Vietnam leader warns of three converging crises at shangri-la dialogue

May 29, 2026

Vietnam president To Lam warned in the keynote address at the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue that three crises are converging in the Asia-Pacific region.

To Lam told defence ministers, military chiefs and diplomats at the Singapore meeting that these challenges reinforce each other.

He described the Asia-Pacific as a growth centre yet one facing maritime risks, supply chain fragmentation, climate change and technological transition pressures.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to deliver his address on Saturday morning, which is expected to offer the first indication of American policy direction in the Indo-Pacific following the Trump-Xi summit.

What people are saying

X users including journalists and security analysts shared neutral summaries of Vietnam President To Lam's Shangri-La Dialogue keynote, noting his warnings on three converging crises (trust, international order, development) and calls for restraint amid regional competition; reactions emphasized the speech's grim tone and Vietnam's emerging global role without strong positive or negative sentiment.

Vietnam President To Lam addresses Shangri-La Dialogue. A rather grim tone. The President warns of multiple crises- a crisis of trust, a crisis of international order and a crisis of development. He also says competition in the region must also be exercised with “restraint” pic.twitter.com/vUwgJ7Ibng

— Stephen Dziedzic (@stephendziedzic) May 29, 2026

Vietnam emerged further on world stage with tonight ‘a keynote speech by President To Lam at Shangri-La Dialogue. He underscored 3 converging crises (int’l order, development models & strategic trust), criticizing both coercion & unbounded competition #IISS_SLD26 #Vietnam pic.twitter.com/ngbxEDGvDB

— Patrick M. Cronin (@PMCroninHudson) May 29, 2026

To Lam, Vietnam's top leader, said at the Shangri-La Dialogue that the world faces multiple risks and uncertainty including an erosion of international rules and law, a crisis of development models, and a crisis of trust among nations.

More Here → https://t.co/hehd2vgzXD pic.twitter.com/H6VZuDtIrS

— PiQ Newswire (@PiQNewswire) May 29, 2026

In unstable world, solutions to the multiple crises should emerge from the Asia-Pacific, as it is the region where they most clearly converge: Vietnamese President To Lam’s keynote address at the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD) on May 29. https://t.co/38rQNU9t4r

— Pham Quang Vinh (@vinhlhq2015) May 29, 2026

Sources

• https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3355219/shangri-la-dialogue-live-us-defence-chief-pete-hegseth-address-regional-security-forum
• https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3355374/shangri-la-dialogue-vietnams-lam-warns-3-crises-converging-asia-pacific-security
• https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3355338/how-hegseth-might-shift-his-tone-taiwan-years-shangri-la-dialogue