Yesterday marked the 51st anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN. As per tradition, it was Hanoi’s turn this year to host the annual flag-raising event, where the ASEAN flag is raised to commemorate ASEAN Day. ASEAN was formed on 8 August, 1967 by five founding member nations – Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines – against a backdrop of hostilities and conflict in the region.