Lao Dong respectfully introduces the article "The Foreign Affairs of the National Assembly in the era of national rise" by Politburo Member, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man:
Throughout the 80-year historical journey, under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the National Assembly of Vietnam has continuously grown and innovated, gradually improving the quality, effectiveness and efficiency of operations, increasingly firmly affirming its position and role as the highest representative agency of the people, the highest state power agency of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
In that general development, the National Assembly's foreign affairs have become an important diplomatic channel, along with Party foreign affairs, State diplomacy and people-to-people diplomacy, creating a comprehensive strength for Vietnam's professional and modern diplomacy; contributing to enhancing the country's position in the international arena, promoting rapid and sustainable development, firmly protecting national sovereignty and national interests, and consolidating a full and solid legal foundation for the process of deep international integration.
Foreign affairs of the National Assembly are deployed methodically and comprehensively
Practice over the past time shows that the Foreign Affairs activities of the National Assembly have been deployed more and more methodically and comprehensively, with a large workload and have achieved many important results in the following fields:
Regarding law-making and supervision, the National Assembly has passed many laws and ordinances directly related to foreign affairs such as: the Law on International Treaties, the Law on National Borders, the Law on the Sea of Vietnam, the Law on International Agreements, the Law on Nationality, the Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam, the Law on Vietnamese Representative Offices Abroad; ratified many important Agreements such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the Vietnam-European Union Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA); the Investment Protection Agreement between Vietnam and the European Union (EVIPA) and many new generation free trade agreements...
Thereby, it has made an important contribution to creating and gradually perfecting a solid legal foundation for the implementation of foreign affairs activities in accordance with the country's conditions; gradually meeting the requirements of international integration. The opinions of assessment and criticism from the agencies of the National Assembly and National Assembly deputies on foreign affairs and international integration issues are increasingly numerous, highly practical, making practical contributions to the planning and implementation of the Party and State's foreign policy guidelines and policies.
Bilateral parliamentary cooperation relations of the National Assembly are promoted positively and effectively at many levels, focusing on relations with neighboring countries; bringing relations with strategic partner countries into depth and stability; consolidating friendly relations and promoting the substance of relations with major partners and traditional friends...; especially at the high level with the active participation of the National Assembly Chairman and Vice Chairmen of the National Assembly with the motto of proactiveness, responsibility, activeness, flexibility and comprehensiveness in all fields.
In addition, delegation exchange activities of the Committees and specialized agencies of the Vietnamese National Assembly with legislative bodies of other countries have been established and effectively implemented. The fields and contents of cooperation are increasingly diverse; not only stopping at exchanging and learning experiences in law-making, promoting cooperation in law enforcement supervision and international commitments, but also paving the way for development cooperation, solving existing problems, building trust and strengthening understanding with partner countries, contributing to affirming the image of a dynamic, innovative, professional and effective Vietnamese National Assembly.
To date, the National Assembly of Vietnam has established relations with more than 140 Parliaments and National Assemblies; established more than 50 Friendship Parliamentary Groups with National Assemblies of countries, and implemented many effective and practical activities. The National Assembly of Vietnam has signed many cooperation agreements with Parliaments, including agreements signed simultaneously with both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The continuous expansion and deepening of cooperative relations between the National Assembly of Vietnam and the legislative bodies of other countries has contributed to promoting and creating conditions for the implementation of state diplomatic relations in the fields of politics, diplomacy, defense - security, economy, trade, investment, sustainable development cooperation, science - technology, culture and education, and people-to-people exchanges.
Within the framework of multilateral parliamentary cooperation, the National Assembly of Vietnam is currently a member of many regional and world parliamentary organizations such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the Inter-Parliamentary Council of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (AIPA), the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF), the Francophone Parliamentary Forum (APF)... In addition, the National Assembly of Vietnam also participates in a number of other non-regular inter-parliamentary forums.
The diplomatic and multilateral parliamentary imprint of the Vietnamese National Assembly in the past time is the hosting of important multilateral conferences of international and regional scale such as: the 132nd IPU General Assembly (IPU-132, 2015), the 26th Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum Conference (APPF-26, 2018) and the 41st AIPA General Assembly (AIPA-41, 2020), the 9th Global Young Parliamentarians Conference of the World Parliamentary Union (2023), the APF Executive Committee Conference and the Parliamentary Dialogue Forum on Sustainable Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change Response (2025).
The National Assembly's foreign affairs activities have contributed to affirming that Vietnam is ready to be a friend, a reliable partner; proactively and actively participating in regional and international parliamentary forums, showing responsibility in participating in solving regional and global issues. At multilateral parliamentary cooperation mechanisms, the National Assembly of Vietnam has actively and proactively participated in proposing many initiatives to promote sustainable development, confidence-building measures, diplomacy to prevent and prevent conflicts, and peaceful resolution of disputes on the basis of international law... which have been supported and highly appreciated by countries.
In addition, the Foreign Affairs activities of the National Assembly have promoted dialogue, contributing to satisfactory resolution of many specific foreign affairs issues such as territorial borders, struggle on religious issues, democracy, human rights, foreign information and propaganda, handling existing institutional problems or issues arising in bilateral cooperation.
In foreign affairs, the National Assembly also made many contributions to the work of mobilizing the Vietnamese community abroad to turn to the Fatherland and join hands in building their homeland and country. Through foreign visits, in exchanges with leaders of Parliaments and National Assemblies of countries with a large number of overseas Vietnamese, the National Assembly's working delegations have always paid attention to understanding the reality of life and activities of our overseas Vietnamese; organized community meetings to exchange information, helping people better understand the socio-economic development achievements of the country, the new policies of the Party and State, especially policies for the overseas Vietnamese community and listen to thoughts and aspirations, and encourage overseas Vietnamese to turn to their homeland and country.
Foreign affairs The National Assembly continues to promote its stature and position, contributing to mobilizing resources to bring the country into a new era.
The 14th National Party Congress is a milestone of particular importance to the country's development path in the new period, taking place in the context of the world and region continuing to have rapid changes, containing many unpredictable factors, both opening up development opportunities but also posing many challenges for Vietnamese diplomacy.
In that context, the overarching goal of the National Assembly's foreign affairs is, together with our diplomatic pillars, to closely adhere to the Party's foreign policy and guidelines, inherit the achievements that have been achieved, continue to maintain a peaceful, stable, and favorable environment for the cause of building, protecting and developing the country; successfully implement strategic tasks on socio-economic development, strive to implement the country's development goals to 2030, vision to 2045; and at the same time resolutely and persistently firmly protect independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, ensuring our core interests and in accordance with international law.
Foreign affairs The National Assembly needs to further promote its role as one of the important components of comprehensive and modern diplomacy; proactively, actively and responsibly participate in multilateral parliamentary mechanisms; promote bilateral relations with parliaments of countries, especially with strategic partners and important partners; and at the same time improve the quality of legislation, ratification and supervision of the implementation of international treaties, ensuring harmony between national and ethnic interests and international commitments.
In the context of digital transformation and the rapid changes of the international environment, the National Assembly is also facing the requirement to strongly innovate foreign affairs methods to adapt to the new situation, including strengthening the application of information technology in organizing activities, expanding forms of dialogue and online exchange, improving timeliness and efficiency in contact and connection with parliaments. In addition, building a contingent of officials working in parliamentary diplomacy who are professional, brave, capable of using foreign languages and technology proficiently, and understand international laws and practices is also a key factor to improve the quality and efficiency of operations.
In particular, monitoring and studying the articles and directing speeches of General Secretary To Lam on international integration in the new situation and the mission of foreign affairs work in the "new era", the next journey of foreign affairs, the National Assembly needs to continue to promote its positive role in realizing the vision and aspiration to bring our country "from deep integration to full integration, to the state of a rising nation" as General Secretary To Lam said.
Under the light of the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam, along with Party foreign affairs, State diplomacy and people's foreign affairs, the National Assembly's foreign affairs will continue to promote the stature and position that has been affirmed for many years, synchronously implement groups of solutions to ensure the Party's leadership over the National Assembly's foreign affairs; improve the quality of advisory work, increase professionalism in deploying foreign affairs activities and continue to promote the active and proactive role of the National Assembly on both bilateral and multilateral channels; contributing to mobilizing resources to bring the country into a new era, realizing the aspiration to build a prosperous, happy and prosperous Vietnam.
