In an unstable world of crises, solutions must come from Asia-Pacific: Vietnam President To Lam

Solutions to the world's escalating crises should emerge from the Asia-Pacific, a region where global challenges most acutely converge, according to Vietnam's President To Lam. Speaking at the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue security summit on May 29, Lam called for adherence to a rules-based international order, self-restraint, and trust-building. His remarks signaled Vietnam's approach to navigating intense great-power competition.

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These three crises are converging most visibly in the Asia-Pacific.

The Asia-Pacific has become a focal point for strategic rivalry between the United States and China. This competition, spanning economic, military, and institutional spheres, places Southeast Asian nations like Vietnam in a precarious position. President Lam identified three converging crises fueling global instability: the crisis of international order, the crisis of development models, and the crisis of strategic trust.

"These three crises are converging most visibly in the Asia-Pacific," Lam stated, describing the region as the world's most dynamic growth center and simultaneously a "theatre of intense strategic competition." He noted that while the region has greatly benefited from globalization, it now faces fragmentation, climate change, technological shifts, and geoeconomic competition precisely because these challenges intersect there.

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It is a region that benefited profoundly from globalisation, yet now faces mounting pressure from supply chain fragmentation, climate change, technological transition and emerging geoeconomic competition precisely because it is where these challenges converge.

Lam's participation was historic. It marked his first international address on Vietnam's foreign policy since becoming president in April 2026 and represented the highest-ranking Vietnamese official ever to speak at the Shangri-La Dialogue. As a former general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, his presence also broke the mold of the forum, historically dominated by leaders from liberal democracies. Since taking office, Lam has initiated a "diplomacy offensive," visiting 16 countries in his first year.

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The Asia-Pacific must also become where solutions emerge.