Vietnam’s To Lam Warns of Eroding Rules-Based Order at Shangri-La Dialogue

Vietnam’s general Secrtetary and President To Lam issued a veiled warning against the erosion of the international rules-based order, drawing global attention at the Shangri-La Dialogue as he highlighted a widening “trust deficit” and the dangers of selective adherence to international norms amid mounting geopolitical tensions.

Though he avoided naming the United States, President Donald Trump or any other major power, Lam’s remarks resonated against a backdrop of trade disputes, protectionist policies and growing strategic competition.

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At the opening session of the Shangri-La Dialogue 2026, To Lam delivered a wide-ranging keynote address urging nations to move from reactive crisis management to “proactively shaping peace, stability and development in a world undergoing profound changes.”

Speaking before regional defence leaders, including Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and representatives of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), To Lam framed the current global environment as one marked by deepening uncertainty and systemic strain.

The Vietnamese leader said the world was confronting three overlapping crises : weakening respect for international law, faltering development models and declining trust between nations — and called for renewed commitment to dialogue, cooperation and multilateralism.

He opened by stressing the urgency of cooperation in a fragmented world, warning that “we meet at a time when the world is confronted with multiple risks and uncertainty: more connected yet more vulnerable… more deeply interdependent yet increasingly susceptible to pressure and coercion.”

A key theme of his speech was the erosion of global stability, which he described through three interconnected “crises.”

He said: “The current instabilities reflect the convergence of three foundational crises… a crisis of the international order; a crisis of development models; and a crisis of strategic trust.”

On the international order, he warned against selective enforcement of rules, stating that “the crisis of the international order begins when rules are still invoked yet their binding force erodes… when might makes right and the strong prey upon the weak.” He added that such conditions place smaller nations under “mounting pressure to choose sides.”

Turning to global development, he cautioned that economic fragmentation and rising inequality are undermining long-term stability. “For many nations, development is not secondary to security. Development is the very foundation of enduring security,” he said, noting that disrupted growth pathways can quickly lead to “economic fragility [turning] into social and political instability.”

On strategic trust, he warned of a “silent yet dangerous crisis,” stating that “when trust declines, defensive measures may even be perceived as provocation… and a minor incident may trigger spirals of reactions.”

He also highlighted emerging technologies as both an opportunity and a risk, stating that “when technological advances outpace the evolution of rules and human oversight, strategic stability becomes more fragile.”

Focusing on Asia-Pacific, To Lam said the region sits at the center of global tensions but also solutions. “Precisely because it is where these challenges converge, the Asia-Pacific must also become where solutions emerge,” he said.

He emphasized ASEAN’s role, stating: “ASEAN’s centrality is neither taken for granted nor self-sustaining. It can only be preserved through unity, strategic autonomy and the capacity to shape a common agenda.”

On maritime security and regional disputes, he reiterated Vietnam’s stance on international law, stressing: “Viet Nam supports the peaceful settlement of all disputes… on the basis of international law, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.”

To Lam outlined six major directions for regional cooperation, including stronger rules-based mechanisms, human security, responsible technology governance, resilience against misinformation, and enhanced preventive diplomacy.

He warned that instability is no longer only military in nature, stating: “Instability today does not arise solely from military conflict, but also from fractures in development itself.”

On emerging technologies, he called for stronger oversight, saying: “The critical question is not how powerful technology may become, but the extent to which humanity can retain control over it.”

He also highlighted the growing threat of information warfare, stating: “Disinformation, information manipulation… can weaken national cohesion, distort public understanding, and deepen societal divisions.”

Calling for stronger regional crisis prevention mechanisms, he urged: “Preventive diplomacy [must be treated] as a strategic capability, not merely as an improvised response after crisis has already erupted.”

Concluding his speech, To Lam emphasized that global challenges are not inevitable, stating: “The three crises confronting our world today are not inevitable realities that we are bound to accept.”

He ended with a call for collective responsibility: “What is needed is a shift from passive response to proactive shaping; from merely reiterating principles to operationalizing mechanisms.”

Reaffirming Vietnam’s position, he said: “Peace, stability and development are the common denominator of all nations and peoples,” adding that Vietnam stands ready to work with partners to build “an Asia-Pacific that is safer, more resilient and more prosperous.”