The workshop was attended by Associate Professor, Dr. Le Hai Binh, Alternate Member of the Party Central Committee, Editor-in-Chief of Communist Magazine, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung Viet and nearly 300 delegates attending in person and more than 250 delegates registering to attend online.

At the same time, this Conference gathered nearly 50 speakers who are prestigious experts from 23 countries and international organizations; nearly 100 delegates from foreign representative agencies in Vietnam, 22 Ambassadors, many of whom directly participated in coordinating the conference sessions.

In her opening speech at the Workshop, Acting Director of the Diplomatic Academy, Ambassador, Dr. Pham Lan Dung shared the reason for choosing the beautiful city of Ha Long, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as the venue for this year's Workshop, as a testament to the greatness and resilience of nature. Like the legend of Ha Long, the Organizing Committee wishes to convey the message of the mission of protecting the precious things, which are peace, stability and common prosperity in the East Sea, as well as demonstrating the determination to find sustainable solutions for the region.

Ambassador Dr. Pham Lan Dung said that after many years of discussion, the East Sea remains a hot spot, with territorial disputes and differences in maritime claims, along with the militarization of the region. However, she said that like islands that stand firm against the storm, the parties must remain steadfast in their efforts to pursue peace and diplomacy; and like the process of polishing a stone, progress in diplomacy requires time, patience and optimism.

At the opening session, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung Viet delivered a keynote speech, in which he assessed that the world is facing a major turning point, the transition to a multipolar, multi-centered situation is full of surprises, unpredictable and if not well controlled, could lead to disaster; stating that trust in current institutions and rules is gradually decreasing and unilateral actions will prevail, ignoring the legitimate interests of the parties and the international community.

Deputy Minister Do Hung Viet commented that this trend has been narrowing the space for dialogue, diplomacy and cooperation; pushing the arms race and deterrence measures to the forefront of many countries' strategies.

The Deputy Minister said that competition among major countries today is not simply about fighting for territory, sea areas, and resources, controlling trade, technology, and military capabilities, but more importantly, about dominating the viewpoints and visions that will shape the international system in the future. Therefore, the Deputy Minister highly appreciated the theme "Orienting thinking, Promoting standards" as showing its current topicality and urgency.

In that context, Deputy Minister Do Hung Viet affirmed that compliance with widely recognized principles and standards is the foundation for ensuring international peace and stability; and is also the common framework for countries to resolve disputes peacefully and cooperatively; assessing that the 30th anniversary of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) officially coming into force is an opportunity to reaffirm the importance of UNCLOS as a comprehensive legal framework regulating all activities at sea and oceans and the basis for actions and cooperation at sea at the national, regional and global levels; therefore, the integrity of UNCLOS needs to be maintained.

The Deputy Minister also said that Vietnam's nomination of the first candidate for the position of ITLOS Judge for the 2026-2035 period reaffirms Vietnam's readiness to contribute to the activities of ITLOS; at the same time, it demonstrates its strong and steadfast commitment to UNCLOS in particular and compliance with the United Nations Charter and international law in general.

On this occasion, Deputy Minister Do Hung Viet also said that the recently signed United Nations Document for the Future continues to affirm global determination in dealing with human challenges through multilateral cooperation; emphasizing that ASEAN should be trusted and entrusted with the role of intermediary and connector, because ASEAN's principles of openness, inclusiveness, transparency and respect for international law will connect all parties.

The 16th International Conference on the East Sea took place over two days, October 23-24, 2023, with 7 sessions on diverse topics: (1) Towards a multipolar order: "Hot peace", "Cold war" or "Peaceful coexistence"?; (2) ASEAN's central role in the challenge: Proactive or hiding and biding time?; (3) Safety and freedom of navigation from the Red Sea to the East Sea: Whose responsibility is it?; (4) UNCLOS after 30 years: Still valid?; (5) Revisiting the obligation not to use or threaten to use force in resolving and preventing conflicts; (6) Autonomous vehicles at sea: Can artificial intelligence self-correct?; (7) Diplomacy, Defense or Deterrence: Which is the choice for peace?.