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Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs convened a plenary session in Hanoi on August 5, bringing together provincial Party committees and overseas diplomatic missions to advance the country’s multi-pillar foreign policy framework under the direction of the 14th National Party Congress, according to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA).
High-Level Coordination at the 33rd Diplomatic Conference
The hybrid session, held during the 33rd Diplomatic Conference, was presided over by Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung and attended by Tran Cam Tu, a member of the Political Bureau and permanent member of the Party Central Committee Secretariat, as reported by VNA. The meeting focused on integrating Party diplomacy, state diplomacy, and people’s diplomacy to support national development goals and strategic autonomy.
According to Le Hai Binh, permanent deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, the 14th National Party Congress established foreign affairs as an essential, permanent mission that demands a proactive and creative approach rather than mere adaptation. Binh noted that Party diplomacy serves three key strategic functions: establishing the political foundations of foreign policy, informing policy planning, and maintaining ideological foundations to secure strategic autonomy.
Expanding Soft Power and Academic Diplomacy
To convert national soft power into mutual trust and international consensus, officials emphasized expanding academic diplomacy. Binh proposed mobilizing Vietnamese scholars both domestically and internationally to build a global network of researchers capable of utilizing scientific arguments to counter misinformation in international forums, as detailed by VNA.
Complementing these academic initiatives, Cao Xuan Thao, vice president of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, called for modernizing people’s diplomacy. Thao advocated for shifting away from traditional exchange models toward a professional approach rooted in science, technology, culture, and emerging fields such as green transition and climate change response. This strategy relies heavily on the global community of more than six million overseas Vietnamese as a vital intellectual and technological resource.
Local Diplomacy and Economic Integration
Local and cultural diplomacy initiatives anchor Vietnam’s foreign relations at regional borders and heritage sites. Vu Hoang Anh, deputy secretary of the Lang Son Provincial Party Committee, outlined border management practices with China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. According to Anh, direct leadership from Party committees and mechanisms such as the “Early Spring Meeting” program help reinforce regional security and cross-border cooperation.
Similarly, Le Tri Thanh, chairman of the Hue Municipal Party Committee, emphasized leveraging UNESCO-recognized heritage assets to drive socio-economic growth. Thanh stated that Hue aims to transition cultural diplomacy from simple friendship exchanges into practical, value-creating international cooperation for sustainable conservation development.
International Diplomatic Alignment
Vietnamese ambassadors stationed abroad confirmed the practical impact of multi-pillar diplomacy during the session. Pham Thanh Binh, Vietnam’s ambassador to China, described Party diplomacy as a strategic anchor for bilateral relations, supported by frontline festivals and forums. Meanwhile, Hoang Sy Cuong, Vietnam’s ambassador to African nations, reported that the Party maintains official relations with approximately 40 political parties across 24 countries, strengthening political foundations for state-level cooperation and economic trade.
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