When Vietnam declared independence on September 2, 1945, President Ho Chi Minh conveyed a clear message that Vietnam wants to be friends with all other democratic countries and doesn’t want to be the enemy of anyone. Vietnam’s goals are freedom, independence, democracy, and peace. Any country in the world that shares those goals is a friend of Vietnam, President Ho Chi Minh said.

On November 17, 1950, President Ho Chi Minh sent a letter to the Congress on Establishing the World Peace Committee of Vietnam. This day has been selected by the Secretariat of the 10th Party Central Committee as the traditional day of the VUFO as well as people-to-people diplomacy.

Grasping President Ho Chi Minh's ideology and under the leadership of the Party, the people-to-people diplomacy has accompanied the country for over 70 years, actively contributing to the resistance wars for national protection and reunification, renovation, national construction and international integration.

The VUFO now has 116 member organizations (including 64 at the central level and 52 at the local level) and hundreds of friendship associations and chapters in provinces, cities, central agencies and organizations. The VUFO has established diplomatic relations with more than 1,000 international partners.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has spread worldwide, VUFO’s branches have raised funds and donated money and medical equipment worth more than 430,000 USD to its partners and people in affected countries.