The 37th ASEAN Summit and related summits open today [November 12] in Hanoi and will last until November 15, most important event in Vietnam's ASEAN Chair year.

The 37th ASEAN Summit opens on November 12 in Hanoi. Photo: VTV

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc presides over the 37th ASEAN Summit and 20 related summits which will focus on ASEAN internal affairs and the partnership with its partners.

Top leaders of Vietnam attend the summit: General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and State President Nguyen Phu Trong (center), Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, and Chairwoman of National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan (left)

The summits will be held via video link with the participation of leaders of ASEAN member states, ASEAN general secretary, and leaders of ASEAN’s partners.

Heads of foreign missions and international organizations attend the event. Photo: VTV

Representatives of foreign missions and international organizations attend the in-person event in Hanoi.

Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc presides over the summit. Photo: Thong Nhat

The 37th summit is expected to cover four major themes namely building the ASEAN Community, promoting ASEAN Centrality, stepping up post-Covid-19 recovery, and regional and international issues.

Artists from ASEAN member states gather at the summit. Photo: VTV

A record high of more than 80 documents will be submitted for approval at the summits. Of the total, some proposal by Vietnam supported by ASEAN member states and its partners include Hanoi’s Declaration on ASEAN Community Vision after 2025, Hanoi’s Declaration on Social Affairs towards a Cohesive and Responsive ASEAN Community, Statement by ASEAN+3 Leaders on Economic Resilience before Emerging Challenges, East Asia Summit (EAS) Leaders’ Statement on Celebrating the 15th Anniversary of the EAS, and the EAS Declaration on Sustainable Maritime Cooperation.

The summit marks the participation of artists from ASEAN member states. Photo: VTV

Mohamed Azmin Ali, Senior Minister and Minister of Malaysia’s International Trade and Industry, predicted that the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) would be one of the highlighted issues at the summits.

The meetings would enable ASEAN member states to discuss challenges on health and economics amid the uncertainties of the Covid-19 pandemic as well as ways to boost solidarity and cooperation for better regional economic integration, the minister told Vietnam News Agency.

He expected that the member states would approve the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework (ACRF) and the implementation.