Full remarks by Prime Minister Le Minh Hung at 18th BRICS Summit

Below is the his full remarks:

Your Excellency Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, Chairman of the 18^th BRICS Summit,

Distinguished leaders,

This year's Summit marks two decades of BRICS' continuous rise in empowering the role and voice of developing economies in global political and economic affairs. During these two decades of BRICS development, the world has undergone profound shifts in the balance of power, growth models, and methods of global governance.

In this context, Viet Nam supports, and calls on BRICS to work more closely with regional, inter-regional, and global multilateral mechanisms. This aims to contribute to peace, stability, and cooperation, and create fair and sustainable development opportunities for all nations. We also hope that BRICS will play a greater role in promoting dialogue and cooperation, building and strengthening confidence, seeking solutions to global challenges, and advancing reforms of the multilateral system, so that it more comprehensively satisfies the interests of developing countries.

In this spirit, I highly appreciate the 2026 BRICS' priorities of "Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability", and would like to propose three areas for BRICS to advance:

First, shift from responding to changes to proactively strengthening the resilience and self-reliance of economies.

We hope that BRICS will strengthen the sharing of experience in policy-making, risk management, and strategic forecasting. We also look forward to BRICS' support for developing countries in enhancing productivity, strengthening endogenous capacity, and fostering adaptability to economic and financial shocks, natural disasters, epidemics, and cross-border challenges.

Second, shift from expanding the scale of cooperation to renewing traditional growth drivers, while creating new, inclusive, and sustainable growth drivers at the same time.

Accordingly, BRICS could strengthen coordination to ensure uninterrupted flows of trade, investment, finance and supply chains, and make the most of its potential and advantages to expand the space for South-South cooperation. BRICS should also make better use of existing financial institutions, and mobilize long-term resources at affordable costs. This will enable developing countries' more equitable access to financing for digital transformation and green transition.

Third, translate cooperation opportunities in science-technology and innovation into concrete programs and projects that serve the shared interests of countries.

We propose that BRICS strongly promote joint research activities, human resource development, and technology transfer, particularly in artificial intelligence, digital technologies, smart agriculture, and clean energy. Mechanisms such as the iBRICS Network and the BRICS Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Framework Program should be expanded, with a view to sharing research infrastructure, providing skill training and supporting the commercialization of technology products.

Distinguished leaders and delegates,

Viet Nam is entering a new phase of development, with the perspective of placing people at the center, taking institutional reform and modern governance as the driving force, and science, technology, and innovation as the foundation; while harmoniously combining economic growth with social progress and environmental protection.

In this process, Viet Nam wishes to work closely with BRICS members to deliver concrete cooperation programs and bring about practical benefits to parties concerned. We stand ready to work together with BRICS in the spirit of responsibility, goodwill and substantive cooperation to build a future of peace, prosperity, sustainable and inclusive development for all countries and people.

Thank you very much!