Vietnam is a respectable, trustworthy, and constructive member of ASEAN, Frederick Kliem, Visiting Fellow with the Centre for Multilateralism Studies at the Singapore-based S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), said in an interview with the Vietnam News Agency, during which he emphasised that the country is now an integral part of the bloc after 25 years of membership.

Despite not being among ASEAN’s founding members, Vietnam is progressing quickly in the region and plays an important role in connecting the five founding member states of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand with CLM countries (Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar). Vietnam has an active and leading role in the ASEAN political-security community, he said, particularly in regional and maritime security.