Great significance In 2023, Vietnam will welcome heads of state and leaders of many countries such as China, the US, Singapore, Germany, South Korea, Australia, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, Malaysia, etc. When arriving in Vietnam, in addition to the official schedule, foreign politicians are very interested in walking around the streets, sitting at sidewalk cafes sipping coffee, drinking draft beer, enjoying bread, etc. Foreign politicians walking around the streets with high-ranking Vietnamese leaders, immersing themselves in normal activities, has become a familiar image. Even every time a high-ranking leader visits, people have the opportunity to "guess" what cultural and culinary experiences this leader will have in Vietnam. At the end of November 2023, during his third visit to Vietnam, despite his busy schedule, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh took the time to ride a bike around the streets to feel the autumn in Hanoi. The two Prime Ministers and their entourage passed through Phan Dinh Phung, Nguyen Tri Phuong, Dien Bien Phu and Ton That Dam streets. On the way, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh introduced to Prime Minister Mark Rutte the beautiful scenery and historical structures of Hanoi. The Dutch Prime Minister expressed his impression of Hanoi's beauty, which combines the modern and the ancient. People along the streets were delighted by the strange but somewhat lovely and friendly image of the two Prime Ministers.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Prime Minister Mark Rutte cycle in Hanoi .

As the person who directly cycled with the two Prime Ministers, Vietnamese Ambassador to the Netherlands Ngo Huong Nam shared with Vietnamnet: "I cycled right behind the two Prime Ministers, those were truly touching moments because of the cycling culture inspired by the two leaders right on the streets of Hanoi". Many observant people have realized that the special bicycles that the two Prime Ministers rode were public bicycles being used in the Urban Bicycle project of Hanoi city. The Urban Bicycle project was implemented by the Hanoi People's Committee in coordination with a business, aiming to help people have more options for public transport, change their travel habits to contribute to environmental protection. On the bicycles were attached the logo commemorating the 50th anniversary of Vietnam - Netherlands diplomatic relations, with stylized lotus and tulip images. The image of the two Prime Ministers cycling together conveyed a dual message, first of all, the "greening" of traffic, clean traffic, reducing congestion, and good for health. Mr. Ngo Huong Nam said that this activity is very meaningful in the context that Vietnam is promoting green transformation, emission reduction, climate change response, green economy development, circular economy, energy conversion, and renewable energy development. And Vietnam can refer to and learn from the Netherlands' experience in traffic management, green energy development, and climate change response. Prime Minister Mark Rutte expressed his impression of the capital Hanoi with a history of more than a thousand years with colorful and distinct cultural features, both ancient and modern. This is the second message, which is also what many heads of state, heads of governments and especially millions of tourists have experienced. In July 2023, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife invited Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his wife to visit Hanoi Book Street during his official visit to Vietnam. Looking at books together, over a cup of Vietnamese coffee, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh introduced to the Malaysian Prime Minister the cultural traditions, love of learning and reading culture of the Vietnamese people. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh introduced and presented Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim with the work "Prison Diary" by President Ho Chi Minh, the book "Some theoretical and practical issues on socialism and the path to socialism in Vietnam" by General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, the book "The world's people's feelings for President Ho Chi Minh" and the book "Wandering in Vietnamese culture" by culturalist Huu Ngoc. Recounting this interesting activity to VietNamNet, Vietnamese Ambassador to Malaysia Dinh Ngoc Linh said that when Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim first took office, he highly appreciated Vietnam for its breakthrough development, economic dynamism and especially admired President Ho Chi Minh. The Malaysian Prime Minister himself had political periods with many ups and downs since he was young. For Vietnam, Uncle Ho is a symbol of national unity. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim also wants Malaysia to unite to develop the country. The Ambassador said: “The image of President Ho Chi Minh left a strong impression on the Malaysian Prime Minister. Therefore, after researching and understanding, the Embassy and units of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had the idea to introduce President Ho Chi Minh's works to the Malaysian Prime Minister during the visit to Book Street.” The Ministry of Foreign Affairs quickly made plans to organize this schedule and the books expected to be given to the Malaysian Prime Minister. Ambassador Dinh Ngoc Linh said that this was a delicate and creative activity, meeting the needs of the leaders of the two countries. “Visiting Book Street is a new activity of high-level diplomacy, both showing the reading culture of the Vietnamese people and demonstrating the simple, intimate connection from heart to heart between the leaders of the two countries,” the Ambassador shared. Even now, a few months after the end of his visit to Vietnam, every time he meets the Vietnamese leaders, the Malaysian Prime Minister always mentions President Ho Chi Minh's book. On the occasion of attending the ASEAN - Japan Summit in Japan (December 17, 2023), Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim thanked Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and said that he was translating some poems by President Ho Chi Minh into Malay. Identifying Vietnam Street walking and cultural experiences may just be "side schedules" in the busy schedule when foreign leaders visit our country. But this novelty will create a positive effect and convey the message of a peaceful, friendly, and hospitable Vietnam to friends around the world. Mr. Hoang Huu Anh, Deputy Director in charge of the Department of Cultural Diplomacy and UNESCO (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) told VietNamNet that looking back at recent times, high-level cultural diplomacy has been effective and has had a great spread. “The images of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping enjoying famous Vietnamese teas, President Vo Van Thuong presenting US President Joe Biden with the book 'One man, one path and one history: HO CHI MINH - LETTER TO THE USA', Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and the Japanese Prime Minister learning about the art of calligraphy, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue presenting the General Secretary's book on socialism to the President of the Cuban National Assembly... received a lot of attention not only domestically but also internationally, from neighboring countries, and countries interested in relations with Vietnam,” Mr. Hoang Huu Anh assessed. The Deputy Director in charge of the Department of Cultural Diplomacy and UNESCO emphasized that through these activities, Vietnam's message was sent out strongly. Those simple, familiar images clearly show Vietnam's policy of wishing to cooperate sincerely and effectively with partners. Mr. Hoang Huu Anh said this is an extremely effective way to develop the nation’s “soft power”. It not only connects individual leaders together but also enhances understanding between the Vietnamese people and people of other countries.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visits a beer garden on Duong Thanh Street (Hoan Kiem District) to enjoy Hanoi draft beer and banh mi during his visit to Vietnam in June 2023.

Ms. Le Thi Hong Van, Ambassador, Head of the Vietnamese Delegation to UNESCO (Paris, France) said that the experiences in Vietnam of politicians are truly an opportunity for international friends to understand more deeply about Vietnam, to see the cultural characteristics, daily lifestyle and customs of the Vietnamese people. “International friends have heard a lot, but only when they come here, experience it in person, and participate directly can they see the beauty and depth of Vietnamese culture and people. In addition, they can also see the hospitality, warmth and sincerity of the Vietnamese people. And they can feel that Vietnam is truly a country of innovation, integration, dynamism but still rich in traditional identity. This is what makes up the 'soft power' of Vietnam in the current period,” Ambassador Le Thi Hong Van analyzed. Unlike the tangible, material sources of hard power such as army, weapons, territorial size and population, economic growth... intangible assets such as culture, tradition, and ideological values ​​are increasingly influential. Developed countries that have many similarities with Vietnam such as China, Korea, and Japan not only possess tangible hard power, but also have influential cultures including music, movies, customs, art forms, lifestyles... Vietnam also possesses invaluable assets of "soft power", which few nations have.

Vietnamnet.vn

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