S. RAJARATNAM ENDOWMENT DIALOGUE @ REGIONAL OUTLOOK FORUM 2026
10 January 2026, 11.00 am to 2.00 pm
Singapore
This dialogue offers a unique platform for senior leaders from Singapore’s private and public sectors to engage with Mr. Le Hoai Trung, Member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and Chairman of the Commission for External Relations and Permanent Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV). With Vietnam's impressive record of raising its international standing and fostering robust relations with all major powers, including China and the United States, in the past decade, the Dialogue will examine how Vietnam intends to sustain this momentum amid intensifying great power competition. Mr. Le will provide insights into Vietnam’s navigation of complex geopolitical and geo-economic dynamics, such as potential shifts under the new U.S. administration, persisting territorial and maritime disputes in the South China Sea, growing global supply chain fragmentation, and rising protectionism worldwide. The discussion will further explore the foreign policy trajectory under Mr. To Lam, the new Secretary-General of the CPV, highlighting the interplay between continuity and strategic adaptation as Vietnam charts its path through an increasingly complex international landscape.
Programme
11.00 – 11.10
Opening Remarks by ISEAS Director & CEO Mr Choi Shing Kwok
Mr Choi Shing Kwok
Director & CEO, ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute
11.10 – 11.25
Remarks by Mr Le Hoai Trung
Mr Le Hoai Trung
Viet Nam Communist Party (CPV) Secretariat Member
Chairman of the CPV Commission for External Relations
11.25 – 12.30
Moderated fireside chat with Mr Choi
12.30 – 14.00
Networking Lunch
About the Speaker
Mr Le Hoai Trung is a Member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and Chairman of the CPV’s Central Commission for External Relations. A veteran Vietnamese diplomat, he formerly served as the Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations in New York (2011-2014) and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs (2010-2021). He also held important positions as Head of the National Border Committee, Vietnam’s Representative at the ASEAN Senior Official Meetings (ASEAN SOM), and President of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO. He has been elected Member of the Central Committee since 2016, Member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee since October 2023, and Chairman of the Central Commission for External Relations since 2021. He is also currently a Member of the National Assembly of Vietnam. He earned his M.A. in International Law and Diplomacy at Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, and a Ph.D. in Law from the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences.