Looking back at the history of the Vietnamese revolution, the country's opportunities are always associated with the changes of the times. Immediately after gaining independence, President Ho Chi Minh said "behind the defense issue, diplomacy is a necessary issue for an independent country", strongly affirming the role and responsibility of foreign affairs to the nation and people.
The 14th National Congress of the Party is a historical milestone, opening the door to enter a new era for the nation. Under the light of the 14th National Congress, foreign affairs - a key and regular task - will be comprehensively deployed at a new height, the beat of Vietnam harmonizing with the beat of the world, breathing with the breath of the times, building peace, enriching prosperity and building a higher and more solid position for the country and the nation.
Vietnam at the threshold of the times
The world is witnessing rapid and strong shifts, deep and broad impacts, of a timely nature. Movement trends are intertwined, opposite to each other, both more deeply connected and dependent on each other but also more divided and competitive. Humanity enters a period of potential risks but also opens up many new development opportunities. No country, whether large or small, whether developed or developing, can stand outside the movement of the times.
On the one hand, the system of multilateral international relations and international law is eroded, sovereignty disputes and territorial conflicts are increasing. Political and economic competition goes hand in hand with gaining control of technology, energy and strategic infrastructure. Traditional and non-traditional security challenges are increasingly fierce in both scale and nature. On the other hand, contemporary trends and trends of peace, cooperation and development, sustainable growth, inclusiveness and globalization continue. The international community in its majority wants to build a democratic, fair, and equal world order based on international law. The scientific and technological revolution is opening up an endless development space based on human knowledge and potential.
The 14th National Party Congress marked a new era for the Vietnamese Nation after 96 years under the Party's leadership, 80 years of gaining independence and 40 years of carrying out renovation. Following the era of independence, freedom, building socialism and the era of renovation, the country began to enter an era of prosperous, civilized, and happy development, on par with the five continental powers.
The stage of implementing the Resolution of the 14th Party Congress (2026-2031) is a pivotal stage, decisive for breaking through to become a developed country with high income and advanced level. Or it will repeat the lesson of being trapped in the middle-income trap when many structural bottlenecks in the development and national governance model gradually emerge. History shows that in the transition period between the old and the new, if we do not promptly catch up with the world and the trends of the times, the risk of falling behind will be more real than ever.
Promoting comprehensive foreign affairs at a new height
Converging" the requirements of the times and the demands of the country, the realization of the two 100-year strategic goals is the political - historical commitment of the Party to the people and the international community. Humanity's history has proven: whichever nation has strategic proactiveness, grasps the strength of the times to increase internal strength, will succeed. In the length of human history, world practice shows a consistent rule: no powerful developed nation does not build a strong foreign policy. In today's world, the security and development of each nation cannot be isolated, standing outside the impacts of the world and the times, of the times and the situation.
Facing historical moments, the country needs to have historical decisions. The new era requires the deployment of "comprehensive diplomacy at a new height": Ensuring the highest national and ethnic interests; taking peace, independence, self-reliance, and self-strengthening as the foundation; placing the people at the center of all policies; considering contributions to the international community as responsibility. At a new height, diplomacy will be deployed more confidently, self-reliantly, self-sufficiently, and self-strengtheningly; contributing more effectively to the country's strategic goals; showing greater responsibility for the peace and development of the world.
That is comprehensive foreign affairs at a new height in terms of goals. All foreign affairs activities aim to ensure the highest national and ethnic interests, for a strong Party, for a strong and prosperous Vietnam, for the prosperity and happiness of the people; deeply integrate and have an important position and role in world politics, global economy and human civilization, contributing to peace, stability, justice, social progress and the prosperous development of nations in the region and in the world.
That is comprehensive foreign affairs at a new height in the field. Foreign affairs is not a separate field but closely linked between foreign affairs and national defense, security, economy, science, technology and culture, society, creating comprehensive strength to serve the cause of building and protecting the Fatherland. The comprehensive foreign affairs policy places socio-economic development at the center, considering diplomacy serving development and international integration as a key and regular task.
That is comprehensive foreign affairs at a new height in terms of subjects. Comprehensive foreign affairs is the cause of the entire Party and people, promoting the role of all three foreign affairs channels: Party foreign affairs, State diplomacy, People's foreign affairs, and at the same time mobilizing the participation of the National Assembly's foreign affairs, ministries, departments, branches and localities; between foreign affairs and national defense and security and between political diplomacy and economic, cultural, scientific, and technological diplomacy....
Deploying "key, regular" tasks of foreign affairs
Comprehensive foreign affairs at a new height is a combination of inheritance and development. Foreign affairs continues to be steadfast: the path of independence, self-reliance, self-strengthening, peace, friendship, cooperation and development, multilateralization, diversification of foreign relations; being a friend, a reliable partner, a responsible member of the international community. At the same time, Vietnamese foreign affairs continues to develop, absorb the quintessence, knowledge and methods of modern diplomacy, imbued with the spirit of "every change responds to every change". The path of peace, independence, self-reliance, and self-strengthening is not only to build a rich and strong country for our people but also to contribute responsibly to the peace and stability of the region and the world order based on law. That is the guiding principle, the moral foundation and the basic principle for us to build sustainable foreign relations.
At the same time, comprehensive foreign affairs develops to a new height, in which foreign affairs and international integration must be "important and regular" tasks. This is an important development in thinking, accordingly, foreign affairs and international integration are one of the main tasks, of top importance; at the same time, they must be carried out regularly, requiring proactiveness, sensitivity, timeliness and high efficiency. That ideology places foreign affairs at a central position, with higher responsibility and role for the country's security and development: Maintaining peace for stability, stability for development, development to enhance the overall strength of the country. Accordingly, comprehensive foreign affairs at a new height will deploy important and regular tasks in the following directions:
First, foreign affairs play a pioneering role, performing important and regular tasks in creating a favorable international situation for the country. The more the world changes, the more the consolidation of peace and stability for the country plays an important and key role. Foreign affairs must have "strategic proactiveness" in all situations, keeping "inside warm, outside peaceful": maintaining stability and development inside, maintaining peace, and cooperating with outside. Along with national defense and security, foreign affairs resolutely and persistently firmly protect the independence, sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of the Fatherland; protect the Party, State, People and socialist regime; protect the cause of renovation, industrialization, and modernization; protect national and ethnic interests; protect political security, social order and safety and culture; maintain political stability and a peaceful environment to build and develop the country in a socialist direction. At the same time, promote the resolution of differences by peaceful means, on the basis of international law and the United Nations Charter.
Second, foreign affairs is a driving force to create favorable conditions, take advantage of external resources and open up new development space for the country. The world is shaped by new trends, successful countries are countries that actively grasp, go ahead, and put themselves in the flow of the times. The task of foreign affairs is to identify and seize opportunities from trends that are shaping the world economy today such as innovation, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, quantum, automation... ; transform good political relations into specific economic results, which can be measured and directly spread to people through economic agreements, trade and investment agreements, supporting Vietnamese businesses to reach out to the world, participate more deeply in the regional and global supply chain.
Third, foreign affairs show a high sense of responsibility to the international community, contributing to building and protecting fair and equal international order based on international law. In a globalized world, the interests of the nation - ethnicity, of Vietnamese citizens and businesses are not only within territorial borders. Protecting the national and ethnic interests of Vietnam is associated with protecting fair and equal world order based on international law. New positions and forces allow us to actively and responsibly contribute to the common problems of the world. As President Ho Chi Minh once said "If we have enjoyed the good things of others, we must have good things for others to enjoy", Vietnam will continue its commitments to sustainable development, food security, climate change, net emissions reduction; and at the same time participate more deeply in peacekeeping, rescue, humanitarian aid, mediation, reconciliation and promote its core and leading role in important and appropriate issues and mechanisms.
Fourth, promote the "soft power" of the nation commensurate with the historical and cultural stature, political and economic position of the country. The position and prestige of the country is not only in material strength but also in "soft power". That is the heroic history, the culture imbued with national identity, the great and historically significant achievements of the renovation process, the peaceful and harmonious foreign policy, handling international issues harmoniously, reasonably, emotionally, respecting international law, and the consensus and support of the people of the world. At a new height, foreign affairs must contribute to increasing the country's position and influence in world politics, global economy and human civilization.
Fifth, build a comprehensive, modern, and professional foreign affairs and diplomacy. The new era requires building an area-level and international-level foreign affairs and diplomacy. Foreign affairs and diplomatic officials must dare to think, dare to do, dare to innovate and create, dare to be pioneers and breakthroughs for national and ethnic interests; be sensitive to the times, deeply aware of strategy, have discipline and order, and have skills and qualifications on par with international standards. Comprehensive foreign affairs is not only the task of one ministry or one sector but the cause of the entire people, of the entire political system to create comprehensive strength.
Faced with the changes of the times, comprehensive foreign affairs at a new height must take bravery and wisdom as a guide; trust and responsibility as a bridge for cooperation; harmony and friendship, and law as a place to anchor values. We believe that Vietnamese foreign affairs will continue to establish and maintain peace, stability, expand development space and raise the country's position, contributing to fulfilling Uncle Ho's sacred will: "My final wish is: The entire Party and people of our country unite and strive to build a peaceful, unified, independent, democratic and prosperous Vietnam, and make worthy contributions to the cause of world revolution".
