JAKARTA, 13 May 2024 – Ambassador Dr. Ton Thi Ngoc Huong presented her Letter of Credence as the Permanent Representative of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam to ASEAN to the Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat today.

Following the presentation, a courtesy call took place during which Secretary-General Dr. Kao extended his congratulations to Ambassador Dr. Ton Huong on her new role and expressed confidence in her ability to significantly contribute to ASEAN’s Community building and integration efforts. He recognised that her extensive experience in ASEAN would be valuable to the work and mandate of the Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN (CPR).

Secretary-General Dr. Kao commended Viet Nam for its effective role as country coordinator for ASEAN-Republic of Korea (ROK) Dialogue Relations and wished Viet Nam success for its upcoming coordinatorship of the ASEAN-United Kingdom (UK) Dialogue Relations, beginning August 2024. Secretary-General Dr. Kao also commended Viet Nam for its initiative in convening the ASEAN Future Forum (AFF) on 23 April 2024, which Dr. Kao attended and gave remarks alongside with other luminaries of ASEAN. The AFF was convened in a timely manner with a view to providing ideas for the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and beyond.

Ambassador Dr. Ton Huong is the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam’s fifth Permanent Representative to ASEAN since the CPR’s establishment in 2009. She previously served as the Director-General at the Foreign Service Training Centre in Viet Nam and has been instrumental in ASEAN’s strategic initiatives over the years.

Secretary-General Dr. Kao reaffirmed the ASEAN Secretariat’s readiness to support Ambassador Dr. Ton Huong and the Permanent Mission of Viet Nam to ASEAN in Jakarta, emphasising continued collaboration and cooperation between the CPR and the Secretariat to achieve ASEAN’s goals and objectives for 2025 and beyond.

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