Vietnam's ASEAN membership

Vietnam's ASEAN membership

Vietnam's membership in ASEAN brings us closer to the ideal
which was expressed at the time the association was founded: to
unite all the 10 countries of the Southeast Asian region.

Two countries, Cambodia and Laos, are already recognized as
observers. Thus only one more step remains before those two
countries can become full members of ASEAN. One other country,
Myanmar, has already stated its desire to ratify the Treaty of
Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.

Considering the trend in inter-state relations at present,
there is reason to feel confident that the ideal will be realized
before the century is over. When that happens, not only will the
Southeast Asian region no longer be divided into two camps, as
was the case during the Cold War, it will also acquire a stronger
bargaining position in the global arena.

-- Kompas, Jakarta