According to Nguyen Manh Cuong, Member of the Party Central Committee, Standing Deputy Secretary, and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, the foreign policy line of the 14th National Congress has demonstrated the inheritance of the goals, principles, and guidelines affirmed through previous Congress terms, while adding new content to meet the requirements of the country in the context of the world and regional situation undergoing epochal changes.
The 14th National Congress affirmed and continued the core tenets of foreign policy: independence, self-reliance, peace, cooperation, development, multilateralism, and diversification. These have been the overarching foundations of foreign policy for decades, contributing to maintaining a peaceful, stable, and developing environment for the country.
Building upon these foundations, in the context of the country striving for double-digit growth and successfully achieving the two centenary goals, the foreign policy guidelines of the 14th National Congress have made significant developments to more effectively serve the cause of national construction and defense in the new era.
First, the Congress emphasised the goal of “developing foreign relations in the new era commensurate with the historical, cultural, and positional stature of the country.”
As General Secretary To Lam stressed: “Following Uncle Ho’s example, we must keep pace with the world’s movements, find a path to bring peace, stability, prosperity, development, and build a higher and more solid position for the country in the new era.” Viet Nam must further consolidate the open and favourable foreign relations landscape for national development based on the achievements of the past; not only strengthen the frameworks of relations to be deeper, more stable, and substantive, but also proactively participate in and contribute more to resolving common global issues.
In bilateral cooperation mechanisms with other countries and partners, as well as in regional and international multilateral forums, Viet Nam’s responsible contributions, voice, and prestige are strongly affirmed, clearly demonstrating the identity, culture, and style of Vietnamese foreign policy. This reflects the mindset of a sincere and responsible Viet Nam; always striving for peace, security, and development, for common issues of concern to the international community; contributing to world politics, the global economy, and human civilisation, worthy of the glorious history of nation-building and national defense of the Vietnamese people.
Second, the Party has added the viewpoints of “strategic autonomy” and “self-strengthening”. These are general and very important guiding principles for foreign policy. “Strategic autonomy” and “self- strengthening” are prerequisites for maintaining proactive and independent foreign policy, ensuring the firm protection of national interests in a volatile world.
Third, the 14th National Congress affirmed that promoting foreign relations and international integration, along with strengthening national defence and security, is a “crucial and ongoing” task. Accordingly, foreign relations and international integration have become an important method, a regular and continuous task, and a top priority in building and protecting the Fatherland.
According to the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, implementing the foreign policy guidelines of the 14th National Congress requires proactive, coordinated, and decisive action to quickly transform strategic orientations into concrete results.
General Secretary To Lam emphasised that the era of striving forward implies creating strong, decisive, resolute, positive, and diligent movement, with internal strength and confidence to overcome challenges, surpass oneself, realize aspirations, reach goals, and achieve great accomplishments.
At the National Conference on studying and implementing the Resolution of the 14th National Congress on February 7, 2025, Le Hoai Trung, Member of the Politburo, Secretary of the Party Committee, and Minister of Foreign Affairs, delivered a very important presentation on foreign relations development in the new era. Accordingly, foreign affairs work immediately following the Congress will have the following key tasks:
First, unifying understanding throughout the entire political system regarding the mission, goals, and tasks of foreign affairs in the spirit of the 14th National Congress, especially its “crucial and ongoing” nature, throughout the entire political system.
Dissemination and promotion should be carried out extensively from the central level to each locality, spreading to our representative offices and the community of over 6 million Vietnamese people abroad, thereby creating a foundation for correct, complete, and profound understanding, and promoting the combined strength of the great national unity.
Second, it is urgent to institutionalise and concretise the foreign policy guidelines of the 14th Party Congress, focusing on perfecting the Party’s regulations on foreign affairs and international integration, effectively operating the Politburo’s Regulation No.392 on unified management of foreign affairs activities, and ensuring synchronised coordination throughout the entire system.
Third, to build and implement a comprehensive foreign policy strategy at a new level, leveraging the combined strength of all three pillars of foreign affairs: Party foreign affairs, State diplomacy, and people-to-people diplomacy. Priority should be given to expanding and deepening the network of relations, not only with traditional partners but also with potential partners such as large technology corporations, in order to mobilise resources for development…
Fourth, to allocate appropriate resources for foreign affairs work, commensurate with the country’s new strength and position and the requirements of the tasks in the new situation; urgently finalise decrees and legal documents to concretise Resolution No.250 of the National Assembly, invest in building modern and secure foreign affairs infrastructure, promote digital transformation and the application of science and technology, and innovate thinking and working methods towards professionalism and modernity.
Fifth, build a comprehensive, modern, and professional diplomacy with a streamlined, effective, and efficient organizational structure and a team of officials who are both politically sound and professionally competent, possessing both virtue, strength, and talent, with discipline and order, daring to think, daring to act, daring to innovate, and meeting the requirements of the tasks in the new era…
Sixth, strengthen synchronised and effective coordination among ministries, departments, localities, and forces working in foreign affairs, along with the proactive participation of businesses and the people. Promote local diplomacy and specialised forms of diplomacy such as technology diplomacy, environmental diplomacy, and energy diplomacy; enhancing information sharing, connectivity, and data sharing to serve research, consultation, and policy planning…
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Manh Cuong emphasised that the Party Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has clearly grasped the spirit of General Secretary To Lam’s directive to resolutely and swiftly act from the beginning of the term, “not letting a single day be wasted, not a single week be delayed.”
With that understanding, the Party Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has proactively developed an action programme in an integrated “3-in-1” approach to comprehensively and effectively implement the Resolution of the 14th National Congress of the Party, the Resolution of the 1st Congress of the Government Party Committee, and the 1st Congress of the Party Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
With the close attention and guidance of the Party and State leaders, the close coordination of all levels and sectors, and the efforts of the entire diplomatic sector, the foreign affairs sector will fulfil the assigned tasks, contributing to the effective implementation of the Resolution of the 14th National Congress of the Party, and contributing to the strong development of the country in the new era of development.
