Vietnam handed over its chairmanship role at the ASEAN Committee in Rome (ACR) to Indonesia at an ACR monthly meeting held on January 20.

Foreign media view 2020 as a special year for Vietnam as the country has performed the dual role of ASEAN Chair and a non-permanent member of the UNSC and done a good job of concurrently containing COVID-19 and sustaining economic growth.

The ASEAN Chairmanship Year 2020 has contributed to effectively implementing the Party’s foreign policy, raising Vietnam’s role and position and helping the country create a firm stance in ASEAN and the region.

The 37th ASEAN Summit and related summits held online from November 12-15 in Hanoi were the most important conferences in 2020.

Deputy Minister of National Defence Sen. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh and Chairman of the EU Military Committee Gen. Claudio Graziano looked into Vietnam-EU defence cooperation during their teleconferenced talks on June 11.

Ambassador Deng Xijun, head of the Chinese mission to ASEAN, affirmed his country’s strong support for Vietnam’s chairmanship of the bloc in 2020 during a recent interview with the Vietnam News Agency.

Russian researchers studying the East Sea issues have opposed Chinese coast guard ship’s hitting and sinking of Vietnamese fishing vessel QNg 90617 TS in the waters of Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago,

Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong chaired the Politburo’s meeting on the COVID-19 combat on March 20, saying over-confidence or complacency must be avoided as the pandemic’s development remains very complex and unpredictable.

Vietnam has carried out the first activities of ASEAN Year 2020 under the theme “Cohesive and Responsive” after assuming the ASEAN Chairmanship on January 1.

Three prioritised orientations in the economic pillar of ASEAN in 2020 was revealed during the first meeting of ASEAN Senior Economic Officials in 2020 (SEOM 1/51), which is underway in Hanoi from January 12-14.

Advancing ASEAN’s contribution to maintaining regional peace, security and stability has been identified as one of five key priorities for Vietnam’s ASEAN Chairmanship 2020, wrote Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh.

Despite confronting a lot of challenges, Thailand has mobilised all resources to ensure the success of its ASEAN chairmanship, said Sihasak Puangketkaew, former Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand.

Vietnam’s economy remains positive despite the slowdown in global economic growth, especially in Asia, over the last 11 months, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said while chairing the Government’s regular meeting for November on December 2.

Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung unveiled the official theme and top priorities of Vietnam’s 2020 ASEAN Chairmanship at a press conference on Monday.

Vietnam is ready to take over the ASEAN Chairmanship for 2020 with the highest sense of responsibility, said Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung, reiterating Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s statement.

Vietnam taking over ASEAN’s annually rotating chairmanship from Thailand marks another step towards its assumption of the role in 2020, according to an article on The Diplomat.

Vietnam should make greater efforts to get stronger support from the international community in the East Sea issues and hold more activities similar to East Sea International Conferences, a leading foreign expert has suggested.

The chairmanship of ASEAN for 2020 that Vietnam officially assumed on November 4 will be a chance for the country to affirm its role and stature while further showing itself as an active member of the ASEAN Community.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi met on November 4 on the sidelines of the ongoing 35th ASEAN Summit and related summits in Thailand.