Tran Duc Binh is Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for Community and Corporate Affairs (Photo: Vietnamese Mission to ASEAN)

Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for Political Security Community Robert Matheus Michael Tene also took office the same day. After the sworn-in ceremony chaired by ASEAN Secretary-General Dato Lim Jock Hoi, the two Deputy Secretary-General officially began their three-year tenure until 2024, according to an ASEAN Secretariat press release.

Binh will support the Secretary General of ASEAN in providing strategic direction and guidance on research, corporate and public affairs as well as outreach activities. He will oversee the implementation of administration and general affairs, finance and budget, human resources, information technology, information resource management, community outreach, stakeholder engagements, protocol, conference and formalities, legal affairs, program cooperation and project management, among others. As an experienced diplomat, Binh served numerous appointments at the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Prior to assuming his latest post, he was based in Jakarta, Indonesia, as the Vietnamese Ambassador and Permanent Representative to ASEAN between 2018 and 2021.

Binh’s success means that Vietnam has had a representative in the management board of the ASEAN Secretariat for 11 years consecutively from 2013 to 2024.