25 years of joining ASEAN: Vietnam is on the path of integration

The 16th ASEAN Summit - the first ASEAN Summit in 2010 with the overall theme ‘Towards the ASEAN Community: From Vision to Action’ ends successfully with many important documents passed, Hanoi, April 9, 2010 (Photo: VNA)

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Defense Minister Phung Quang Thanh pose for a group photo with heads of delegations to the opening ceremony of the First ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM+), Hanoi, October 12, 2010 (Photo: VNA)

A retreat session of the 17th ASEAN Summit in Hanoi, October 28, 2010. This year marks the first time Vietnam has become ASEAN Chair (Photo: VNA)

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and ASEAN leaders sign the Bali Declaration on ASEAN Community in a Global Community of Nations at the 19th ASEAN Summit, Indonesia, November 17, 2011. The Declaration affirms the determination and commitment of ASEAN countries to build a stance and common viewpoint in cooperating in dealing with global issues and enhancing ASEAN's role in international mechanisms (Photo: VNA)

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and heads of delegations to the 6th East Asia Summit, Bali, Indonesia, November 19, 2011 (Photo: VNA)

On January 9, 2013, Mr. Le Luong Minh officially took office as Secretary General of ASEAN (Photo: VNA)

From September 14 to 15, 2013, the 6th Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) and the 9th Joint Working Group Meeting on the Implementation of the ‘Declaration on Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea’ (DOC) were held in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province (China). Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Quang Vinh led a Vietnamese delegation to the events (Photo: VNA)

2015 marks 20 years of Vietnam's accession to ASEAN. In photo: Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung attends the opening ceremony of the 26th ASEAN Summit, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, April 27, 2015 (Photo: VNA)

Leaders of 10 ASEAN nations sign the 2015 Kuala Lumpur Declaration on The Establishment of The ASEAN Community, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, November 22, 2015 (Photo: VNA)

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong talks with President Barack Obama at the White House, Washington D.C., July 7, 2015, during the former’s official visit to the United States from July 6-10, 2015 (Photo: VNA)