The Spirit of Bandung

Bandung Conference in Indonesia, 1955. Photo: VNN

On April 24, 1955, the conference issued a 10-point Declaration aimed at "strengthening peace, solidarity and cooperation" between Asia-Africa countries.

The Declaration is a historical document in the development of the movement for national liberation and international solidarity. It contributes to creating principles for contemporary international relations.

The declaration is also an important milestone marking the emergence of a new political force - the third force in the world order of the cold war.

It is the qualitative change of the long and continuous struggle over many centuries of the people of Asia - Africa against colonialism.

The journey of nearly 7 decades of "Bandung spirit" is historic. It has witnessed the great victory of developing countries, third world countries.

The old colonialism has been generally abolished. The non-aligned movement was born and developed in 1961. At that time, the G77 group formed and had an important voice at the United Nations forum and other international forums.

The intensification struggle for the independence, sovereignty , peace and security of countries and the struggle for a newly developed world economic order has positioned North-South, South-South dialogues, and the South-South solidarity movement.

That is not only the core of the struggle for and defense of national independence but also in the common efforts of mankind to deal with global challenges.

It is not only the risk of war and armed conflict, but also emerging issues such as climate change, natural disasters and epidemics.

The "Bandung spirit" is the driving force behind the international peace and solidarity movement. It is the basis for launching regional and global initiatives of countries such as the establishment of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), Gulf Cooperation Council, South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SARAC), ASEAN, leading emerging economies (BRICS).

The Bandung spirit has spurred the birth of many democratic people's organizations.

These organizations include: Afro-Asian Peoples' Solidarity Organization (APPSO) established on January 1, 1957 in Cairo (Egypt), Multilateral people's forums on a global and regional scale such as: World Social Forum, ASEAN Peoples' Forum, Eurasian Peoples' Assembly.

Those events are living proof of Bandung's spirit.

As for the Afro-Asian Peoples' Solidarity Organization (APPSO), Nasser, president of Egypt said that: "Bandung spirit" is the driving force leading to the establishment of APPSO.

Every year, the anniversary of the Bandung Conference has become an important anniversary.

It is important not only for developing countries in Asia - Africa - Latin America but also for the whole world.

It helps to demonstrate the spirit of solidarity and cooperation, continuing to restore the "Bandung spirit" in a world of complex and unpredictable developments.

In 2005, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Bandung Conference, in the capital Jakarta (Indonesia), nearly a hundred heads of state from Asia and Africa participated in commemorative activities.

Together, they deepened to continue to enliven the "Bandung spirit" with the New Asian-African Strategic Partnership (NAASP) to promote, more specific, structured and systematic cooperation.

With Vietnam, the spirit of Bandung has been clearly expressed in the solidarity movement and the peace movement supporting Vietnam to fight for national liberation, construction and defense of the country.

Promoting the "Bandung spirit" is also the main content of Vietnam's foreign policy. Once a colonial country, with the tradition of fighting for national independence and international solidarity, Vietnam has contributed to maintaining and promoting the spirit of Bandung.

Vietnam is one of the active members of the Non-Aligned Movement, the G77 group, the Afro-Asian Peoples' Solidarity Organization APPSO and the people's forums. Vietnam has always received strong solidarity and support from the people of Asia-Africa, made great contributions to maintaining and enlivening the "Bandung spirit".

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