“Turning the past into opportunity”: Vietnamese diplomacy from an international perspective
| Fifty years after the country’s reunification, Vietnam has not only overcome the consequences of war, but also affirmed its position in the international arena with a steadfast but flexible foreign policy. As Mr. Tim Rieser, senior advisor to US Senator Peter Welch, commented: “We realize that we must learn to talk differently, to turn the legacies of war that once caused resentment into opportunities for cooperation.” |
The international scientific conference “50 years of national reunification: The role of diplomacy in peacemaking in history and present” held in Hanoi on April 23rd brought together many experts, scholars and international representatives to look back at Vietnam’s diplomatic journey from war to peace. The sharing at the conference is not only a perspective of the past, but also a suggestion for the future. Vietnamese diplomacy through the lens of witnesses From the United States, writer Lady Borton, who has been associated with Vietnam for more than five decades, emphasized that the victory on April 30, 1975 did not only come from armed force, but was also the result of a wise, proactive, and deeply humane diplomatic strategy. |
Lady Borton, American writer, shares about Vietnamese diplomacy mobilizing international strength for the victory of April 30, 1975. (Photo: Giang Hong)
“Vietnamese diplomacy is not only about lobbying politicians, but also about telling a story – the story of a nation yearning for peace and self-reliance,” Borton said, citing the event in which President Ho Chi Minh answered 21 questions from American journalist Arthur B. Steele in English in 1949 – a move considered an early foreign communication strategy that helped the world understand the true nature of Vietnam’s resistance. According to Ms. Borton, early Vietnamese diplomacy not only performed simple foreign affairs tasks but also pioneered in building the national image.
For Ms. Virginia B. Foote, Vice President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam, the diplomatic journey between Vietnam and the United States is a typical example of transforming conflict into cooperation. She recalled the special relationship between two veterans, John McCain and John Kerry, who disagreed about the war but joined hands to build peace: “They disagreed about the war, but they agreed on peace. And that paved the way for normalization of relations.” |
From left to right: American writer Lady Borton; Ms. Virginia B. Foote, Vice President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam; Ms. Latana Siharaj, Deputy Ambassador of the Lao Embassy in Vietnam.
Ms. Foote also emphasized the role of economic diplomacy alongside political diplomacy. From breaking the embargo, negotiating the Bilateral Trade Agreement, to joining the WTO and now the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, Vietnam has demonstrated a persistent integration mindset. “When I first started, I was worried that American consumers would be hesitant about the label ‘Made in Vietnam’, but now they see it as a sign of quality,” she added. From Dialogue to Development: Diplomacy for the Future From the perspective of a neighboring country, Lao Deputy Ambassador Latana Siharaj called Vietnam a “soul mate” not only in war but also in peace building. She appreciated that Vietnam’s diplomacy not only broke the isolation in the post-war period, but also served as a tool to accompany development: “Vietnam’s diplomacy not only implements foreign policy, but also proactively protects peace, resolves conflicts and creates development.” From support in education, health, infrastructure to defense and training of diplomatic staff for Laos, Ms. Latana said that Vietnam's foreign policy has inspired a model of selfless diplomacy rich in regional community.
Meanwhile, Mr. Tim Rieser, senior advisor to US Senator Peter Welch, affirmed that the normalization of Vietnam-US relations in 1995 was not the end, but the beginning of a three-decade journey of building trust. “We realized that we had to learn to talk differently, to turn the legacies of war that once caused resentment into opportunities for cooperation,” he said. From dioxin remediation and mine clearance to supporting people with disabilities and searching for missing persons, Mr. Rieser said that war legacy cooperation programs have not only healed the past but also opened the door to a long-term future of cooperation. He also appreciated the role of Vietnamese generals and military leaders such as Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh in promoting defense coordination programs, a sensitive but meaningful area of strategic trust between the two countries. From China, Professor Wang Chong, Deputy Secretary General of the Charhar Association, expressed his admiration for Vietnam's diplomatic approach: independent, principled but always flexible and pragmatic. "Vietnamese diplomacy is the art of combining strength and dialogue, maintaining a firm stance while aiming for the long-term goal: peace, unity and national development," he commented. What Vietnam has done, he said, is not only to build effective bilateral relations, but also to tell a consistent and credible “national story” – something that many post-war countries are still struggling to find.
From wartime stories told through authentic personal memories to strategic analyses, the workshop not only helps to portray the special role of Vietnamese diplomacy in the peace process but also suggests many applicable values for the present. If in the past, diplomacy helped Vietnam break isolation and gain recognition, today, diplomacy continues to be the pillar for Vietnam to deeply integrate, protect sovereignty, gain partners and maintain regional peace. “Peace does not come by itself. It is the result of the initiative, courage and wisdom that Vietnamese diplomacy has persistently pursued over the past 50 years,” Ms. Foote said, emphasizing the crystallization of all the messages at the conference. From the perspective of international friends, Vietnamese diplomacy is not only a journey through war, but also a journey to the future - the future of dialogue, understanding and sustainable cooperation. |
According to Nhan Dan Newspaper
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