Vietnamese President To Lam emphasized the need for reinforcing international law and promoting inclusive growth at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on May 29, 2026.
Vietnamese President To Lam giving the keynote address at the IISS Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore on May 29, 2026. The world is beset with multiple risks and uncertainty that countries must confront squarely, To Lam, Vietnam's top leader, said on Friday while inaugurating Asia's premier defence forum, the Shangri-La Dialogue.
He said the challenges facing the world include an erosion of international rules and law, a crisis of development models including slowing growth and climate change, and a crisis of trust among nations.
"The three crises confronting our world today are not inevitable realities that we are bound to accept," Lam said, calling for reinforcing international law, setting up inclusive and sustainable growth drivers, as well as initiating dialogue and transparency. The free-wheeling Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual event in Singapore which runs until Sunday, draws a mix of defence ministers, generals, intelligence chiefs, diplomats, analysts and weapons makers.
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and counterparts from Australia, Britain, France, Japan and other nations were in the audience. A notable absentee was China's Dong Jun, who skipped the event for the second year running. Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said China's low-key presence at the meeting — Beijing has sent only experts and scholars from the People's Liberation Army — was a lost opportunity to engage with countries from around the world.
Lam's keynote speech at the dialogue is one of the most high-profile events from a leader of the usually reticent nation. Installed as president last month in addition to his role as Communist Party chief, Lam is the most powerful Vietnamese leader in decades and his joint mandate allows him to play a more prominent diplomatic role.
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