Changes in the global situation and the advancement of information technology bring new chances and challenges, necessitating the adaptation and adjustment of external information and communication efforts to keep up with current trends.

Specific and strong innovation

The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs proposed concrete measures and directions for external information and communication work at the 31st Diplomatic Conference, specifically to "strongly innovate the content and methods of deploying external information and communication, contribute to building the country's soft power." External information and communication work have helped the international community clearly and correctly understand the policies of our Party and State; share and support Vietnam's views on international issues; and promote the image of Vietnam, its people, history, culture, and the country's development achievements.

First, consolidate, strengthen, and perfect the Ministry of Foreign Affairs direction, administration, and coordination work on external information and communication work with proactive and Government-approved proposals, adding tasks "take charge over the implementation of external information and communication on foreign affairs activities" within the functions and tasks assigned in Decree No. 81/2022/ND-CP in 2022. Simultaneously, projects and plans on external information and communication work are being developed so that other ministries, departments, localities, and Vietnamese representative missions can implement them in a unified, synchronous, and comprehensive manner.

Second, enhance communication about the foreign affairs activities of the Party and State leaders on bilateral and multilateral levels, contributing to the building of Vietnam's image and promoting domestic and worldwide public opinion support for Vietnam. Major foreign affairs events such as General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's historic visit to China, the upgrade of relations between Vietnam and other countries such as the United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea, and the establishment of diplomatic relations with 193 countries, which have created a favorable external affairs situation and have been widely covered in the media, contributing to strengthening the image and consolidating the country’s international position.

Delegates co-chaired the National Conference on Research and Implementation of the Politburo’s Conclusion No. 57-KL/TW on June 15, 2023, on continuing to improve the quality and efficiency of external information work in the new situation. (Photo: Anh Son)

Third, promote communication activities on the country and people of Vietnam, especially great and historically significant achievements; the spirit of great national solidarity, rich and diverse culture, imbued with national identity; the loyal, friendly, and peace-loving Vietnamese people. Simultaneously, actively fight and effectively refute false information, lack of objectivity about the political, economic, and social situation, and unfounded distorted information about ensuring Vietnam’s human rights, information that violates the country’s sovereignty over seas and islands, especially on the East Sea issue, fabricated and false information aimed at undermining the great national unity bloc.

Fourth, promote the work of enlisting foreign reporters, developing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs "own brand" of cooperation with foreign reporters in Vietnam, and bringing all-around information to the international community through foreign press channels.

Over the past two years, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has coordinated 13 field trips for foreign reporters residing in Vietnam and press attaches of foreign representative missions in Vietnam to localities with diverse topics and foci, appropriate to the needs of external communication of each locality and of the time, and highly valued by localities and foreign media for their significance and effectiveness. We have hosted over 500 foreign press delegations with approximately 3,000 reporters in Vietnam in the last two years.

Fifth, actively research communication trends, gradually implement digital transformation, create a social network ecosystem in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, organize online information forms, and digitize administrative procedures related to external information and communication work to quickly adjust the content and methods of communication, bringing information and images about Vietnam to a larger number of people from both the domestic and international audiences.

Guidelines for the upcoming time

In the coming years, information competition will heat up, and changes in the media environment will occur at a faster speed. To cope with the fierce challenges and increasing requirements for external information and communication work, the Politburo issued Conclusion No. 57-KL/TW on June 15, 2023, on continuing to improve the quality and efficiency of external information and communication work in the new era, carrying the meaning of a "guideline and creating a new framework for implementing external information and communication work in the new situation.

With the motto “proactive, synchronous, timely, creative and effective”, together with regular tasks and activities, in the coming time, in implementing new directions, orientations, and spirit of the 32nd Diplomatic Conference, the external information and communication work of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs needs to focus on the following tasks:

First, continue to raise awareness of diplomatic officials about the importance of external information and communication work, place external information and communication work alongside political diplomacy, economic diplomacy, and cultural diplomacy. Accordingly, proactively and actively implement and boost the “cooperative team” among units within the Ministry; between domestic agencies and Vietnamese representative missions abroad; between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and units in the board of external information and communication teams such as the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Education and Information, the Commission for External Relations, and the Ministry of Information and Communications.

From September 16 to 18, 2023, representatives of foreign news agencies working in Vietnam went on a field trip to Dak Lak to learn about the province's economic and social growth prospects. (Photo: Nguyen Hong)

Second, continue to create content and innovate forms of implementing external information and communication work in a professional, modern, and trend-setting manner; view digital transformation and information technology application to external information and communication work as critical and urgent tasks.

Third, focus on communication work on issues that are strengths of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs such as Vietnam’s foreign affairs activities, communication campaign to protect sovereignty and territorial integrity, and citizen protection work; thereby telling impressive and convincing media stories to bring positive information and images about Vietnam to people around the world.

Spokesperson, Director of the Press Information Department under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang. (Photo: Nguyen Hong)

Fourth, continue to improve the quality of public opinion monitoring, research, and forecasting; strengthen external information and communication about positive and relevant public opinion content; and effectively combat negative news, distorted, and anti-Vietnam rhetoric.

Fifth, improve the quality of staff training in external information and communication work.

In the spirit of Conclusion 57-KL/TW of the Politburo, with the close and thorough direction of the leaders of the Party and State, the leaders of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and based on close coordination with other units within the Ministry, among domestic agencies and Vietnamese representative missions abroad, the coordination among the main forces in the external information and communication team, the external information and communication work will certainly have new steps forward, making a significant contribution to the achievements of the diplomatic sector in particular and the country’s achievements in general.

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