Joining ASEAN, Vietnam has witnessed important changes in the Association. From a humble beginning, ASEAN has gradually grown, becoming one of the most successful regional organizations, a nucleus promoting dialogue and cooperation for peace, stability and prosperity in the region, an important partner of many major powers and political-economic centers in the world.
Vietnam has made an active contribution to ASEAN's meaningful development milestones, from completing the ASEAN-10 idea, promoting and concretizing the goal of forming the ASEAN Community, building the ASEAN Charter to promoting ASEAN's central role and international position...
According to the assessment, Vietnam’s decision to join ASEAN has brought about a “win-win” result for both Vietnam and ASEAN. For ASEAN, it is the first step to gather 10 Southeast Asian countries, paving the way to eliminate confrontation and move towards peace and cooperation. For Vietnam, this is the first step for Vietnam to “practice” integration with the world. Joining ASEAN is a positive start for Vietnam’s process of opening up to deep regional and international integration, a breakthrough in renewing our country’s foreign policy thinking.
Vietnam's integration and participation in ASEAN is closely linked to the country's process of innovation and international integration. Vietnam has made strong strides in renewing its foreign policy thinking, with the policy of "making more friends, fewer enemies", diversifying and multilateralizing international relations, "shifting from confrontation to dialogue" and becoming a "proactive, active and responsible member" in ASEAN.
At the 12th Congress, our Party continued to define the direction for cooperation in ASEAN as "proactive, active and responsible with ASEAN countries to build a strong Community", "proactively participate and promote the role in multilateral mechanisms, especially ASEAN and the United Nations."
ASEAN policy has become an important part of Vietnam’s foreign policy. This is emphasized in the Party’s documents and resolutions on foreign affairs, especially Directive 25-CT/TW dated August 8, 2018 of the Secretariat on “promoting and elevating multilateral foreign affairs to 2030.”
The emphasized content is the need to "continue to promote and effectively exploit the role of a member of the ASEAN Economic Community" and "promote Vietnam's position in building the ASEAN Political-Security Community 2025, strengthen ASEAN's central role in the region and enhance the position and presence of the community in the international arena".
At the 13th National Party Congress, the thinking on bilateral and multilateral foreign affairs has made new developments. Despite integrating into the world, the Party's foreign policy still "guarantees the highest national interests, on the basis of the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter and international law, equality and mutual benefit".
Practical benefits ASEAN brings to Vietnam
Joining ASEAN has brought Vietnam many important and practical benefits. Specifically, ASEAN is one of the important foundations for Vietnam to gradually integrate into the world, creating a favorable international environment for the cause of national construction and defense.
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Over the past 28 years, Vietnam and ASEAN countries have built a friendly, cooperative, war-free Southeast Asia.
Along with promoting ASEAN cooperation, Vietnam has established strategic partnership frameworks and comprehensive partnerships with neighboring countries, regions, major countries and many other important partners. Its growing role in ASEAN helps Vietnam gain international support to protect its security and development interests, including the East Sea issue.
Joining ASEAN helps Vietnam integrate more deeply into the world, mobilize resources for development and enhance its overall strength. Following its participation in ASEAN, Vietnam has proactively participated in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC), the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), the World Trade Organization (WTO), and new-generation FTAs such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), helping Vietnam promote reforms, expand markets, increase exports, attract investment and ODA, thereby helping the economy grow strongly for many years.
ASEAN integration has helped Vietnam gradually raise the level of multilateral diplomacy and enhance the country's international position. Success in participating in ASEAN has helped Vietnam fulfill many important multilateral diplomacy tasks.
Along with that, the process of participating in ASEAN over the past 28 years has trained and improved the qualifications of the foreign affairs staff, especially those working in multilateral affairs of Vietnam; helping Vietnam become more and more stable when "reaching out to the big sea" of global integration.
Opportunity to enhance Vietnam's role and position
Vietnam has increasingly built its reputation and position in the international arena by hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum in 2017, the second US-North Korea Summit (2019)...; participating in negotiations and signing major multilateral trade agreements, such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the European Union-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)... In particular, Vietnam was elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2020-2021 term with an almost absolute number of votes (192/193)...
However, challenges remain. These are the impacts of competition between major countries… These challenges require Vietnam to have flexible responses, both soft and firm in its principles, to continuously enhance Vietnam’s role and position in the region and the world.
Regarding Vietnam's role and direction of participating in ASEAN in the coming time, according to experts, ASEAN's development orientation in the coming time is very consistent with Vietnam's policy.
ASEAN has always been one of the top priorities in Vietnam's foreign policy. While enjoying the benefits that the ASEAN Community brings, Vietnam will continue to proactively propose initiatives and orientations to join hands in building the community. A strong and self-reliant ASEAN Community will be a solid foundation for Vietnam to overcome the increasingly greater difficulties and storms in the coming time.
Since joining ASEAN, Vietnam has made many positive contributions to the overall development of the bloc, thereby enhancing our country's position and leading role in the organization. Vietnam's outstanding contributions together with the country's achievements in the current period are the driving force for Vietnam to confidently implement its foreign policy towards an increasingly important role for ASEAN in the coming period.
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July 28, 1995 marked the milestone when Vietnam officially became the 7th member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). During the past 28 years, Vietnam has quickly integrated and participated deeply in all areas of ASEAN cooperation and made positive contributions to maintaining solidarity within the bloc, strengthening cooperation between member countries as well as between ASEAN and external partners, contributing significantly to the development and success of ASEAN.
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