The ASEAN Post: VN- ASEAN’s New De Facto Leader?

During 2018-2020 period, Viet Nam's GDP growths are higher than other nations in ASEAN.

The ASEAN Post has recently released an article on assessing the role of Viet Nam as the Chair of ASEAN in 2020. 

According to the article, Viet Nam has been actively involved with the association since 1995 when it joined the bloc with the aim of bringing all Southeast Asian countries together to promote regional peace, freedom, and prosperity.

There has been recent speculation regarding Viet Nam taking-up the role as new de facto leader of ASEAN, the ASEAN Post highlights. 

Regarding Viet Nam’s climate change policy, the article stressed that Viet Nam has achieved the United Nations’ (UN) climate action goal, while Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore have fallen behind, as most European nations have.

According to the Sustainable Development Report 2020, Viet Nam is the only Southeast Asian country that has achieved climate action. Viet Nam is powering ahead of the rest of Southeast Asia as it pushes for greater reliance on renewable energy.

The article spoke highly of Viet Nam’s economic achievements: Even during these unusually rough times, the Vietnamese economy has been remarkably resilient.

As Southeast Asia’s rising star, Viet Nam could assume an effective dual leadership strategy with traditional ASEAN de facto leader, Indonesia, the ASEAN Post stated, adding that together, both can alter the security environment of ASEAN and lead the association in the right direction in terms of all its member states’ individual and collective goals.

By Thuy Dung