GYEONGJU, South Korea – Vietnamese President Luong Cuong concluded a successful and proactive trip to the APEC 2025 Leaders' Week on Saturday, cementing Vietnam's role as a key advocate for innovation and open trade in an increasingly fractured global landscape.
The President's visit, which included several high-level bilateral meetings, culminated in a significant address to APEC leaders. He tabled a five-point proposal for cooperation, delivering a clear message of Vietnam's vision and its "unwavering determination" to be a leader in the next wave of economic innovation.
Navigating a Tense Global Stage
President Cuong's address comes at a critical juncture for the 21-member bloc. The APEC summit was largely dominated by the high-stakes meeting between the U.S. and China, which resulted in a fragile "trade truce."
Amid this great-power competition and widespread economic uncertainty, "middle powers" like Vietnam have sought to seize the initiative. Vietnam's core message was a call to move beyond geopolitical rivalry and refocus on APEC's founding principles: economic cooperation, resilient supply chains, and technological advancement.
Vietnam's 5 Orientations for APEC
While the full details of the proposal are emerging, sources report that President Luong Cuong's five key orientations are designed to build a more resilient and dynamic Asia-Pacific. The core themes include:
Building Resilient and Smart Supply Chains: Directly addressing the disruptions of the past few years, Vietnam called for APEC-wide cooperation to build "smart, diversified, and sustainable" supply chains, positioning itself as a stable and reliable hub for high-tech manufacturing.
Accelerating the Digital and Green Transition: The President linked innovation directly to sustainability, reiterating Vietnam's Net-Zero 2050 commitment. He called on developed APEC economies to facilitate the large-scale transfer of green technology and finance to developing members.
Championing Digital Transformation and AI: Reflecting Vietnam's domestic "determination for innovation," the proposal calls for APEC to lead in setting common-sense standards for the digital economy, including data flows and the ethical governance of Artificial Intelligence (AI), to unlock new sources of growth.
Recommitting to Multilateralism: In a clear stand against rising protectionism, Vietnam urged a "re-energized" commitment to the rules-based multilateral trading system, emphasizing the importance of forums like APEC and the WTO.
Investing in a "People-Centered" Future: The President stressed that innovation is only possible with a skilled workforce, calling for new APEC initiatives on digital literacy, re-skilling, and inclusive human resource development to ensure no one is left behind.
A Message of Stability
President Luong Cuong's trip successfully reinforced Vietnam's "bamboo diplomacy" on the world stage firm in its principles but flexible in its approach.
At a time when the world is actively seeking to de-risk and diversify, Vietnam's message was perfectly timed: it is stable, open for business, and ready to be a central, innovative node in the future of the Asia-Pacific economy. The President and the Vietnamese delegation have now departed South Korea.