ASEAN Conference Simulation - SEAmulation 2026: Water Security in Southeast Asia

SEAmulation is an initiative that simulates ASEAN Conferences, organized annually by the DAV Southeast Asian - ASEAN Club (DSAC) under the academic patronage of the Faculty of International Politics and Diplomacy (FIPAD)

Launched in April 2026, SEAmulation 2026, themed "Water Security", quickly attracted widespread attention from school and university students across Hanoi, particularly young people passionate about researching ASEAN, International Relations, and regional development issues. After more than a month of rigorous work, research, and preparation, on May 10, 2026, the delegations officially entered lively simulation meetings across all three ASEAN pillars: the Political-Security Community, the Economic Community, and the Socio-Cultural Community. Following intense debates, multi-dimensional negotiations, and highly confident performances by the delegations, SEAmulation 2026 concluded with great success, leaving many memorable impressions.

With the theme "Water Security", this year's event aimed to reconstruct the urgent challenges related to water governance and security in Southeast Asia against the backdrop of climate change, transboundary resource exploitation, and the increasingly pressing demands for sustainable development. Within the framework of the program, the delegations representing ASEAN member states took turns participating in simulation meetings at various levels, from the Senior Officials Meeting, the Ministerial Meeting, the Community Council Meeting, the Coordinating Council Meeting to the Summit, to jointly propose initiatives, conduct negotiations, and draft a Joint Declaration on strengthening cooperation to ensure water security in the region.

Accompanying SEAmulation 2026 was a judging panel consisting of experts, researchers, and policymakers with many years of experience in the fields of ASEAN, diplomacy, environment, and water resource governance:

• Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Chu Hoi – Member of the Standing Committee, Permanent Vice President of the Vietnam Fisheries Society; Member of the 15th National Assembly; former Chair of the ASEAN Sub-Committee on Marine Science and Technology and Chair of the ASEAN Working Group on Coastal and Marine Environment.

• Dr. Nguyen Phu Tan Huong – Former Deputy Dean of the Faculty of International Politics and Diplomacy; former First Secretary of the Embassy of Vietnam in Turkey.

• Dr. Le Viet Duyen – Deputy Head of the Department of Science, Information, and the Journal of International Studies; former Ambassador of Vietnam to Venezuela; expert on ASEAN studies and Vietnamese foreign policy.

• Dr. Ha Thanh Lan – Technical Lead on Water Governance at Oxfam International; former Head of the Department of Training and International Cooperation at the Institute for Water Resources Planning.

• Dr. Vu Van Anh – Lecturer at the Faculty of International Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU Hanoi; expert on international relations and regional security.

• Mr. Le Thanh Ha (M.A.) – Deputy Director of the Water Resources Warning and Forecasting Center, National Center for Water Resources Planning and Investigation.

• Ms. Pham Thu Ngan – Policy Analyst; Vietnam's delegate to the 49th Ship for Southeast Asian and Japanese Youth Program (SSEAYP); Managing Director of the Vietnam School of Global Opportunities (VSGO) project.

SEAmulation 2026 has officially concluded with many memorable milestones, reflected not only in the lively simulation sessions but also in the spirit of scholarship, cooperation, and connection that the program fostered. This was an opportunity for young individuals to gain closer access to ASEAN's operational mechanisms, hone their critical thinking, negotiation skills, and multi-dimensional perspectives on regional issues. It is highly believed that the experiences at SEAmulation 2026 will become valuable assets on each delegate's journey of learning and development, while contributing to spreading the spirit of proactiveness, integration, and responsibility of the younger generation toward the shared issues of the region and the world./.

Some photos from the event: