"Vietnam Diplomacy: 75 years together with the nation, devoting itself to the Fatherland and people"

On the occasion of the 75th Anniversary of the Diplomacy Establishment (August 28, 1945), Vietnam Times Magazine would like to introduce the article "Vietnam Diplomacy: 75 years together with the nation, devoting itself to the Fatherland and the people " written by Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh.
August 28, 2020 | 00:00
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Hereinafter introcuced the full text of the article written by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh:

On this 75-year-ago day, August 28, 1945, President Ho Chi Minh signed the Decree on establishing the Provisional Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, founding the Vietnam modern diplomacy. During 75 years of growth and development, under the Party's leadership and the direct guiding by President Ho Chi Minh, the first Foreign Minister, Vietnam's diplomacy has always accompanied the nation and divoted itself to the homeland and the people, making an important contribution to the glorious victories in the national heroic history. Diplomacy has made an important contribution to helping our country's revolution to overcome many rapids and imprints its mark on all stages of the country, from contributing to win and maintain the independence of the country from the early days of the country. revolutionary government, to the successful resistance war against colonialism, imperialism, the liberation of the South, reunification of the country, to the cause of building and defending the country today.

"Vietnam Diplomacy: 75 years together with the nation, devoting itself to the Fatherland and people"
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Pham Binh Minh spoke at the opening discussion session of the United Nations Security Council on January 9, 2020.

Immediately after the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (1945), under the wise leadership of Uncle Ho and the senior Party leaders, Diplomacy played a pioneering role in maintaining national independence and successfully defended the fledgling revolutionary government. The diplomacy's daring and clever strategies and decisions such as "draw to advance", "differentiate the enemy", and the principles of "the more constant remained the same, the more plentifully flexible advantages taken, ", "national interests first"..., helped our country's revolution to overcome as dangerous as " hang by a single hair " situations. At the same time, the diplomacy has taken the lead in mobilizing countries to recognize Vietnam's peace and independence.

During the resistance war against the French colonialists and the American imperialists, Vietnam's revolutionary diplomacy became "an important front with strategic significance", an important constituent part of the revolutionary path, a strong wind beneath the wing for the military front to make the resistance victorious. Diplomacy has pioneered for the creation of an international front, supporting the cause of national liberation and reunification. The diplomacy raised the flag of peace, national independence, persisted in combining political struggle with legal struggle, enlisted the support of the Soviet Union, China and its socialist fraternal countries, expanding relations with nationalist countries, forming the world people's front to support the cause of our people. Thanks to that and with the victory on the battlefield, the French colonialists and the US imperialists were forced to sit at the negotiating table to end the war. The Diplomatic's triumphs on the negotiating table in Geneva in 1954 and in Paris in 1973 were important milestones on the way to regain national independence and unification.

In the re-construction and development of the country after the war ended, the diplomacy was the core and pioneer force in the fight to bring our country out of political isolation, and encircle the economic embargo. At the same time, the diplomacy has actively participated in solving existing problems between Vietnam and neighboring countries and major countries, creating breakthroughs in our foreign relations, including solutions to problems of Cambodia and normalization of relations with neighboring countries and powers.

The glorious journeys of Vietnam's revolutionary diplomacy, led by Uncle Ho and the Party's senior leaders, have contributed to shaping the identity, style and methods of Vietnamese diplomacy. From the principle of "the more constant remained the same, the more plentifully flexible advantages taken, ", "independence, self-control", "national interests first", to the motto "more friends, less enemies" and diplomatic methods of public mind, taking advantage of opportunities, creating opportunities, combining national strength with the era's forces, all have become classic and invaluable lessons of Ho Chi Minh-style revolutionary diplomacy still staying the same its original value.

In the period of Doi Moi and deep international integration, the foreign relation mission is to continue to create favorable international environment and conditions to promote the country's socio-economic development, industrialization and modernization, build and defend the Fatherland, and actively contribute to the common struggle of the world people for peace, national independence, democracy and social progress. On the basis of inheriting the foreign background and experience of the previous period, the diplomacy has taken the lead, played a pioneering role, paving the way, developing and bringing Vietnam's cooperation relations with other countries and the world's regions and territories to go into depth, opening new markets and fields of cooperation, attracting resources for socio-economic development, contributing to maintaining a peaceful, stable and sustainable environment, sovereignty, territorial integrity and enhancement of the country's international status.

The Diplomacy has played an important role in expanding and deepening our foreign relations with other countries. Up to now, Vietnam has established diplomatic relations with 189/193 United Nations member states; a stable and long-term relationship framework with 30 strategic and comprehensive partners, created a solid foundation for Vietnam and other countries to enhance cooperation for each countrys benefit, peace and cooperation and the regional and international development.

The Diplomacy has made great efforts to implement a strategic direction, proactive international integration. Accordingly, the diplomacy has advised the Party and the Government on strategic measures and steps so that Vietnam has become an important link in many regional and global economic chain through the signing of many agreements for important free trade (FTA) (such as CPTPP, EVFTA ...), thereby creating a great driving force for development. In addition, the diplomacy has actively collaborated closely with relevant ministries and agencies in promoting international integration in the fields of security - defense, society, culture, science - technology.

"Vietnam Diplomacy: 75 years together with the nation, devoting itself to the Fatherland and people"
Geneva Conference of 1954.

The multilateral diplomacy has become more and more strong and achieved important results, clearly affirming Vietnam as a responsible member of the international community. Not only contributing pivotal in the successful organization of many major international responsibilities, especially the host of the Francophone Summit (1997), ASEAN (1998, 2010, 2020), ASEM (2005), APEC ( 2006, 2017), the diplomacy also actively and positively raises many ideas and initiatives, contributing to solving common regional and world's problems. In particular, the diplomacy has made an important contribution to the organization of the 2nd US-North Korea Summit in Hanoi, thereby promoting dialogue, reconciliation, and peace on the Korean peninsula, highly appreciated by partners and the international community. Vietnam has actively participated in and contributed to most important international organizations and forums, especially ASEAN, ASEM, APEC and the United Nations, G7, G20 ..., with friends and partners' high appreciation.

The Diplomacy together with national defense and security have effectively contributed to firmly safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Fatherland. In particular, the diplomacy along with related ministries and branches made efforts to negotiate and build a peace, friendship and development border line with Laos, Cambodia and China. At the same time, the diplomacy has closely coordinated with national defense and the police in the process of "protect the country safely from an early age, from a distance, from an undangerous time", especially in the fight to protect national sovereignty and sovereign right in the Bien Dong Sea.

In addition, the diplomacy has become more and more connected with people, localities and businesses in the development process. Many practical economic diplomacy activities were organized and implemented, contributing to expanding markets and partners for businesses. Cultural diplomacy has promoted an image of a rich-in-identity Vietnam that is successfully reforming; at the same time, it has mobilized for 39 Vietnamese heritages to be recognized by UNESCO as world cultural heritages, thereby contributing to the protection of human values ​​and creating resources for residential development in many localities. Besides, the diplomacy has actively and effectively implemented the protection of citizens and affairs of Vietnamese overseas.

To achieve these meaningful results, in addition to adhering to the basic principle of independence, autonomy, putting the interests of the nation - the nation first, the diplomacy has always stood side by side with the other foreign relation forces such as the Party's foreign relations, the foreign relations of the National Assembly, the foreign relations of national defense-security and foreign affairs department of each ministry, branch and locality for effectively implementing foreign affairs and international integration to strive together for the common goal best serving the country's interests in security and development, and further enhance the Vietnam's position. In particular, the diplomat force has continuously grown, from 20 cadres in the early days of its establishment to thousands of, with increasingly elite, strong political bravery and professional knowledge. From only 3 diplomatic missions abroad, the network of representations has grown to 94 offices on every continent of the world.

"Vietnam Diplomacy: 75 years together with the nation, devoting itself to the Fatherland and people"
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc took photos with delegates at the 30th Diplomatic Conference, August 2018.

Besides the skillful application learnt from the diplomatic experience in the period of national liberation struggle and national reconstruction after the war, the diplomacy during the Doi Moi era has drawn many valuable lessons. Those are on building and developing friendly relations, long-term cooperation with neighboring countries, paying attention to wisely handling relations with powers, and regular and close coordination among foreign relation forces , promoting the "soft power" of the nation to enhance the role and international position of our country.

The world is entering the third decade of the 21st century with profound, rapid and unpredictable changes. Peace, cooperation and development are still the aspirations of all peoples in the world, but are facing many challenges, especially the world economic recession, powers' strategic competition, the traditional and non-traditional security challenges such as disease, environment, climate change, water security. Under the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the changes in the international arena were accelerated, having direct and multidimensional impacts on Vietnam's security and development environment, bringing newly interlaced opportunities and challenges.

In that new context, the diplomacy should continue to promote its pioneering role in creating a peaceful and favorable environment for development and raising the country's status. Accordingly, we need to build a modern diplomacy in terms of both force, content and mode of operation, on the basis of inheriting Vietnam's diplomatic tradition and Ho Chi Minh's diplomatic ideology. Moreover, the diplomacy will actively and positively promote the innovation, dynamically adapting to the rapid changes of the situation to fulfill itself in the new period.

Basing on the country's new position and power bringing into play its glorious tradition and great achievements over the past 75 years, following in the footsteps of the diplomacy's spirit of together with the country, devoting all its life to the Fatherland and the people. Under the leadership of the Party, the Vietnamese diplomacy continues steping forward steadily, recording the modern diplomacy's golden historic pages, contributing to the worthy cause of building and defending the socialist Vietnam Fatherland.

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