In his welcoming remarks, Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung said Vietnam established the forum with the aim of creating an open, substantive and forward-looking space for dialogue among ASEAN member states and international partners.

The ASEAN Future Forum
(AFF) 2026 officially opened in Hanoi on June 9 under the theme “Shaping Our
Future Together: Peace, Prosperity and People-Centered,” according to a report
from the Vietnam News Agency.

Launched by Vietnam at the 2023 ASEAN Summit, the AFF has
emerged as an important platform for strategic dialogue. Ideas and
recommendations generated during its 2024 and 2025 editions have been reflected
in ASEAN Summit documents, demonstrating the forum’s growing contribution to
ASEAN’s official processes and future development agenda.

Now in its third year,
the forum has become an important platform for regional dialogue and
cooperation, reaffirming Vietnam’s proactive and responsible role in advancing
ASEAN’s development agenda and regional connectivity.

Attending the opening
ceremony were Vietnam’s Prime Minister Le Minh Hung, Prime Minister of Laos
Sonexay Siphandone, Prime Minister of Cambodia Hun Manet, Prime Minister of
Thailand Anutin Charnvirakul, Prime Minister of Timor-Leste Kay Rala Xanana
Gusmao, Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung, and ASEAN
Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn.

The ASEAN Future Forum
was first introduced by Vietnam at the 43rd ASEAN Summit as a
multi-stakeholder, multi-level platform designed to complement existing ASEAN
mechanisms and support long-term policy thinking for the ASEAN Community.

In his welcoming
remarks, Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung said Vietnam established the forum with
the aim of creating an open, substantive and forward-looking space for dialogue
among ASEAN member states and international partners.

He noted that the
forum serves as a venue for policymakers, academics, businesses and citizens to
contribute ideas and initiatives toward building a stronger, more resilient and
more dynamic ASEAN Community.

According to the
minister, the previous editions of the forum in 2024 and 2025 attracted broad
participation and support from ASEAN countries and international partners,
generating innovative yet practical proposals, many of which have since
contributed to regional policy discussions and ASEAN’s long-term development
agenda.

Against a backdrop of
profound geopolitical shifts, growing strategic competition and rising security
challenges, Vietnam hopes the forum will create additional opportunities for
diplomacy, dialogue, mutual understanding and cooperation.

AFF should be a forum
truly belonging to ASEAN and an effective complementary channel supporting the
ASEAN Community-building process, Mr. Trung said.

This year’s programme
focuses on some of the most pressing issues facing ASEAN today and in the
decades ahead. Discussions will cover topics ranging from strengthening unity,
enhancing resilience and strategic autonomy, and conflict prevention to
emerging issues such as growth model transformation, energy security,
artificial intelligence and financial technology.

A notable feature of
AFF 2026 is its broader and more inclusive participation. In addition to
exchanges among government leaders, the forum will, for the first time, host
meetings involving political parties from Southeast Asian countries, local
authorities from across ASEAN, and representatives from the business, economic
and academic communities.

Organizers expect
these discussions to generate fresh perspectives and practical solutions that
will contribute to implementing the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 while helping
the bloc adapt to emerging regional and global challenges.

Following the opening
remarks, delegates heard keynote addresses by Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh
Hung and other ASEAN leaders, as well as a recorded message from ASEAN foreign
ministers.

VNA-Van Nguyen