Address by Vietnamese Minister of National Defense at Shangri-La Dialogue 2025

Mr. Chairman

Ladies and gentlemen,

I would like to thank the Ministry of Defense of Singapore and the International Institute for Strategic Studies for inviting me to attend the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue. The Shangri-La Dialogue is one of the most prestigious multilateral security fora in the world and the region. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to share my views on 'Ensuring Stability in a Competitive World', a topic that is very meaningful in the current world context.

Distinguished delegates,

The world is currently experiencing epochal changes; peace, cooperation and development remain major trends; opportunities and challenges are intertwined. Asia-Pacific and the Indian Ocean continue to be dynamically developing regions. The Fourth Industrial Revolution and new breakthroughs in science and technology, especially artificial intelligence (AI), are opening up enormous opportunities for development as well as cooperation in responding to security challenges and global issues.

The world is also facing unprecedented difficulties and challenges since the Cold War. Strategic competition among major powers is increasingly fierce, profound, expanding in space and scope, increasing in intensity and confrontation. The risk of arms races and military conflicts is also increasingly tense. The rise of power hegemony ideology and narrow-minded nationalism is challenging international law and at the same time eroding multilateral institutions and trust in global cooperation.

Traditional and non-traditional security challenges are intertwined, increasing the risk of multidimensional and multi-form crises, posing many risks, causing unpredictable consequences for the security and development of affected countries. Conflict hotspots around the world continue to evolve in a complex manner; meanwhile, non-traditional security challenges are increasingly complex. Climate change, natural disasters, epidemics, resource exhaustion and population ageing, etc., are threatening to reverse efforts to implement the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

A clear demonstration of the severe impacts of natural disasters is the enormous loss of life and property caused by the earthquake that occurred in late March in Myanmar and Thailand. Let me take this opportunity to express my deepest condolences, and trust that with the efforts of the government and people, and the joining hands of the international community, the reconstruction of the areas affected by the earthquake will be effectively implemented, and the lives of the people will soon be stabilized.

Viet Nam, along with other peace-loving countries in the world, is currently enjoying a peaceful, prosperous and happy life, confidently moving forward into a new era of prosperous development. However, the reality is that peace and stability are still burning aspirations in many places around the world, areas where conflicts and wars have occurred, threatening and taking away human lives and the peace and happiness of the people.

"Ensuring stability in a competitive world" is a prerequisite and indispensable condition for building a world of peace, stability, cooperation and development, for the common interests of nations and peoples; and at the same time, it is an urgent requirement today. Therefore, to ensure stability in a competitive world, I think we need to pay attention to the following.

First, it is necessary to comply with the basic principles of the United Nations Charter and international law, comply with commitments, respect the equality, independence right, sovereignty and legitimate interests of nations and peoples, regardless of big or small; consider it the foundation for dealing with and resolving international disputes and disagreements. On the contrary, unilateral or imposed actions will inevitably lead to suspicion, contradiction, disagreement, and hinder efforts to cooperate in resolving common security challenges.

To maintain international peace and security and develop friendly relations among nations, the United Nations Charter has clearly defined the basic principles: settling international disputes by peaceful means, renouncing the threat of force or the use of force in international relations. As you all know, these are also the basic principles in our independent and self-reliant foreign policy and the 'Four No's' defense policy of Viet Nam.

Regarding the East Sea, also known as the South China Sea, issue, Viet Nam consistently and persistently resolves all disagreements by peaceful means, in compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982; effectively and fully implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), wishing to soon build a substantive and effective Code of Conduct in the East Sea, contributing to maintaining peace, stability, security, safety, freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea.

Second, there must be goodwill and the need for stability to cooperate and develop together. Countries need to have goodwill in their relations and cooperation. Without goodwill, suspicion and misunderstanding can easily arise, and simple problems will become complicated. With goodwill, we can turn great issues into important issues, important issues into minor issues, and minor issues into no issue, and complex issues can also be openly discussed, satisfactorily negotiated and simply resolved. This is also the motto of our great President Ho Chi Minh.

To gain goodwill, it is necessary to build and strengthen strategic and political trust. There must be no suspicion or misunderstanding to avoid the risk of wrong strategic calculations and actions. Thus, we need to be open, frank, sincere and transparent. I believe that when countries share transparently about defense policies and guidelines, we will have trust and goodwill. Then complex problems can be solved by peaceful means.

Third, strengthen the sharing of views, constructive dialogue to solve problems, healthy competition, establish and implement effective and practical cooperation mechanisms, both bilaterally and multilaterally.

I believe that the Shangri-La Dialogue, the Beijing Xiangshan Forum, the Moscow Conference on International Security, the Munich Security Conference and many other security and defense fora in the world are truly strategic fora, creating opportunities for us to share views, exchange and dialogue; to become closer, more connected, and understand each other better, thereby enhancing trust, more substantive and effective cooperation.

As you all know, competition for survival and development is an objective necessity. From a positive perspective, it is a driving force for development. The point is how to compete healthily, respecting mutual interests, not because of strength, weakness, winning, losing, or not because of submission, competing for benefits by besieging, restraining, harming each other. The result is it will inevitably lead to tension, confrontation, conflict and be difficult to ensure sustainable peace and stability.

The world and the region currently have many cooperation mechanisms. In the future, cooperation mechanisms might be expanded and established. The importance is to harmonize cooperation mechanisms, not to allow conflicts or contradictions between mechanisms, and to ensure that all mechanisms are directed towards the common goal of contributing to promoting cooperation for mutual development, bringing practical benefits to participating parties without harming the legitimate interests of other countries, contributing to building a peaceful, stable, developed and prosperous world and region. In its foreign policy, Viet Nam is always ready to participate in and support mechanisms and be a responsible member for the purpose of maintaining stability, cooperation and mutual development.

In the Asia-Pacific region, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) currently plays a central role in the evolving regional security architecture. Viet Nam is always committed to promoting its role as a responsible and active member of ASEAN, for its legitimate national interests, and at the same time wishes to actively contribute to ensuring peace, stability and common development. Viet Nam hopes that countries will support its efforts to promote ASEAN's central role, enhance its capacity for self-reliance, and contribute to peace, security and prosperity in the region and the world.

Fourth, it is necessary to strengthen international cooperation in addressing non-traditional security challenges. In recent years, while traditional security challenges have not been eliminated, and in some places have even become more complicated, non-traditional security challenges are emerging, becoming increasingly complex and unpredictable. We have not been able to forget the COVID-19 pandemic and non-traditional security challenges such as natural disasters, epidemics, climate change, etc., which are posing an urgent need for cooperation and joint response from the entire international community. International cooperation in resolving non-traditional security issues also has a positive impact on cooperation in resolving traditional security challenges.

Fifth, the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense (MND) always has goodwill, desire, and actively and responsibly participates in initiatives and mechanisms for substantive and effective cooperation with the ministries of defense and militaries of other countries to promote cooperation and dialogue in the spirit of respecting the rule of law, respecting differences, unity in diversity for stability, peace and security.

Viet Nam persistently implements a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multi-lateralization and diversification of relations; being a reliable friend and partner, and a responsible member of the international community; and effective contributions to the world political posture, the global economy and human civilization. This year, Viet Nam celebrates the 50th anniversary of national reunification and the 80th anniversary of National Day. Being a nation that has experienced countless pains and losses due to wars more than anyone else, we deeply understand the value of maintaining peace, stability, cooperation and development, and we earnestly wish to work with the international community. Let us do everything we can do today, with the desire to leave future generations not only a better world, but also faith and admiration for the sense of responsibility and wisdom of today's generation.

Thank you very much for your kind attention!