President Tran Duc Luong and his mark in the country's comprehensive international integration process

President Tran Duc Luong and Argentine President Nestor Carlos Kirchner sign a Joint Statement (November 22, 2004). Photo: Nguyen Khang/VNA

President Tran Duc Luong is one of the typical leaders of our Party and State in the renovation period. His life and career are a shining example of dedication and devotion to the revolutionary cause of the Party and the people. Born in 1937 in Quang Ngai, he was enlightened about the revolution early, participated in the patriotic student movement, and was admitted to the Communist Party of Vietnam in 1959.

During more than half a century of revolutionary activities, comrade Tran Duc Luong has held many important positions, from geology, teaching, scientific research to leadership positions in the state apparatus. In particular, as a member of the Politburo , Deputy Prime Minister and later President (from 1997 to 2006), he has made many great contributions to the cause of national construction and defense in the context of the country entering a new period of development after the war.

He was an exemplary leader, simple, close to the people, always putting the interests of the nation and people above all else. His life and career were closely linked to the process of comprehensive national renewal, international integration and affirming Vietnam's position in the international arena.

President Tran Duc Luong's visit to the Russian Federation in August 1998 created a new breakthrough in the multifaceted cooperation between the two countries. For the first time, Russian President Boris Yeltsin affirmed that Russia considers Vietnam a strategic partner in Southeast Asia. Photo: Document/VNA

Among the many important contributions of Comrade Tran Duc Luong, the most outstanding mark is probably his role in promoting international integration and enhancing Vietnam's position in the international arena. During his term as President (1997-2006), he represented our State in making many high-level visits to major countries, hosting receptions of heads of state, contributing to establishing and consolidating strategic foreign relations, especially in the context of Vietnam's deep integration into the region and the world.

The 8th Party Congress (1996) proposed the policy of international economic integration. As a member of the Politburo and President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Comrade Tran Duc Luong, together with the highest leadership of the Party and State, directed the implementation of many major orientations to materialize this policy. He made positive contributions to promoting bilateral and multilateral negotiations, laying an important foundation for Vietnam's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO). He directly followed and directed the relevant agencies to build a negotiating stance in line with the country's interests, flexibly resolved outstanding issues with key partners, and at the same time sought the support of developing countries and some influential members of the WTO. Thanks to that, the process of preparing institutions, laws and integration capacity has been accelerated, contributing decisively to the completion of important negotiation steps, paving the way for Vietnam to officially join the WTO in 2007.

He also played an important role in strengthening foreign relations with major countries, notably the official visit to Vietnam by US President Bill Clinton in November 2000. This was a landmark visit in the relationship between the two countries, paving the way for the signing of the Vietnam-US Bilateral Trade Agreement, creating conditions for the Vietnamese economy to gradually integrate with the global market.

Vice Chairman of the Council of Ministers Tran Duc Luong and Vice Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Belarus Nikolay Kostikov signed the Vietnam-Belarus Cooperation Agreement (Hanoi, March 19, 1992). Photo: Xuan Tuan/VNA

He also played an important role in preparing and leading Vietnam to host the APEC 2006 Conference – an important step marking the maturity of Vietnam's foreign affairs.

With great prestige in the Party and the people, he contributed to deepening the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralization and diversification of relations, demonstrating the image of a renewed, dynamic and responsible Vietnam towards the international community, while laying the foundation for the country's comprehensive and extensive international integration process in the following stages./.

Dr. Dao Ngoc Bau - Director of the Institute of International Relations (Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics) (Tin Tuc and Dan Toc Newspaper/Vietnam News Agency)

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/thoi-su/chu-tich-nuoc-tran-duc-luong-va-dau-an-trong-tien-trinh-hoi-nhap-quoc-te-toan-dien-cua-dat-nuoc-20250525070517240.htm