Hanoi (VNA) - From a small nation once colonised and devastated by war, today, in the eyes of the international community, Vietnam is a developing country with an increasingly important role and position in the region.
The red flag with a yellow star flying in front of the United Nations headquarters in the US, the ASEAN Secretariat in Indonesia, the UN peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic, or at disaster “hotspots” in Türkiye and Myanmar all demonstrates Vietnam’s presence and its increasingly responsible contributions to the global community.
Looking back at Vietnam’s international relations since the country gained independence and established the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son affirmed that Vietnamese diplomacy has always been dedicated to serving the nation and people, making significant contributions to the country’s historic achievements.
From the very early days of nation-building, President Ho Chi Minh used diplomacy as a sharp weapon to gain more friends and reduce enemies, to divide the ranks of opponents, safeguard the young government, and buy more time and resources for the prolonged resistance war. During the struggle for national liberation and reunification, alongside the political and military fronts, diplomacy became an important and strategic front. It contributed to transforming battlefield victories into successes at the negotiation table, ultimately bringing an end to the war.
After the country was reunified, diplomacy played an important role in building peace, breaking through embargoes and blockades, and expanding the foreign affairs landscape. This was accomplished through a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation and diversification, and for peace, cooperation, and development.
According to Son, the nearly 40-year history of the country's “Doi Moi” (Renewal) has affirmed the extremely important role of diplomacy across the three pillars of the Party’s foreign affairs, State diplomacy, and people-to-people diplomacy.
Diplomacy has contributed to expanding and deepening relationships with partners, and to closely coordinating with defence and security to firmly maintain independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of the Fatherland. This has contributed to safeguarding the country and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of the country, people, and businesses, emphasised Son.
In particular, economic diplomacy has become a central task and an important driving force for the country’s development. Vietnam has attracted hundreds of billions of USD in FDI capital, and become one of the top 20 countries with the largest trade volume in the world, and a key link in 17 FTAs with more than 60 major economies worldwide.
Over the course of eight decades, Vietnam has established diplomatic relations with 194 countries, and built a network of strategic and comprehensive partnerships with 37 nations, including all major powers and all five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. Vietnam is also an active member of more than 70 international and regional organisations. Additionally, the Party has set up relations with 259 political parties in 119 countries.
Choi Seung Jin, Director of the Korean Cultural Centre in Vietnam, affirmed Vietnam’s growing prestige and position on the international stage.
According to Choi, Vietnam has been undertaking multiple important roles and continues to further expand its presence and responsibilities globally
He took the country’s successful hosting of the Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 (P4G) Summit in April 2025 as an example. The event, he said, demonstrated its leadership voice in the fields of environmental protection and sustainable development.
The Korean cultural expert proposed a long-term investment strategy to tell Vietnam’s story through the creative industries. He proposed Vietnam and the Republic of Korea cooperate in this field, by co-producing cultural content, thereby enabling both countries to achieve growth in the cultural industry while promoting their national images.
Regarding the direction for Vietnam’s multilateral diplomacy in the coming period, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung Viet emphasised that multilateral diplomacy must closely coordinate with the country’s other diplomatic branches. It should continue to enhance Vietnam’s participation at multilateral forums, in a manner commensurate with the country’s stature and position./.
