Vietnam's PM calls on ASEAN to shape its future through three strategic horizons

Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng urged the bloc to shape global trends, drive innovation, and put people at the centre of its development, as the region looks beyond adapting to global change.

In a world undergoing profound change, how can ASEAN shape its own future in the 21^st century? 

This was the question posed by Vietnamese Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng at the third ASEAN Future Forum 2026 in Hà Nội, where he called on the region to look beyond adapting to global change and take a more active role in shaping what comes next. 

Speaking to regional leaders, officials and guests, he said ASEAN’s greatest achievement over nearly six decades has not simply been its economic growth or its population of almost 700mn, but its ability to "transcend differences, build trust, expand cooperation, and thereby forging a Community of solidarity and resilience, celebrating unity in diversity."

Now, with technology, artificial intelligence, data and green transformation redefining competitiveness, productivity, power and development, he said ASEAN must be an active player in this transformation, "not merely adapting to global trends, but helping shape them."

As the bloc looks toward its Community Vision 2045, the Prime Minister outlined three strategic horizons for ASEAN’s future: shaping global trends, becoming a hub of innovation, and building a truly people-centred community.

First, he urged ASEAN to move beyond participating in global trends and take a more active role in shaping them.

For decades, ASEAN has benefited from peace, integration and open trade. But in an increasingly fragmented and competitive world, he stressed that the bloc must do more than respond to change. It should help shape the emerging norms, rules and frameworks that guide cooperation, while addressing differences on the basis of international law.

He called on ASEAN to use its convening power more confidently — by keeping dialogue open, being a focal point for cooperation and to serve as an anchor of trust. By doing so, he said, ASEAN can make a distinctive contribution to peace, stability and development, both in the region and beyond.

Second, he encouraged ASEAN to transform itself from a manufacturing hub into a hub of innovation.

ASEAN’s workforce and strategic geography have made it an indispensable link in global supply chains. But in the digital age, he said, the region’s future will depend not only on its ability to manufacture, but on its ability to innovate.

He added that ASEAN should not be merely a place where technology is consumed, but a place where technology is created. Nor should it be only a corridor for supply chains; it should become a region where value chains are built.

To achieve this, he called for stronger investment in science and technology, innovation, the digital economy and high-quality human capital. The goal, he said, is to build an "ASEAN technology and digital ecosystem that reflects our own values while contributing meaningfully to the evolution of global norms and standards."

Third, he made the case for ASEAN to become a more people-centred community.

The ultimate measure of any development strategy, the Pime Minister said, is not economic statistics alone, but the "quality of life enjoyed by our citizens". Innovation that widens inequality cannot be considered progress, and growth that is not inclusive cannot be sustainable.

He elaborated that ASEAN’s success should be measured not only by GDP, but also by the opportunities it creates for young people, the empowerment it provides to women, the protection it offers vulnerable groups and the extent to which every citizen feels a genuine sense of belonging to the ASEAN Community.

Concluding his speech, the Prime Minister reaffirmed that ASEAN’s greatest achievement over the past six decades has been its ability to show that differences need not lead to division, unity does not exclude diversity, and integration does not mean the loss of identity.

He said ASEAN’s contribution in the decades ahead should be to prove that a united and resilient community can actively shape peace, cooperation and prosperity for the region and the world.

"On that journey, Vietnam will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with fellow ASEAN member states, driven by a shared determination to shape the future together, and with all our hearts and minds, for the future of Vietnam is inseparable from the future of ASEAN, just as it is inseparable from the peace, stability, and prosperity of our region."

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Lead image / Socialist Republic of Vietnam's Government news portal