In the 25 years since Vietnam joined ASEAN, it has left a major imprint on the bloc thanks to its willingness, effort, responsibility, and contribution to overall achievements.

Vietnam has participated in and contributed actively to the region’s integration and community building. Lao Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith said that in the political sphere, Vietnam becoming a member of the bloc on July 28, 1995 paved the way for other countries like Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia to also join and for ASEAN to move from an association of countries with similar political systems to one for all countries in the region to cooperate, regardless of political differences.

Former ASEAN Secretary-General Ong Keng Yong stated that with its position and role, Vietnam has become a bridge linking the south and the north of Southeast Asia.  Frederick Kliem, a Visiting Fellow with the Centre for Multilateralism Studies at the Singapore-based S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), affirmed that Vietnam is a respectable, trustworthy, and constructive member of ASEAN.