Following the closing ceremony, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha of Thailand, the host country of ASEAN in 2019, handed the chairmanship hammer to his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

In his speech, PM Phuc noted Vietnam has chosen “Cohesive and Responsive” as the theme for the ASEAN Year 2020.

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha (L) hands the chairmanship hammer to his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc at the ceremony in Bangkok on November 4 evening.

He said 2020 will mark five years since the formation of the ASEAN Community. While efforts to boost regional connectivity and build the Community are being enhanced, and in the face of swift and complex developments in the region and the world, the capability of sustainable cohesiveness is all the more important to ASEAN.

In 2020, Vietnam wishes to focus on fostering the bloc’s sustainable cohesiveness through consolidating solidarity and unity, increasing economic connectivity, further intensifying the values and identities of the ASEAN Community, improving the efficiency of ASEAN’s apparatus, and stepping up relations with the bloc’s partners in the global community, the PM affirmed.

Through such sustainable cohesiveness, the ASEAN Community can promote its active and effective responsiveness to opportunities and challenges, including the strong development of science-technology, changes in global and regional economies, and transnational challenges that are affecting the stable and sustainable development of countries and people’s lives, according to him.

At the event.

PM Phuc said cohesiveness and responsiveness are greatly complementary to each other, adding that a cohesive and developed community needs to increase its responsiveness to external factors and, in return, responsiveness can only be attained if ASEAN is a strongly cohesive bloc.

Vietnam looks forwards to the active support and assistance from other ASEAN members and partners to realise the spirit of the theme of the ASEAN Year 2020, he stressed.

Following his speech, the logo for the ASEAN Year 2020 was debuted, and a short video introducing the chairmanship of Vietnam screened at the ceremony.

Vice President attends opening ceremony of 18th NAM Summit

Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh joined leaders and representatives from 120 member states of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), observer countries and international organisations at the opening of the 18th NAM Summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, on October 25.

Hanoi to host travel and tourism summit in December

The Vietnam Travel and Tourism Summit 2019 will be held for the second time in Hanoi on December 9 under the theme “For Vietnamese Tourism to Really Take Off”.

Vietnam Business Summit 2019 opens in Hanoi

The Vietnam Business Summit 2019 (VBS 2019), one of Vietnam’s biggest international business-related events, opened in Hanoi on October 16.

Hanoi Innovation Summit 2019 to gather world’s leading technology giants

The Hanoi Innovation Summit 2019 scheduled to take place at the National Convention Centre on August 29-10 is expected to attract the participation of the world’s leading technology firms, such as Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, Golden Gate Venture, NBC News and others.

Vietnam CEO Summit 2019 held in Hanoi

Over 400 corporate executives, economists, financial and technological experts at home and abroad gathered at the Vietnam CEO Summit 2019 which took place in Hanoi on August 8. 

Source: VNA