries with abundant resources, but also to those capable of helping shape the new rules and standards of the era, he added.

Việt Nam believes that ASEAN must become an active participant in that process, both absorbing global trends and contributing to shaping them. To realise this ambition, the bloc must continue to strengthen solidarity, resilience and unity in diversity while adopting more innovative approaches.

These include consensus in values but dynamism in action, consistency in principles but innovation in methods, and preservation of identity alongside adaptation to change, Hưng said.

Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng at the event. VNA/VNS Photo

As ASEAN begins implementing the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, the Vietnamese PM proposed three strategic aspirations for the region.

First, ASEAN should not only participate in global trends, but help shape them. In an increasingly fragmented and competitive world, the bloc needs a stronger voice in developing new norms, rules and cooperative frameworks while resolving differences based on international law.

He stressed that ASEAN should become a centre for dialogue, a focal point for cooperation and an anchor of trust. This is a unique contribution to peace, stability and development in the region and beyond.

Second, ASEAN should evolve from a manufacturing hub into an innovation centre. While its workforce and strategic location have made the region a vital link in global supply chains, the digital era will reward economies that innovate rather than simply produce.

“ASEAN must not only be a place where technology is consumed, but where it is created; not merely a corridor for supply chains, but a place where value chains are built,” he said.

To achieve this, the region should invest more heavily in science and technology, innovation, the digital economy and skilled workers, while developing a distinctive ASEAN digital and technological ecosystem and contributing to the establishment of global standards.

Finally, ASEAN should be both a community of states as well as a genuine community of people.

Hưng said that the ultimate goal of development strategies is not economic growth figures alone, but improvements in people’s quality of life. Innovation that widens inequality cannot be considered progress, while growth that excludes segments of society cannot be sustainable, he noted.

“A successful ASEAN should be measured not only by the size of its GDP, but also by the opportunities it creates for young people, the role it offers women, the protection it provides vulnerable groups and the extent to which every citizen feels that ASEAN is truly their community,” Hưng said.

The PM stressed that ASEAN’s greatest lesson over the past six decades has been that differences need not lead to division, unity does not require uniformity and integration does not erase identity.

Hưng added that in the decades ahead, ASEAN must continue demonstrating that a united and resilient community can make meaningful contributions to peace, cooperation and development at both regional and global levels.

Emphasising that Việt Nam’s future is closely linked to ASEAN’s future, he reaffirmed the country’s commitment to working alongside fellow member states to build a peaceful, stable and prosperous region.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Lê Hoài Trung also spoke at the event.

He said the presence of regional leaders, representatives of international organisations, scholars, businesses and local authorities reflected growing interest in ASEAN’s future and a shared commitment to shaping the region’s development trajectory.

Trung noted that the AFF was initiated by Việt Nam to create an open, substantive and future-oriented platform for dialogue, bringing together policymakers, academics, businesses and regional and international partners to exchange ideas, share initiatives and contribute to ASEAN community-building efforts.

He observed that the world is undergoing profound changes marked by intensifying strategic competition, increasing polarisation, mistrust and instability, alongside the emergence of new transnational challenges. Against this backdrop, he expressed hope that the forum would become a practical channel supporting ASEAN community-building efforts in the decades ahead.

According to the foreign minister, this year’s discussions focus on issues of strategic importance to ASEAN, including strengthening regional solidarity, enhancing resilience and strategic autonomy, preventing conflict and addressing emerging drivers of regional development, such as digital transformation, green transition, energy security, AI and financial technology.

“These issues will have a profound impact on ASEAN’s future development path and require stronger coordination among member states, as well as innovative approaches to governance and regional cooperation,” he said.

The AFF was first announced by Việt Nam at the ASEAN Summit in 2023. Over its first two editions in 2024 and 2025, many ideas and initiatives generated by the forum were reflected in ASEAN Summit documents, demonstrating its growing role as a practical complement to ASEAN’s formal processes and a platform for shaping the bloc’s future development and partnerships.

This year’s forum takes place as ASEAN begins implementing the ASEAN Community Vision 2045. It is also the first major high-level multilateral event hosted by Việt Nam following the successful 14th National Party Congress, elections to the 16th National Assembly and local People’s Councils. — VNS