Top Vietnamese Leader Meets Foreign Counterparts at UN General Assembly

General Secretary and President To Lam of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam held separate meetings with leaders of Ghana, Bhutan, the Vatican, and the President of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 81) in New York on September 22, 2026, during his trip to attend the high-level general debate of UNGA 81. At the meeting with Ghanaian President John Mahama, President Mahama expressed his admiration for Viet Nam's strong development and transformation, seeing it as an inspiration for African nations in their struggles for national independence and current development efforts. He wished for Viet Nam's support in agriculture, particularly rice cultivation. To Lam agreed and pledged to direct relevant agencies to implement these proposals effectively. Both leaders committed to continued close coordination in multilateral forums, especially the United Nations. Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay expressed his pleasure at the positive development of Viet Nam-Bhutan relations, especially following the State visit by the King and Queen of Bhutan in August 2025, which he described as a historic milestone. He affirmed his commitment to directing relevant agencies to increase exchanges and implement the outcomes of the royal visit. General Secretary and President To Lam emphasized Viet Nam's desire to further promote its friendship with Bhutan and proposed establishing a bilateral cooperation mechanism coordinated by their foreign ministries. Prime Minister Tobgay welcomed this and expressed support for Vietnamese businesses expanding investment in Bhutan. They agreed to strengthen cooperation in healthcare, education, culture, tourism, direct air services, and religious affairs, particularly Buddhism. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, thanked Vietnamese authorities for their support of the Holy See's Resident Papal Representative in Viet Nam, expressing confidence in continued positive momentum in bilateral relations. To Lam acknowledged the Catholic Church of Viet Nam's contributions to education, healthcare, social welfare, and charitable activities, stressing the need to deepen relations and encouraging the Church to uphold patriotism and contribute to national development. Both sides praised recent high-level exchanges for building trust and agreed to continue such exchanges and effectively implement the Joint Working Group mechanism, while supporting multilateralism and international law. In his meeting with UNGA 81 President Khalilur Rahman, To Lam congratulated him on his election and praised the session's theme for reflecting the urgent need for concrete outcomes. He outlined Viet Nam's development strategy, focusing on improving institutions, renewing its development model with science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation as key drivers, aiming to become an upper-middle-income country by 2030 and a high-income country by 2045. To Lam affirmed Viet Nam's readiness to coordinate with the UN on priorities and initiatives, including co-hosting the fourth UN Ocean Conference. He proposed that UNGA 81 promote discussions on solutions for middle-income countries regarding finance, technology, and knowledge for sustainable development; support green and digital transitions; promote a global governance framework for AI; reflect the concerns of developing countries; advance equitable technology access; and respond to climate change. President Rahman appreciated Viet Nam's support and expressed concern over declining trust in the UN, calling for a stronger voice for the Global South.