YOUNG LEADERS 2025: YOUTH POWER: OVERCOMING AMBIGUITY, STRENGTHENING UNITY

Under the 17th South China Sea International Conference organized by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, the Young Leaders Program 2025 took place from November 2-5, 2025, in Da Nang City. 

In 2025, the program provided an opportunity for eight emerging researchers, selected from over 1,700 applications across 90 countries and territories, to participate in and contribute to the Conference. Throughout the event, the Young Leaders attended and engaged with speakers during thematic sessions, shared their reflections in post-conference discussions, joined networking luncheons with distinguished young scholars, and took part in an intergenerational dialogue with senior diplomats. Notably, they also delivered a dedicated presentation session before the entire conference and joined the post-conference commentary on key regional issues.

🌟 Meet our eight distinguished delegates:

• Nitya Labh, Researcher at Chatham House and the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, United States, female, 25;
• Hasif Imran bin Abd Muiz, Student at Monash University, Malaysia, male, 20;
• Daniel Jann S. Cotia, Researcher at WTA Labs: Center for Urban Research and Graduate Student at the School of Urban and Regional Planning, University of the Philippines Diliman, Philippines, male, 25;
• Rupert Edward Azzopardi, Student at The University of Melbourne, Australia, male, 25;
• Pheng Thean, Associate at the Asian Vision Institute, Cambodia, male, 22;
• Nguyen Thi Thu Hang, Student at Fulbright University Vietnam and Member of The ASEAN Frontier, Vietnam, female, 22;
• Alisa Marie Hoenig, Student at the University of Oxford, Germany, female, 23;
• Satria Rizaldi Alchatib, Ph.D., Lecturer at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, Indonesian, male, 32.

🌟 Joining this year’s Program were also outstanding students from the Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam (DAV Captains), University of Danang, and Duy Tan University, who actively participated in the activities, engaged with experts, presented at the Academic Exchange Night with the Young Leaders, and asked insightful questions.

Timeline – Young Leadership Program 2025

02/11/2025

• 15:00 – 17:00: Dialogue with (Students from Da Nang & Diplomatic Academy)
• 16:30 – 17:30: Youth Podcast Program (Young Leaders)
• 18:00 – 19:00: Welcome & Program Introduction (Young Leaders)
• 19:00 – 20:30: Welcome Dinner (Young Leaders)

03/11/2025 – DAY 1: The Mist of Uncertainty

• 08:00 – 12:00: Attend South China Sea International Conference (Morning Session)
• 12:00 – 13:30: Working Lunch (Young Leaders with Associate Professor Nguyễn Hồng Yến and Dr. Benjamin Blandin)
• 13:30 – 16:45: Attend South China Sea International Conference (Afternoon Session)
• 17:00 – 17:30: Live Commentary Session by Young Leaders
• 18:45: Dinner
• 19:00 – 21:00: Youth Academic Exchange Night (Young Leaders, Da Nang Students & Diplomatic Academy)

04/11/2025 – DAY 2: The Quest for Unity

• 09:00 – 12:15: Attend South China Sea International Conference (Morning Session)
• 12:15 – 13:30: Networking Lunch
• 13:30 – 16:45: Attend South China Sea International Conference (Afternoon Session)
• 16:45 – 17:00: Closing Ceremony
• 17:15 – 18:15: Intergenerational Dialogue (Young Leaders, Da Nang Students & Diplomatic Academy with Ambassador Phạm Quang Vinh and Ambassador James Nickel)
• 17:00 – 21:30: Farewell Dinner

The initiatives and ideas proposed by the Young Leaders received high praise from scholars and conference participants, who regarded them as innovative, insightful, and highly relevant to both academic research and practical policy applications in the region.

Let us take a look back at the memorable moments of the Young Leaders throughout the Conference. We look forward to seeing their continued contributions to international research and South China Sea studies in the years to come. 🌏✨