artLIVE – Following the success of its inaugural edition in 2024, the thematic forum ‘Viet Nam Forum 2025’ will return on November 13, 2025, at the International Conference Center – Military Hospital 175, Ho Chi Minh City, under the theme ‘Vietnam’s Soft Power: Advantages – Challenges – Prospects.’
Organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Peace & Development Foundation (HPDF), the Forum convenes distinguished speakers from Vietnam and abroad to jointly explore, define, analyze, and propose new directions for enhancing Vietnam’s soft power amid an increasingly dynamic global context.
Madame Ton Nu Thi Ninh: ‘Vietnam is not the name of a war.’
“Viet Nam Forum 2025” is designed as an open space that welcomes scholars, experts, entrepreneurs, artists, and the younger generation to listen, engage, and examine soft power from diverse perspectives. These exchanges aim to strengthen Vietnam’s national brand and affirm the country’s international standing on the foundation of culture, people, and enduring identity.
The remarkable success of the 2024 edition, which brought together a broad community of intellectuals and practitioners across sectors laid the groundwork for HPDF to develop this year’s Forum with deeper, more strategic orientations.
If 2024 sets forth a vision toward 2045, then 2025 represents a shift toward concrete action: cultivating internal strengths and reinforcing Vietnam’s influence in an era of globalization.
This year’s theme was selected for its strategic relevance. In a world undergoing rapid transformation, soft power grounded in culture, people, knowledge, and national identity has emerged as a core element shaping a nation’s global influence.
At the same time, it remains a relatively new and underexplored field in Vietnam, requiring further research, dialogue, and discovery to unlock richer and more promising perspectives.
Madame Ton Nu Thi Ninh, Chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City Peace & Development Foundation, shared: “Viet Nam Forum 2025 centers on the theme “Vietnam’s Soft Power: Advantages – Challenges – Prospects” with a forward-looking vision. Through the insights gathered, we seek the ‘red thread’ and the core spirit that define Vietnam—within each of us and in the eyes of the world. Vietnam is not the name of a war; it is the name of a country of independence, freedom, aspiration, development, and happiness. It is time for all of us, both at home and abroad, to join hands in affirming our values, shaping the future, and fostering a strong, compassionate image of Vietnam in global perception.”
Viet Nam Forum 2025 – A moment for action
This year’s edition embraces the spirit of open and inclusive dialogue. Participants are encouraged to ask questions, interact directly, and contribute multidimensional reflections hallmarks of Viet Nam Forum 2025, which values diversity of thought and active public engagement.
For the first time, the Forum introduces a Brown Bag Session, a casual lunchtime discussion enabling relaxed and friendly exchanges on Vietnam’s soft power.
Another highlight is a conversation with young cultural and artistic influencers such as singer Duc Phuc and the music production group DTAP “image ambassadors” who are helping shape a modern, dynamic, and authentic Vietnamese identity through creativity and talent.
Viet Nam Forum 2025 is not only a knowledge-sharing platform but also a journey that reinforces the belief that “Vietnam’s greatest asset lies in its people.”
From intellectual agility and compassion to enduring resilience, each Vietnamese person carries a “cultural nucleus” that contributes to portraying a dynamic, humane and distinct Vietnam.
More than an event, Viet Nam Forum 2025 is an invitation to reflect, engage, and act so that individuals and organizations together can build a Vietnam that is confident, creative and rising strongly on the global stage.
Photo: Viet Nam Forum: The Moment
