Vietnamese President Addresses International Space Summit, Emphasizing Peaceful Use and Global Cooperation

On September 10, 2026 (local time), at the International Space Summit held in Paris, France, General Secretary and President To Lam delivered a significant speech, opening the high-level thematic discussion session on "Building a New Space for a Rapidly Changing World" within the framework of the Space Summit. Nhan Dan respectfully presents the full text of the speech by General Secretary and President To Lam. General Secretary and President To Lam and leaders of countries attending the Official Session of the Space Summit. (Photo: VNA) General Secretary and President To Lam with speakers at the Official Session of the Space Summit. Photo: VNA General Secretary and President To Lam speaks at the Official Session of the Space Summit. Photo: VNA 1. Maintaining outer space for peaceful purposes: dialogue, confidence-building, preventing conflict and arms races; not threatening or using force. 2. Placing people and development on Earth at the center; prioritizing disaster warning, climate monitoring, resource management, and Sustainable Development Goals. 3. Upholding international law and the UN Charter, placing the UN and the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) at the center of multilateral governance of outer space, and strengthening the role of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). 4. Ensuring equality among nations in participation and enjoyment of the fruits of research and technology. 5. Ensuring responsible, transparent, and sustainable use of space; reducing debris and collision risks. The International Space Summit took place in Paris (France) on September 9-10, 2026, with the participation of leaders from many countries and representatives of major corporations in the space industry. Photo: THX/VNA 4. For Vietnam, aerospace technology belongs to the group of strategic technologies prioritized for development; it is a component of national development capacity with three priority directions: 1. Enhancing self-reliance in space technology and data. 2. Developing a space economic ecosystem; encouraging financial models for applications serving public interests. 3. Completing the institutional framework and governance capacity for space activities, in line with international law. 5. International cooperation has contributed significantly to Vietnam's process of using space for the people, for peace, and for development. In 1980, Pham Tuan became the first Vietnamese and Asian to fly into space. Vietnam has also manufactured and launched several small satellites, and developed research, training, remote sensing, and observation capacities to serve sustainable development. France is one of Vietnam's important partners with the typical project VNREDSat-1. To move Vietnam-France space cooperation to a new phase, Vietnam proposes to collaborate with France, the UN, ASEAN, and partners to form a "Space for Development and Resilience" network, focusing on three areas: 1. Sharing and exploiting space data for development. 2. Enhancing capacity to ensure safe and sustainable space. 3. Connecting research-training-business-investment to develop the space economy. The network can initially focus on the Southeast Asian region, for which Vietnam is ready to be a connection point. General Secretary and President To Lam and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen attend the conference. Photo: VNA General Secretary and President To Lam and President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron. Photo: VNA General Secretary and President To Lam and leaders of countries attending the Official Session of the Space Summit. Photo: VNA Space equipment and technologies are displayed at the conference. Photo: THX/VNA Distinguished guests, Outer space opens up vast horizons, but the ultimate measure of progress remains the value it brings to people and the Earth. With that spirit, Vietnam is ready to work with nations to turn the outcomes of this conference into concrete actions for today and for future generations. Sincerely thank you. Publication date: 11/9/2026 Presented by: TRUONG SON - LY LE Photos: THX, VNA