Lao Dong respectfully introduces the full text of the speech of General Secretary and President To Lam at this event.
"Dear Angela Olinto, President of Columbia University,
Dear Ms. Anne Neuberger, Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology,
Dear Professors, lecturers, distinguished guests and dear students,
First of all, I would like to thank the leadership of Columbia University for inviting me to speak at the World Leadership Forum on the occasion of my and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation attending the Future Summit and the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, combined with working in the United States.
Surely you are very proud of Columbia University, a school with a 270-year history, and one of the leading educational cradles in the US that has trained people who have contributed to changing the future.
Among them are 4 US Presidents, 2 UN Secretary Generals, 103 Nobel Prize winners and many outstanding scientists. I know that many Columbia University alumni currently hold senior leadership and management positions in Vietnam.
I appreciate Columbia University's contributions to promoting Vietnam's development as well as Vietnam-US relations.
This is the most appropriate time to share with you about Vietnam's path forward, Vietnam-US relations, and the vision for a new era.
For Vietnam, this is a very important starting point to achieve the goal of becoming a developed country by mid-century. Regarding Vietnam-US relations, we are heading towards the 30th anniversary of normalization of relations and the 50th anniversary of the end of the war in Vietnam next year.
Meanwhile, the world is entering a new era, shaped by great changes, both cyclical and structural, and unprecedented breakthroughs under the impact of the scientific and technological revolution, especially artificial intelligence and digital technology.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I. ON VIETNAM'S PATH: CONTINUING INNOVATION AND INTEGRATION IN THE ERA OF NATIONAL RISE
After nearly 80 years of national founding and nearly 40 years of Renovation, under the comprehensive leadership of the Communist Party, Vietnam is standing at a new historical starting point, a new era - the era of the Vietnamese people's rise. The great and historically significant achievements of the Renovation process are the premise for the Vietnamese people to believe in the future ahead.
The great achievements we have made stem from the right path that Vietnam has chosen under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, with the efforts and determination of the entire nation. Overcoming many difficulties and challenges, from a country of slavery, devastated by war, Vietnam has regained independence and today has affirmed its position as a dynamically developing economy.
The size of its economy and trade are in the Top 40 and 20 in the world respectively.
The economy in 2023 has increased 96 times compared to 1986 and is a bright spot recognized by the United Nations in implementing the Millennium Development Goals.
From being isolated, Vietnam today has diplomatic relations with 194 countries, strategic partnerships and comprehensive partnerships with 30 countries, including all major countries and all 5 permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, is an active member of ASEAN and more than 70 regional and international organizations, and has relations with 224 markets on all continents.
With the spirit of independence and self-reliance, self-confidence and national pride, all 100 million Vietnamese people and more than 6 million compatriots abroad are determined to realize the goal that President Ho Chi Minh always aspired to, which is to build Vietnam "more decent, more beautiful", "on par with the world powers".
In the new era, Vietnam's top priority is to successfully implement the two 100-year goals set by the 13th National Party Congress, to build a Vietnam of "Rich people, strong country, democracy, equality, and civilization".
Vietnam’s development path cannot be separated from the general trend of the world and human civilization. The tradition of the Vietnamese people is “rich because of friends”.
We cannot achieve these noble goals without the sincere international solidarity, valuable support and effective cooperation of the international community. Our success is your success.
We will continue to promote the process of Innovation, openness, and comprehensive and extensive international integration. Vietnam will continue to be a stable, reliable and attractive destination for foreign investors, businesses and tourists.
The way for Vietnam to overcome the middle-income trap is to innovate, mobilize the strength of national solidarity, and combine national strength with the strength of the times.
We are living in a rapidly changing world. But for Vietnam, one thing remains unchanged: Under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, we continue to consistently implement a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralization, diversification, being a friend, a reliable partner, and an active, responsible member of the international community.
We believe that there can be no development without peace. Therefore, inheriting the nation's tradition of peace, harmony, and "using benevolence to replace violence", Vietnam will persevere in its "4 No's" defense policy, strongly supporting the settlement of disputes and disagreements by peaceful means on the basis of the United Nations Charter and international law, opposing unilateral actions, power politics, and the use or threat of force in international relations.
Over the past time, Vietnam has affirmed its responsibility towards the common work of the international community through active and proactive contributions. Vietnam is considered by the United Nations as one of the leading countries in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Despite many difficulties and challenges, Vietnam is committed to achieving the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.
Over the past 10 years, the presence of Vietnamese peacekeeping soldiers at United Nations Missions has left many positive impressions in a number of African countries, not only contributing to maintaining international peace and security but also supporting local people in their daily lives.
On this occasion, I would like to thank and appreciate the American partners who have provided Vietnam with effective cooperation and support in implementing its important international commitments.
With the country's new position and strength, Vietnam is determined to effectively implement new-era diplomacy, ready to make more proactive and positive contributions to world politics, the global economy and human civilization.
In particular, we will join hands with friends and partners to address urgent global challenges such as climate change, food security, health security, water security, etc. and promote the building of a fair and equitable international order, based on the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter and international law.
II. VIETNAM-US RELATIONS: FROM FORMER ENEMIES TO COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP
Dear Professors and Students,
In an unstable world with many local conflicts, we see more clearly the meaning of goodwill and cooperation - the foundation for turning Vietnam and the US from former enemies into Comprehensive Strategic Partners as they are today.
Nearly 80 years ago, in the Declaration of Independence on September 2, 1945, giving birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, President Ho Chi Minh quoted the immortal words from the 1776 American Declaration of Independence about equality and the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Right from the early days of the nation's founding, in just 2 years from 1945-1946, President Ho Chi Minh wrote 8 letters and telegrams to President Harry Truman affirming that Vietnam wanted to "fully cooperate" with the United States.
Due to the twists and turns of history, it took 50 years for Vietnam and the US to normalize relations. But few could have imagined the miraculous progress of Vietnam-US relations over the past 30 years.
From former enemies, the two countries have become partners, Comprehensive Partners and now Comprehensive Strategic Partners.
Since the normalization of relations, many Vietnamese leaders have visited the US, especially the historic visit of the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in July 2015; at the same time, all US Presidents since the normalization of relations have visited Vietnam, most recently the visit of President Joe Biden in September 2023.
Cooperation in all areas from politics - diplomacy to economics - trade, defense - security, overcoming the consequences of war, education - training, people-to-people exchange, in handling regional and global issues such as climate change, counter-terrorism, participation in the United Nations peacekeeping force... have all achieved important and substantive progress.
In particular, people-to-people exchanges and educational cooperation are increasingly vibrant. There are currently about 30,000 Vietnamese students studying in the US, including students from Columbia University who are here today.
For the relationship between the two countries to turn a new page and develop well as it is today, the most important factor is the tradition of humanity and altruism of the Vietnamese people, and the talented leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam with its intellectual vision, determination and courage to bring Vietnam into the international flow.
Besides, there are many American friends and partners such as President Bill Clinton and his successors, Senators John McCain, John Kerry, Patrick Leahy... and many others.
In particular, I appreciate the strong bipartisan support in the US for the Vietnam-US relationship. This is one of the important foundations for bringing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between our two countries to a deeper, more stable, sustainable and substantive level in the coming time.
III. VISION FOR THE NEW ERA: FOR A SUSTAINABLE AND PROGRESSIVE CIVILIZATION FOR ALL HUMANITY
Dear Professors and Students,
Upgrading the Vietnam-US relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Peace, Cooperation and Sustainable Development means that the relationship not only practically serves the interests of our two peoples but also actively contributes to peace, cooperation and development in the Asia-Pacific region and around the world.
From the path forward of the Vietnamese people and the success story of Vietnam-US relations, I would like to share a few things about the vision to build a better common future for all humanity:
First, affirming and promoting the role of the spirit of healing, respect and mutual understanding: The relationship between the two countries today is because Vietnam and the US have continuously promoted the process of healing, mutual understanding and respect for each other's legitimate interests. In which, respect for each other's independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and political institutions is the most important. With the humane, peaceful and tolerant tradition of the Vietnamese people, we have been very proactive in taking steps to heal the wounds of war.
Even before the two countries normalized relations, Vietnam continued to search for American soldiers missing in action (MIA) for 15 years before the US began cooperating with Vietnam.
Cooperation in overcoming the consequences of war has become the foundation for the two sides to heal, move towards normalization, build trust and deepen relations. These will remain extremely important areas of cooperation between the two countries for many years to come, because the consequences of war are still very heavy, especially for Vietnam.
From the above lesson, I believe that for a relationship to develop, both sides need to promote research on each other's history, culture, people, political, economic and social systems.
Therefore, I highly appreciate the Vietnamese Studies Program of Columbia University and the signing of the cooperation agreement between the school and Vin University. In a broader view, I believe that if countries understand and respect each other's legitimate interests and work together to build trust, the world will be more peaceful and less conflicted.
In the age of science and technology, we can take advantage of new methods such as digital platforms and tools to promote greater connectivity and deeper understanding among peoples.
Second, respect and promote the culture of dialogue: Frankly speaking, although we have made great strides in our relationship, Vietnam and the US still have certain differences of opinion on human rights issues in the economic, political, social and religious fields... But the important thing is that we have chosen dialogue instead of confrontation. Not only that, we also dialogue in an open, frank and constructive spirit.
I strongly believe that if countries in conflict and dispute promote peaceful solutions through dialogue on the basis of international law, any problem, no matter how complex, will have a solution. Dialogue should become a common practice, a useful and most important tool for our civilization.
Third, promoting the highest sense of responsibility towards the international community: Going beyond the bilateral framework, Vietnam-US cooperation has gradually reached regional and global levels, especially in responding to climate change, combating the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, counter-terrorism, and maintaining United Nations peacekeeping, etc., thereby contributing increasingly positively to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the Asia-Pacific region and the world.
In the current context of many changes, I believe that first of all, countries need to be responsible in their relations with each other as well as with peace, cooperation and development in the world.
Geostrategic competition is a reality, but conflict is not inevitable. Like ASEAN members and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region, Vietnam hopes that countries will uphold their responsibility for the future and human civilization, and contribute more to maintaining peace, stability, prosperity, cooperation, the rule of law and multilateralism.
Fourth, always put the people at the center: the Vietnam-US relationship has achieved success today because both sides act in the interests of the people and respond to the people's aspirations.
In building and developing the country, Vietnam continues to uphold the ideal that President Ho Chi Minh and the founding leaders of the United States shared, which is to build a State "of the people, by the people, for the people".
The great and historic achievements that Vietnam has achieved after nearly 100 years of leadership by the Communist Party of Vietnam, including nearly 40 years of Renovation, are also because the Party always takes serving the people as its guiding principle and goal, and is always infinitely loyal to the interests of the Fatherland and the People.
People make history. That is a civilized ideology, a common universal value of the international community. We see that ASEAN and the United Nations both have the principle of taking people as the center.
Fifth, solidarity and looking to the future: In the context of the world in a period of epochal change, humanity needs more foresight and solidarity than ever before. No single country, no matter how powerful, can handle the common problems of the times alone. That is the approach and orientation that the United Nations Future Summit has clearly stated.
Vietnam's motto is to put the past behind and look to the future. We do not forget the past, but we do not let the past become a burden that hinders the development of the present and the future.
This is both a crystallization of the humanistic tradition of the Vietnamese people and a reflection of the way of behaving that has become the identity of our foreign policy. I believe that with an approach that promotes international solidarity, looks to the future, as well as the success story of the Vietnam-US relationship, the world will turn the impossible into possible, continuing to build a sustainable and progressive civilization for all of humanity.
Dear Professors and Students,
After nearly 30 years of normalization, Vietnam-US relations have made strong strides beyond the imagination of even the most optimistic people.
In the next 30 years, with the spirit of “Putting aside the past, overcoming differences, promoting similarities, and looking toward the future” that the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong emphasized, I deeply believe that the Vietnam-US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for peace, cooperation and sustainable development will reach new heights.
The 2023 Vietnam-US Joint Statement clearly identified 10 important and comprehensive pillars of cooperation. Our mission is to be determined to realize those areas of cooperation, especially those that play a core foundational role such as economic-trade-investment cooperation, inclusive economic growth based on innovation and new breakthroughs in the relationship such as cooperation in science, technology and innovation in the digital field.
In the coming time, the world and regional situation will continue to have many complex and unpredictable changes, opportunities and challenges will continue to intertwine. The good news is that peace, cooperation and development are still the major trend, the common aspiration of all peoples. The content of the Vietnam-US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for peace, cooperation and sustainable development is consistent with that trend.
Dear Professors and Students,
Looking back at the journey that the Vietnamese people have gone through, more than ever, we are steadfast, confident and moving forward. In the new era, the era of the Vietnamese people's rise under the leadership of the Communist Party, we will do our best to realize that aspiration of the nation.
On the journey towards the future, Vietnam will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with international friends and partners, sharing visions and coordinating actions, for the best goals for all humanity.
Looking at the faces of the young people here today, I feel very optimistic and hopeful. As you probably know, US President Franklin Roosevelt, a former student of Columbia University, once said: “We cannot always build the future for the young generation, but we can always build the young generation for the future”. President Ho Chi Minh, the beloved leader of the Vietnamese people, also always emphasized the vision of “cultivating people for the benefit of a hundred years”.
I hope that friends, partners, and all sectors in the US will continue to strongly support the promotion of the Vietnam-US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, continue the success story, and inspire future generations. Our success will not only best serve the interests of the people of the two countries, but also contribute increasingly practically and effectively to peace, national independence, democracy, social progress, and prosperous development of peoples in the region and the world.
Thank you very much.
Now, I would like to listen and discuss some of the contents that you are interested in.
