I am an ASEAN citizen!

Through the message "I am an ASEAN citizen," Vietnamese youth affirm their spirit of integration, responsibility, and aspiration to build the future of the region.

Affirming the spirit of Vietnamese youth

Amidst dozens of dialogues, policy debates, and exchanges on the region's future at the ASEAN Future Forum (AFF) 2026, one message was repeatedly mentioned by leaders, scholars, experts, and even young people from the region attending the forum: "I am an ASEAN citizen."

It's not simply a symbolic slogan. Behind that message lies ASEAN's increasingly clear approach to community building: putting the people at the center.

Delegates attending the ASEAN Future Forum 2026. Photo: Dieu Linh

This spirit was clearly demonstrated at the ASEAN Future Forum 2026, where the dialogue space was not only for leaders or policymakers but also brought together a large number of representatives from localities, businesses, researchers, political parties, and especially the younger generation. ASEAN issues were therefore approached in a more inclusive way, with the participation of many stakeholders in society. More importantly, the forum opened up a space for ASEAN youth to voice their opinions, share their expectations, and gain a clearer understanding of their role in the region's development.

For Vietnamese youth, this journey is also a journey of better recognizing the responsibilities of a generation growing up alongside the country's deep integration into the global community. From the dialogues at the forum, many young people not only received new ideas about the future of ASEAN but also gained a clearer understanding of Vietnam's position in the regional community and their own role in contributing to shaping that future.

Vietnamese youth are no longer merely observers or listeners. They participate in dialogue sessions, share their perspectives, and directly exchange views on issues shaping the region's future. For Mai Anh, a student at the Diplomatic Academy, the message "I am an ASEAN citizen" is understood as an expansion of awareness and responsibility for each young person in the era of integration.

“ Not only am I a citizen of Vietnam, but I am also part of the ASEAN community with over 600 million people. This requires me to constantly improve my knowledge, foreign language skills, and integrated mindset, proactively seeking out common issues in the region so that I can study, work, and affirm the sense of responsibility and dedication of Vietnamese youth in the development process of ASEAN,” Mai Anh shared.

Mai Anh, a student from the Diplomatic Academy, attended the Forum. Photo: Dieu Linh

This awareness is nurtured by the reality that Vietnam is playing an increasingly proactive role in regional cooperation processes. Vietnam's successful initiation and organization of the ASEAN Future Forum for three consecutive years not only demonstrates Vietnam's increasingly significant contributions to ASEAN, but also opens up more opportunities for young people to participate more deeply in discussions about the region's future.

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“We are absorbing the values ​​of civilization from around the world while simultaneously preserving the traditional values, the unique values ​​of Vietnam. Patriotism, national pride—these values ​​blend tradition and modernity to create something new yet enduring in the development process. This is a solid foundation for us to confidently contribute to shaping the future of ASEAN,” shared MC Khanh Vy, a prominent young participant in the forum.

MC Khanh Vy, a model young person, participated in the forum.

Notably, this spirit not only helps Vietnamese youth become more confident in the integration process, but also creates a unique identity for young Vietnamese people as they enter the common space of ASEAN. From this, the portrait of a new generation of Vietnamese citizens emerges more clearly: confident in integration yet distinct, proactive in connecting while preserving their identity, ready to venture into the region but always carrying within them pride in their homeland and country.

Actively participate, actively shape the future of ASEAN.

While the Future 2026 Forum helped young people better understand who they are within the ASEAN community, what remains after the forum is a bigger question: What will young people contribute to the future of the region?

This was also the overarching theme in many discussions at this year's forum. Young people are no longer seen simply as beneficiaries of integration's achievements or the workforce of the future, but are expected to become one of the key players directly involved in finding solutions to ASEAN's common challenges.

From digital transformation, artificial intelligence, energy transition, climate change to sustainable development, numerous dialogue sessions have shown that the future of ASEAN will depend significantly on the innovation, adaptability, and commitment of the younger generation. These are also areas where Vietnamese youth possess significant advantages, increasingly quick access to new technologies, an integrated mindset, and broad connectivity within the global environment.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Forum, Miss Le Nguyen Bao Ngoc, Miss World Vietnam 2024 and Miss Intercontinental 2022, stated that today's youth cannot simply be observers or beneficiaries of development. "Vietnamese youth in the present era need to be proactive, proactive in creating, proactive in participating, and proactive in building policies and solutions to our region's problems," Miss Bao Ngoc emphasized.

Miss Le Nguyen Bao Ngoc, Miss World Vietnam 2024, Miss Intercontinental 2022. Photo: Dieu Linh

According to Miss Bao Ngoc, ASEAN youth in general and Vietnamese youth in particular possess many advantages that previous generations have never had. These include access to technology, innovative thinking, cross-border cooperation capabilities, and a willingness to act for common goals.

“ASEAN youth have immense potential. They possess technological expertise and the ability to develop concrete actions and solutions for their respective communities. Furthermore, they have the mindset to collaborate, coordinate, and cooperate across borders,” Miss Bao Ngoc shared.

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These observations also reflect one of the prominent messages of the ASEAN Future Forum 2026: solutions for the future will not only come from governments or international organizations, but will also originate from the initiatives, models, and innovative ideas of the younger generation.

It is precisely because of these expectations that many young Vietnamese people participating in the forum showed that they did not approach ASEAN with the mindset of outsiders, but with the desire to become active participants in shaping the region's future. This is the aspiration to bring new knowledge, new technologies, and innovative models to solve common problems of the community; the desire to participate more deeply in regional cooperation processes; and to contribute to enhancing Vietnam's position and voice in an ASEAN that is undergoing significant transformation in the face of changing times.

For many young people, the ASEAN Future Forum 2026 is an opportunity to gain a clearer understanding of their roles, responsibilities, and opportunities in the journey of building the future together with ASEAN.

In a community as diverse in culture, language, and level of development as ASEAN, the region's strength will be built not only on cooperation mechanisms between nations, but also on the commitment, connectivity, and desire to contribute of its young people.

And for Vietnamese youth, that journey perhaps begins with a very simple yet meaningful realization: I am an ASEAN citizen!

Source: https://congthuong.vn/toi-la-cong-dan-asean-460899.html