About the Roundtable

The South China Sea is even more complex today. China had an upper hand and succeeded in creating a new normal, while the challenge to that persists. Issues of peace, security, cooperation intertwined with lingering disputed territorial claims. Anything may happen at any time. It is now just a lullaby.  Will it also be a time not to be missed and how will we deal with the dilemma before imminent storms may come – A view point from Vietnam.

About the Speaker

Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh worked in Vietnam’s foreign service for over 38 years (September 1980 –December 2018), focusing on Vietnam’s multilateral diplomacy and Vietnam’s relations with Southeast Asia and the United States. Until today, the longest-serving ASEAN SOM Leader for Vietnam (2007-2014), Amb Vinh was instrumental in Vietnam’s policy and participation in ASEAN at a crucial time, which included Vietnam’s Chairmanship of ASEAN in 2010.

During his tenure as ambassador to the United States, he worked extensively – through the Obama and Trump presidencies – to promote Vietnam-US relations, with successive visits to Vietnam by both Presidents (2016, 2017) and the first-ever visit by a Party General Secretary of Vietnam to the US (2015).

Amb Vinh had frequent and extensive interactions with the media and the young in his home country. He was accorded Vietnam’s highest diplomatic rank of Senior Ambassador.