ASEAN Youth Business Summit 2026 | Laguna, Philippines

Some journeys begin with a plan. Others begin with a dream.

For me, visiting the Philippines had been a dream for a long time. I had always wanted to experience the country, meet its people, understand its culture, and see a part of the world that I had only known through photographs, stories, and conversations. In March 2026, that dream finally became real. What started as a long awaited visit soon became one of the most meaningful journeys of my year, bringing together international youth leadership, entrepreneurship, cultural exchange, friendship, and countless memories.

I travelled from Nepal to the Philippines on 23 March 2026, one day before the official beginning of the ASEAN Youth Business Summit 2026, and returned to Nepal on 27 March. Although the main reason for my visit was to participate in the summit, I wanted to experience much more than the conference itself. I wanted to meet people, understand a new culture, observe the country through my own eyes, and create memories beyond the official program.

A Dream Finally Became Reality

There is a different kind of happiness when something you have imagined for years finally becomes real.

When I arrived in the Philippines, I felt excited, curious, and incredibly grateful. I was finally in a country that had been on my dream list for a long time. Everything around me felt unfamiliar in the best possible way. The streets, buildings, surroundings, people, food, conversations, and everyday life offered something new to observe.

Arriving one day before the summit gave me the opportunity to experience the Philippines without immediately rushing into the conference schedule. I could slow down, look around, and appreciate the fact that I had actually made it there.

One of the first things that stood out to me was the warmth of the Filipino people. Their friendliness made it surprisingly easy to feel comfortable in a new country. Even though I was travelling from Nepal and meeting people from completely different backgrounds, conversations quickly became natural. A simple introduction could turn into a long conversation, a conversation could become laughter, and laughter could become friendship.

That feeling of being welcomed became one of the most beautiful parts of my journey.

Arriving as a Delegate and Leaving with a Story

The main purpose of my trip was to participate in the ASEAN Youth Business Summit 2026, held from 24 to 26 March 2026 in Laguna Province.

The summit was organized as a regional platform bringing together young entrepreneurs, business leaders, startup founders, investors, policymakers, and youth representatives to discuss entrepreneurship, innovation, technology, sustainability, investment, and regional cooperation.

The theme of the summit, “Building ASEAN Together: Youth Led Businesses Driving Regional Growth,” carried a message that strongly resonated with me. It highlighted the role of young people not only as future leaders but as active contributors to economic and social development today.

The summit officially began on 24 March with registration, networking, opening ceremonies, welcome remarks, messages from Philippine leaders, and a welcome dinner. From the very beginning, there was a strong sense of diversity in the room. People came from different countries and different professional and educational backgrounds, yet we were brought together by a shared interest in youth development, entrepreneurship, innovation, and regional collaboration.

For me, this was one of the most meaningful aspects of the experience. I was not simply attending another international event. I was entering a room where young people were discussing ideas that could shape the future of our communities and countries.

Learning Beyond the Conference Hall

The second day of the summit was filled with plenary sessions and panel discussions covering a wide range of topics. The conversations explored youth led business policies, ASEAN China youth enterprise collaboration, ASEAN Japan youth business cooperation, artificial intelligence as a growth multiplier, youth enterprise as a tool for nation building, cross border business opportunities, market access, innovation, technology, sustainability, financing, and investment.

Each session offered a different perspective on what young people can achieve when they are given opportunities, networks, knowledge, and support.

One idea that stayed with me throughout the summit was the importance of creating connections beyond national boundaries. A young entrepreneur in one country may face challenges that are very similar to those faced by someone thousands of kilometres away. By sharing experiences, resources, ideas, and opportunities, young people can create solutions that are much bigger than what they could achieve individually.

The discussions also made me think about Nepal and the opportunities available to young people in our own country. Nepal has a large and energetic youth population with creativity, ambition, and the ability to adapt. International platforms like AYBS provide an opportunity to understand what is happening elsewhere and bring those lessons back home.

For me, learning at an international summit is not only about taking information from the room. It is also about asking what we can take back to our communities and how we can turn conversations into action.

Representing Nepal

Travelling internationally is always special, but representing Nepal adds another layer of responsibility and pride.

Whenever I introduced myself as someone from Nepal, I found myself sharing more than just my own story. I was also carrying a small part of my country's identity with me.

I had conversations about Nepal, our culture, our mountains, our communities, our young people, and the opportunities and challenges we face. At the same time, I had the chance to hear stories from people representing their own countries.

Those conversations reminded me that international exchange is a two way process. We do not travel only to tell others about ourselves. We travel to listen, understand, and learn from others as well.

Although our countries may differ in geography, economy, language, and culture, many of our dreams are surprisingly similar. Young people everywhere want opportunities to learn, build meaningful careers, create businesses, contribute to society, and make their communities better.

That shared aspiration is what makes youth platforms so powerful.

When Delegates Became Friends

While the summit gave me knowledge and exposure, the people I met gave the journey its heart.

I met wonderful Filipino friends and young people from different countries and backgrounds. At first, we were simply delegates attending the same event. We introduced ourselves, exchanged names, and started conversations. But as the days passed, those formal introductions slowly turned into genuine friendships.

We shared jokes, stories, experiences, photographs, and moments outside the official sessions. Sometimes we talked about our countries and cultures, while at other times we simply enjoyed being together without thinking about where anyone came from.

There is something special about meeting someone for the first time in another country and feeling connected within such a short period. Distance suddenly becomes less important when people are willing to listen, laugh, and share experiences.

The summit brought us together, but the moments between the sessions created the friendships.

That is something I will remember long after the summit itself.

The Memories Behind the Photographs

Of course, an international journey would not feel complete without photographs.

There were formal photographs from the summit, group photographs with delegates, casual pictures with new friends, and countless spontaneous moments that were never part of the original plan.

Looking back at those photographs, I realize that they represent more than places and faces. They represent moments in time.

Every photograph brings back a conversation, a laugh, a person I met, or a moment I might otherwise have forgotten.

Some photographs document where we were.

Others remind us of how we felt.

The Philippines gave me many such memories.

A Filipino Song and a Special Memory

One of my favourite memories from the trip was creating a reel with my Filipino friends using a Filipino song.

It was a very simple moment. There was no complicated planning or production. It was just friends, music, smiles, and the decision to capture something fun together.

Yet sometimes the simplest moments become the memories we value the most.

That reel became more than just a social media video for me. It became a small representation of the friendships I made and the cultural connection I experienced.

I came to the Philippines as someone discovering a new country. Through moments like this, I felt that I was also becoming a small part of the culture and community around me.

Even now, whenever I think about that song, I immediately remember the Philippines and the people I shared that moment with.

Sometimes a photograph preserves a moment.

Sometimes a video preserves a feeling.

That reel did both for me.

Experiencing the Philippines Beyond AYBS

Although the ASEAN Youth Business Summit was the main reason for my journey, I did not want my experience of the Philippines to be limited to conference rooms and scheduled activities.

The official program included industry visits in Laguna, courtesy calls, networking opportunities, and a farewell lunch before delegates began departing.

But outside the official schedule, I wanted to experience the country as a traveller.

I wanted to observe how people lived, how communities interacted, how streets and public spaces functioned, and how architecture responded to the local environment and culture.

As an architect, I naturally find myself looking at buildings wherever I travel. I notice materials, forms, streetscapes, public spaces, details, and the relationship between architecture and everyday life.

Travelling to another country gives me the opportunity to see these things from a completely different perspective.

The Philippines offered a new visual and cultural environment for me to observe. But beyond architecture, what interested me most was the relationship between people and their surroundings.

Buildings tell stories.

Cities tell stories.

Cultures tell stories.

But the people tell the biggest stories of all.

What the Journey Taught Me

Before travelling, I thought the most exciting part would be finally visiting the Philippines and attending an international summit.

After returning home, I realized that the real value of the journey was much deeper.

The summit gave me knowledge about entrepreneurship, innovation, investment, regional cooperation, and youth led development. Meeting people from different countries gave me new perspectives on how young people are contributing to their societies.

But the journey itself taught me something equally important.

International travel is not only about visiting new places. It is about becoming open to new people, new ideas, and new ways of seeing the world.

Every conversation challenged me to think beyond my own environment. Every new friendship reminded me that meaningful connections can exist even when people come from completely different backgrounds.

The experience strengthened my belief that young people can build bridges across borders.

The Journey Home

On 27 March, it was time to return to Nepal.

As I prepared to leave, I realized how quickly those few days had passed. What had started as a dream of visiting the Philippines had become a collection of experiences that I never could have fully imagined beforehand.

I was returning home with photographs, souvenirs, memories, new friendships, new perspectives, and a much deeper appreciation for the power of international youth connections.

I was also carrying something more personal.

A dream that had finally become a memory.

A memory that would now always be connected to the people I met, the conversations I had, the places I experienced, and the Filipino song that became part of the story.

From Nepal to the Philippines

I travelled to the Philippines with a dream of visiting a country I had wanted to experience for a long time.

I returned with much more than I had expected.

I returned with friends from another part of the world. I returned with stories that I will continue to share. I returned with new ideas and perspectives. I returned with a better understanding of regional youth collaboration. And I returned with memories that cannot be measured by photographs alone.

The ASEAN Youth Business Summit showed me the possibilities that emerge when young people from different countries come together with ideas and ambition.

The Philippines showed me the beauty of cultural connection and human warmth.

And the journey reminded me that sometimes the greatest part of travelling is not reaching the destination. It is everything that happens between leaving home and finding a small piece of another place in your heart.

For a few days, the Philippines was more than a destination.

It became a place where a dream came true, where strangers became friends, where conversations crossed borders, and where an international summit became a deeply personal journey.

From Nepal to the Philippines, with memories for a lifetime.

Thank you, Philippines, for making a dream feel like home, even if only for a few days.

And thank you, ASEAN Youth Business Summit 2026, for bringing young minds together to learn, connect, share, and imagine what we can build together.