Hanoi (VNA) – General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam on September 15 requested the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) to set higher requirements for people-to-people diplomacy in the new period, focusing on building deep and well-connected networks capable of mobilising resources.
The top leader met with representatives of the 7th-term Executive Committee of the union for the 2026–2031 tenure in Hanoi following its seventh National Congress. The leader stressed the need to transform goodwill into trust, while relationships and partner networks must generate concrete resources for national development.
In other words, people-to-people diplomacy must shift from “having relationships” to “having substantive and effective relationships”, thereby strengthening Vietnam’s national power. It should create opportunities for Vietnamese organisations, experts and communities, together with international partners, to participate in initiatives that bring benefits to both sides, he stated.
Appreciating the orientations set for the new tenure, General Secretary and President Lam emphasised that awareness of the role, mission and responsibility of people-to-people diplomacy must be deeply ingrained in every official, civil servant, member and member organisation at both central and local levels.
VUFO and its member organisations must proactively provide policy recommendations, take on tasks and demonstrate their role through tangible results, he requested.
People-to-people diplomacy can open up a “supplementary and flexible channel for dialogue”, coordinating with Party diplomacy and State diplomacy in addressing complex issues in relations with other countries. It can also leverage its advantages in accessing, verifying and analysing diverse sources of information to identify trends, thereby providing timely recommendations to the Party and State and contributing to safeguarding national interests at an early stage and from afar.
While expanding ties with international parliamentarians, scholars and CEOs, it is also necessary to nurture goodwill among people from all walks of life, particularly younger generations, and create conditions for overseas Vietnamese intellectuals and entrepreneurs to contribute to the country and become natural “goodwill ambassadors” for Vietnam. Stronger links among elites, overseas Vietnamese and international friends will provide a solid foundation for people-to-people diplomacy, he said.
General Secretary and President Lam said that VUFO must demonstrate its core role by advising the Vietnam Fatherland Front on bringing together the external relations activities of socio-political organisations, mass associations and localities.
The leader called on central and local agencies to urgently coordinate in advising the Party and State on completing the institutional framework for people-to-people diplomacy; removing obstacles to information sharing, inter-sectoral coordination, personnel training and rotation; and establishing flexible financial mechanisms based on commissioned tasks and performance-based arrangements.
He also requested that VUFO be enabled to participate in national coordination mechanisms appropriate to its function, while further streamlining its organisational apparatus.
General Secretary and President Lam expressed his confidence that the union will truly become a sharp and effective spearhead, proactively building trust, turning trust into resources and, through concrete actions, contributing to the country’s breakthrough development in the new era of national rise./.
