Vietnam President To Lam Upgrades Ties with Southeast Asian Allies

Vietnamese Party General Secretary and State President To Lam conducted a high-profile diplomatic tour of Southeast Asia from May 27 to June 1, 2026, to elevate regional partnerships and address security challenges. The tour began in Thailand, where Lam met Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul to mark 50 years of diplomatic relations. The two nations signed an Action Programme for their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for 2026–31, targeting an annual bilateral trade turnover of US$25 billion and expanding cooperation in AI, semiconductors, and maritime security.

Lam then traveled to Singapore for a state visit and a historic appearance at the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue. In his keynote address, he called for a rules-based regional architecture and ASEAN centrality to mitigate the crises of international order and strategic trust. While in Singapore, he met with leaders including President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, focusing on digital transformation and the development of smart industrial parks.

The tour concluded in Manila, where Lam became the first Vietnamese party leader to visit the Philippines. He and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. upgraded their diplomatic relationship to an Enhanced Strategic Partnership. The leaders renewed a 2010 defense pact and emphasized a non-negotiable commitment to freedom of navigation in the South China Sea based on the 1982 UNCLOS. Economic agreements aimed to push bilateral trade beyond US$10 billion, supported by new initiatives such as a direct flight route between Ho Chi Minh City and Cebu.