Cultural Diplomacy: An Important Pillar to Enhance National Soft Power in the New Era

Presenting a speech at the Patriotic Emulation Congress of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the period 2025-2030 held this morning (November 10), Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Cultural Diplomacy Le Thi Hong Van affirmed that cultural diplomacy needs to make a shift commensurate with the strategic stature of the new period to promote cultural values ​​and the strength of the Vietnamese people.

The guidelines of the 13th Party Congress emphasized the pioneering role of foreign affairs, while at the same time posing new and completely different requirements and tasks regarding the thinking, policies and implementation of cultural diplomacy .

Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Cultural Diplomacy Le Thi Hong Van speaks at the 5th Patriotic Emulation Congress of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs . (Photo: Quang Hoa)

Deeply aware of that, all officers and employees of the Department of Cultural Diplomacy and UNESCO (now the Department of Foreign Affairs and Cultural Diplomacy) always strive to become the main unit of the Ministry in policy advice, promoting the implementation of major issues on cultural diplomacy and multilateral foreign affairs, achieving many meaningful achievements, contributing to the common achievements of the Ministry and the country; making cultural diplomacy an important pillar, effectively implementing foreign policy and foreign affairs goals, including high-level foreign affairs, enhancing national soft power.

In particular, the unit was honored in the Vietnam Glory 2024 program for its outstanding achievements in this work.

Outstanding contributions

In recent times, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Cultural Diplomacy has contributed to advising, proposing policies, creating fundamental changes in awareness and implementation actions such as the Cultural Diplomacy Strategy to 2030 issued by the Prime Minister in November 2021 - an important framework to make cultural diplomacy truly become a task of the entire political system; Conclusion No. 85-KL/TW of the Secretariat on strengthening propaganda, introducing and honoring President Ho Chi Minh - Hero of national liberation, outstanding cultural celebrity to the international community.

The Department has contributed to strongly promoting the image of the country, Vietnamese people, and Vietnamese cultural values ​​to the world, promoting relations with other countries, strengthening trust between Vietnam and international friends, and enhancing the country's strength.

“As the focal point implementing the direction of the Politburo and the Secretariat on honoring President Ho Chi Minh abroad, we have closely coordinated with departments, ministries, branches and localities to implement 15 honoring projects and many activities to honor intangible creations; promoting UNESCO to honor 4 more celebrities, contributing to spreading the values, thoughts, outlook on life and the beautiful world of the Vietnamese people, of which Uncle Ho and celebrities are symbols.

“High-level cultural diplomacy creates important impressions, demonstrates cultural depth, and contributes to increasing political trust with partners. Large-scale cultural diplomacy programs are cultural-economic-political events that promote tourism and promote local and national titles,” said Ms. Le Thi Hong Van.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Cultural Diplomacy always accompanies and supports localities in preserving and promoting heritage values, building and mobilizing new titles, contributing to promoting images, mobilizing resources, promoting sustainable socio-economic development models in localities; supporting the promotion of heritage economic models, UNESCO titles become significant resources for socio-economic development, improving people's livelihoods.

The unit has successfully campaigned for 25 new UNESCO titles, bringing the total number of titles to 75, ranking first in Southeast Asia, exceeding the target of the Cultural Diplomacy Strategy. Among them, there are records that are considered miracles such as the record of preserving the Thang Long Imperial Citadel Heritage, which is considered a typical example of cooperation, opening up the possibility of restoring the Kinh Thien Palace and the Kinh Thien Palace space, which has a significant meaning for the country; successfully campaigning for the Complex and Monuments of Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiep Bac after 11 years to have a new world heritage.

As the Secretariat of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO, the Department has contributed to raising the level of multilateral diplomacy, enhancing Vietnam's prestige and position in the international arena, and deepening the Vietnam-UNESCO partnership.

Over the past 50 years, there have been the most high-level visits between the two sides, with 14, including the historic visit to UNESCO by General Secretary To Lam (October 2024), Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (November 2021) and two visits by the Director General to Vietnam (September 2022, June 2025).

For the first time in history, Vietnam has been highly trusted and simultaneously assumed roles in six key operating mechanisms of UNESCO, including those that directly decide on the inscription of heritages.

Recently, Vietnam was elected as Vice President of the UNESCO General Assembly for the second consecutive time, demonstrating the international community's trust in our ability to contribute and our management capacity.

At the 43rd session of the UNESCO General Assembly in Samarkand city (Uzbekistan), our initiative on the International Decade of Culture for Sustainable Development was approved, an initiative bearing the Vietnamese mark at the global level, contributing to human civilization.

The key to success

The Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Cultural Diplomacy said that the successful results of cultural diplomacy in recent times were due to the strategic decisions and visions, the attention and close direction of the Party and State leaders, and the leaders of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In addition, the achievements in national development, soft power, position, and national prestige are the foundation for gathering international support.

In particular, the participation of the entire political system, Central, local, people, and businesses creates a combined strength, along with the efforts of all brothers and sisters in the unit in building solidarity, training mettle, enhancing love for the industry, dedication to the profession, improving knowledge and professionalism.

Officials and staff of the Department of Cultural Diplomacy and UNESCO (now the Department of Foreign Affairs and Cultural Diplomacy) received honors in the Vietnam Glory 2024 program. (Photo: Nguyen Hong)

According to Ms. Le Thi Hong Van, the country is entering a new era with new missions set for foreign affairs, international integration and development of Vietnamese culture and people.

Therefore, cultural diplomacy needs to change to match the strategic stature of the new era to promote cultural values ​​and the strength of the Vietnamese people, enhance national soft power, and realize the aspiration for national development.

“Cultural diplomacy needs to be implemented in a professional, modern, creative and adaptive manner to new trends of the times, continuing to be a “sharp psychological weapon”, internationalizing culture imbued with Vietnamese national identity and nationalizing world civilization, enhancing the country’s soft power; successfully implementing the country’s major breakthroughs, especially the two 100-year goals, bringing the country into an era of prosperous development”, the Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Cultural Diplomacy emphasized.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/ngoai-giao-van-hoa-tru-cot-quan-trong-nang-cao-suc-manh-mem-quoc-gia-trong-ky-nguyen-moi-333911.html