This Friday, Vietnam hosts the first-ever virtual annual ASEAN Summit. The COVID-19 pandemic, territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea, and the US-China trade tensions have severely tested Vietnam’s stewardship of the regional grouping. Adapting well to the challenges, Hanoi is living up to its chairmanship theme of cohesive and responsive ASEAN. Hanoi’s ties with Singapore are also on a positive trajectory, strengthening ASEAN cooperation and progress, wrote RSIS Senior Fellow Yang Razali Kasim in a commentary.

…Yang Razali Kassim is Senior Fellow with the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. This RSIS Commentary also appeared in Vietnam News Agency (VNA) and its affiliated media Bnews.vn. This is part of an RSIS Series.