Speaking to the media on September 17 ahead of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and State President To Lam’s participation in the High-Level General Debate of the 81st UN General Assembly (UNGA 81) and bilateral activities in the United States from September 20, Ambassador Do Hung Viet, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations, outlined the significance of the upcoming High-Level Week and Vietnam’s priorities at the event.

Restoring trust in a world of profound change

According to Ambassador Do Hung Viet, the 81st UN General Assembly is taking place in the context of profound global changes. Protracted conflicts, climate change, natural disasters and pandemics, together with new challenges arising from rapid advances in science and technology, particularly artificial intelligence, are directly affecting people’s lives and livelihoods as well as national development.

At the same time, progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals remains slow, and resources for development continue to decline sharply. In 2025 alone, official development assistance fell by more than 23%, while global military spending rose to nearly US$2.9 trillion.

Ambassador Viet noted that differences in interests, unilateral approaches and signs of erosion of international law are fuelling mistrust, weakening strategic confidence and hindering dialogue and cooperation.

Against this backdrop, the need for international cooperation and the role of the United Nations have become increasingly evident, as no country can address common challenges on its own. The UN continues to provide a broad forum for countries to maintain dialogue, seek common ground, build frameworks for cooperation and take joint action.

Ambassador Viet described the theme of the 81st UN General Assembly “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations That Delivers for All” as timely and appropriate, highlighting the need to restore trust in the United Nations, in multilateralism and in countries’ ability to maintain dialogue and cooperation, respect the fundamental principles of international law and respect one another.

“That trust must be reinforced by fulfilling commitments and delivering concrete, practical results on the ground,” the ambassador said.

The United Nations itself is also entering an important period of transformation. The UN80 Initiative is being implemented with the aim of moving towards a more streamlined, coherent and effective UN system. The process of selecting the 10th UN Secretary-General is also entering a decisive phase, paving the way for a leadership transition and shaping the organisation’s direction in the period ahead.

This year’s High-Level Week will also focus on practical issues including the right to development, climate change and a just transition, sea-level rise, pandemic prevention and preparedness, and nuclear disarmament. These issues are directly linked to peace, security, development and people’s lives.

Vietnam’s message at the UN General Assembly

Given the context, Ambassador Viet said, Party General Secretary and State President To Lam’s leadership of the high-level Vietnamese delegation to the 81st UN General Assembly High-Level Week first and foremost demonstrates the Party and State’s strong emphasis on multilateralism and the central role of the United Nations.

The participation also reflects Vietnam’s consistent foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation and development, as well as the diversification and multilateralisation of its external relations.

The trip comes in the first year of implementing the Resolution of the 14th National Party Congress, marking the beginning of a new stage of national development. In this period, external relations and international integration are identified as “key and regular” tasks, with a focus on maintaining a peaceful and stable environment, creating new opportunities for cooperation and connecting Vietnam more deeply with new currents of global development.

At the UN General Assembly, Party General Secretary and State President To Lam is scheduled to deliver a major address, expected to highlight the message of restoring trust and joining hands to ensure that major global transformations create greater opportunities for peace, cooperation and development, towards a fairer and more humane international order.

“This message comes from a nation that has experienced war, division, isolation and embargoes, and therefore deeply understands the value of peace, independence and self-reliance. It also comes from a Vietnam undergoing profound transformation and entering a new era of development,” he said.

Towards strategic goals for 2030 and 2045, Vietnam is focusing on new growth drivers from science and technology, innovation, digital transformation and high-quality human resources, alongside greater attention to people, culture, social equity and harmony with the environment.

These priorities, in the ambassador’s view, align with major United Nations agendas, creating greater scope for Vietnam to strengthen cooperation, share experience and draw on knowledge, technology and resources for development.

At the same time, Vietnam wants to make increasingly proactive and substantive contributions to the common work of the United Nations.

“We are not only seeking to make use of opportunities arising from international cooperation, but are also ready to share and contribute to common efforts so that all people and all nations can benefit from the fruits of peace, cooperation and development,” the diplomat analysed.

Vietnam steps up contributions to common efforts

According to Ambassador Do Hung Viet, one of the most notable developments in Vietnam’s multilateral diplomacy in recent years has been its increasingly active participation in and more substantive contributions to the common work of the international community.

Vietnam has increasingly been entrusted with greater responsibilities, and has proactively put forward initiatives and contributed to the development of common frameworks and norms.

The ambassador highlighted several recent milestones, including Vietnam’s hosting of the signing ceremony for the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime, known as the Hanoi Convention; its re-election to the UN Human Rights Council; and the election of a Vietnamese expert as a judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), receiving the highest number of votes among candidates from the Asia-Pacific region.

In 2026, Vietnam also assumed for the first time the presidency of the 2026 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

Most recently, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming 2027–2036 as the International Decade of Culture for Sustainable Development, with 103 countries co-sponsoring it. The initiative was proposed by Vietnam, which worked with a core group to promote and advocate for it for nearly a year across multilateral forums, from UNESCO to the UN General Assembly.

The initiative represents an implementation of major Party and State policies on the role of culture and people in national development, while placing culture within a common UN cooperation framework for an entire decade.

Ambassador Do Hung Viet noted that the common thread running through these achievements is Vietnam’s choice of issues that are closely linked both to its own interests, strengths and values and to the shared concerns of the international community. Vietnam also places emphasis on listening, dialogue, reconciling different concerns and seeking common ground.

As a result, multilateral diplomacy is becoming increasingly closely linked to the country’s development, creating greater space for Vietnam to contribute to issues of common concern and gain access to knowledge, experience and resources for development.

Party General Secretary and State President To Lam’s participation in the 81st UN General Assembly High-Level Week comes at a time of profound global change and as Vietnam enters a new stage of development. Restoring trust, promoting dialogue, expanding cooperation and making more substantive contributions to common efforts are among the key messages emerging from the trip.