The ceremony was attended by Politburo member, Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission, and Defence Minister, General Ngo Xuan Lich; Party Central Committee members: Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh; Sen. Lt. Gen. Phan Van Giang, Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army and Deputy Defence Minister; and Sen. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh, Deputy Defence Minister.
At the ceremony, Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh presented the ‘Hero of the People’s armed forces’ title to the Department of Foreign Relations for its great contributions to the Army and the foreign affairs work of the Defence Ministry.
On May 28, 1964, the Minister of Defence issued a decision to establish the Department of External Relations with the task of facilitating the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of Defence to manage and solve all foreign-related issues of the Vietnam People’s Army.
Over the past years, defence diplomacy has played an important role in building trust, resolving disagreements, preventing conflict risks, and contributing practically to protecting the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, strengthening the national defence strength, and enhancing the position of the country and the People’s Army in the international arena.
