Jakarta, March 10 (AseanAll)  — General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Viet Nam Tô Lâm and his spouse on March 10, 2025 concluded a historic state visit to Indonesia and an official visit to the ASEAN Secretariat, marking the first-ever visit by a General Secretary of the Central Committee Communist Party of Viet Nam to the ASEAN Headquarters.

The visit coincided with Viet Nam’s celebration of the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Indonesia and the 30th anniversary of its membership in ASEAN. This convergence of significant anniversaries highlights Viet Nam’s pivotal role in regional and international cooperation.

Since joining ASEAN on 28 July 1995, Viet Nam has been actively contributing to the political-security, economic, and socio-cultural pillars of the ASEAN Community. Viet Nam successfully chaired ASEAN three times, in 1998, 2010, and 2020, playing a leadership role in strengthening ASEAN’s institutional mechanisms and regional frameworks. Viet Nam’s accession into ASEAN also paved the way for Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Myanmar to join ASEAN, completing ASEAN-10. With Timor-Leste’s admission process underway, ASEAN is looking to finally include all countries in Southeast Asia, and this visit reinforces Viet Nam’s strong commitment to regional cooperation, economic integration, and strategic partnerships that will shape the future of ASEAN.

The official visit featured a series of key events, including a presentation of a painting by General Secretary Tô Lâm, a symbolic tree planting ceremony, a high-level meeting, a significant Policy Speech, and a reception commemorating the 30th anniversary of Viet Nam’s ASEAN membership. These events were attended by the diplomatic community in Jakarta, representatives from ASEAN-associated entities and Centres, academia, business leaders , and the ASEAN Secretariat staff.

In his opening remarks before the Policy Speech, Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn,  acknowledged General Secretary Tô Lâm’s leadership and extensive experience. As ASEAN prepares to adopt the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 this year, SG Dr. Kao emphasised the importance of policy speeches by ASEAN leaders in shaping the regional narrative and fostering engagement with the diplomatic community, academia, businesses, and media.

“Today’s occasion is profoundly historic, as it marks the first-ever visit of a General Secretary of the Central Committee Communist Party of Viet Nam to the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat,” stated Secretary-General of ASEAN Dr. Kao Kim Hourn. “This visit powerfully signifies Viet Nam’s deep commitment to ASEAN and stands as a testament to the country’s pivotal role in shaping the region’s future and strengthening our collective cooperation.”

General Secretary Tô Lâm’s visit reaffirmed Viet Nam’s steadfast dedication to deepening regional cooperation and actively contributing to ASEAN’s future direction. The visit provided a platform for high-level discussions on critical regional issues and further solidified the partnership between Viet Nam and the ASEAN Secretariat.

CRD’s proposed quote from SG’s draft opening remarks for the policy speech. We understand that the draft opening remarks is yet to be cleared.