Connecting domestic and international resources
During their days in New York, the high-level Vietnamese delegation took part in many meaningful activities, leaving a special impression through connections of friendship and attachment to the homeland. These included an emotional meeting between General Secretary and President To Lam and US friends, including organisations and individuals who have made many positive contributions to independence, peace, healing the wounds of war, and the national development of Viet Nam, as well as promoting Viet Nam–US relations. The attendees included not only elderly guests but also young people full of enthusiasm. Everyone listened to moving stories and shared their desire to create new development values for peace, prosperity, and the interests of the peoples of the two countries.
Frank Joyce, a member of the US National Council of Elders, is a veteran writer, peace activist, and loyal friend with deep ties to Viet Nam. He was a leading figure in the anti-war movement, opposed compulsory military service, and courageously travelled with a peace delegation to northern Viet Nam in 1970 to build connections between the peoples of the two countries. He shared that since his first visit to Viet Nam in the spring of 1970, he had become increasingly convinced that there was much to learn from Viet Nam. He conveyed the message that older people like him need to make greater efforts to help younger US generations better understand and connect with Viet Nam.
Bradley Schmelzer, a third-generation descendant of a US veteran who fought in Viet Nam, recalled his first trip to Viet Nam in 2015, sharing beautiful memories of the places he visited and people he met, which helped him understand and develop a deep affection for Viet Nam and provided a foundation for promoting connections between younger generations of the two countries. Bradley Schmelzer is currently a member of "The Two Sides Project,” which aims to connect with the children of Vietnamese revolutionary martyrs, helping children from the two sides understand, empathise with, and share with one another, thereby contributing to greater understanding between the peoples of the two countries, healing the wounds of war, and working together towards the future.
General Secretary and President To Lam and the high-level Vietnamese delegation met with representatives of Vietnamese experts and intellectuals in the US working in the fields of artificial intelligence, data, software design, public policy, finance, education, international law, and construction. At the meeting, participants enthusiastically shared their impressions of the innovations in their homeland, the country's potential, and their desire to contribute to the goal of becoming a developed, high-income country by 2045.
Dr. Huynh The Du, Chairman and CEO of the Association of Vietnamese Professionals and Students in the US (VPS), emphasised the role of the Vietnamese community in the US, including experts and intellectuals who help connect Viet Nam with the world's flows of knowledge and technology. He proposed solutions to leverage the resources of overseas Vietnamese experts and intellectuals, such as building a mechanism to connect global experts; and having the state assign specific tasks to knowledge networks, moving strongly from a mechanism of "inviting people to return home" to one of "inviting people to work together to solve problems.”
In particular, the gathering of Party and State leaders and the Vietnamese community drew the largest number of overseas Vietnamese participants to date. Of the more than 2,000 delegates attending, nearly 1,300 were overseas Vietnamese. At the event, General Secretary and President To Lam emphasised that in the country's development in the new era, domestic and international resources must be connected.
The Vietnamese community in the US is the largest Vietnamese community in the world. It encompasses many generations, diverse circumstances, and varying historical perspectives, but with the unchanging truth that "the country of Viet Nam is one, the Vietnamese nation is one,” the community needs to close the chapter on the past and join hands to build the nation's future. This is not only a wish but also the responsibility of our generation towards future generations.
Viet Nam ready to enter a new phase of contribution
In 2027, Viet Nam will mark 50 years of relations with the United Nations. Throughout that journey, Viet Nam has increasingly participated in and made substantive contributions to the organisation's overarching mission, effectively assumed many important responsibilities and positions, and put forward many breakthrough initiatives.
Attending the High-level General Debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, General Secretary and President To Lam delivered an important speech that attracted the attention of international friends. The General Secretary and President emphasised that the theme of this session, "Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations That Delivers for All,” accurately reflects the urgent requirements of our times. The mission of our generation is to jointly guide and manage change so that competition does not become confrontation, differences do not lead to conflict, and scientific and technological progress does not create new divisions.
Sharing major orientations, the General Secretary and President made clear that science, technology, digital transformation, and artificial intelligence are opening unprecedented opportunities, but also presenting challenges. Technological progress does not automatically guarantee fairness. Technological advances must help narrow gaps and expand development opportunities, rather than creating new forms of dependence or sources of conflict. We need to build inclusive, safe, transparent, and responsible governance principles and frameworks, ensuring that technology serves people and respects national sovereignty, digital sovereignty, and the right to development autonomy.
In an interview with Bloomberg TV, the television channel of Bloomberg News, General Secretary and President To Lam affirmed that Viet Nam is ready to enter a new phase of contribution, not only fulfilling its commitments but also taking a proactive role in creating solutions and acting as a responsible member in promoting peace, sustainable development, climate change response, and the shaping of new technology governance.
This is the message of a Viet Nam undergoing profound transformation. During his working visit to the US, General Secretary and President To Lam and the high-level Vietnamese delegation carried out many important bilateral activities. Meetings with leaders of countries and international organisations attending the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly contributed to promoting increasingly stable, substantive, effective, and sustainable cooperation among countries. Regarding the US, the activities provided further momentum and new concrete measures to help the Viet Nam–US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership achieve better results.
Cooperation in addressing the consequences of war continues to be an important foundation for building and strengthening trust between the two countries. During meetings with US friends, General Secretary and President To Lam emphasised the need to continue promoting the distinctive value of Viet Nam–US relations through healing and reconciliation as a sustainable social foundation. Viet Nam will continue to cooperate actively and effectively in the search for US service members missing from the war in Viet Nam; at the same time, it looks forward to the US continuing its partnership in addressing dioxin contamination, clearing unexploded ordnance, supporting persons with disabilities, sharing battlefield records and archival information, and providing DNA analysis support for the “500-day-and-night campaign” to search for, recover, and identify the remains of Vietnamese martyrs.
More than 30 years after establishing diplomatic relations, the two countries have overcome the past together, built trust, promoted bilateral ties, and become a model in international relations. However, General Secretary and President To Lam said that the changes taking place in the world today require the two countries to look beyond what has already been achieved and create a stable, long-term political foundation that is truly commensurate with the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Viet Nam and the US need to deepen economic, trade, and investment cooperation and create additional new value. Science, technology, and innovation need to become new drivers of the relationship.
General Secretary and President To Lam and the high-level Vietnamese delegation successfully concluded their trip to attend the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly and conduct bilateral activities in the US. These achievements reaffirm the diplomatic resolve and integration vision of Viet Nam, which is confidently entering a new era of development.
