Comrade Nguyen Trong Nghia, Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Head of the Central Propaganda Department, Head of the Steering Committee for External Information Work, presented awards to winning collectives and individuals at the 10th National External Information Awards Ceremony, December 3, 2024_Photo: VNA
Vietnamese national strength and the strength of the new era
Power is a central concept in politics and international relations. Most international interactions are political or have political implications in order to exert power and influence over one or more other actors. In particular, states are said to “seek to maximize relative power with other states, create a balance of power or seek to create a balance of power” (1 ) .
The overall strength of a nation is a combination of material and spiritual, traditional and modern factors, in which the national righteousness and the great solidarity of the people are of particular importance (2) . Professor Joseph Nye - former Dean of the Kennedy School of Public Administration, Harvard University (USA), former Assistant Secretary of Defense of the US - when discussing the strength of nations, generalized it into two forms: "hard power" and "soft power". "Hard power" is a quantifiable category, a tangible resource related to economic and military strength; "soft power" is the sum of invisible factors, such as the culture, ideology and institutions of a nation. "Soft power" is "the ability to create attraction, allure, and appeal so that other countries "voluntarily" change their behavior and policies in accordance with what they desire, instead of forcing them through economic and military strength" (3) .
Vietnam is a country with a long history, tradition and strong national strength to fight and protect independence in thousands of years of building and defending the country. Vietnam's "soft power" originates from its cultural appeal, its system of popular values and national foreign policy resources (4) . Specifically:
Regarding culture: The appeal of Vietnamese culture comes not only from its unique identity, but also from its diversity, richness and ability to absorb foreign cultural elements. Vietnamese culture is “the result of thousands of years of creative labor, the resilient struggle to build and defend the country by the Vietnamese ethnic community, the result of the exchange and absorption of the quintessence of world civilizations to constantly improve itself. Vietnamese culture has forged the Vietnamese soul, spirit and mettle, making the glorious history of the nation shine” (5) . The late Prime Minister Pham Van Dong once affirmed: Vietnamese culture is the red thread running through the entire history of the Vietnamese people, creating a strong vitality, helping the Vietnamese ethnic community overcome countless storms and rapids that seemed impossible to overcome, to constantly develop and grow, writing pages of history by its resilience in adversity, by its heroic spirit in defending and building the country; “Cultural quality... is the quintessence of the nation, the most precious thing that today all Vietnamese people are proud to inherit and develop” (6) . Having gone through many historical events and ups and downs, influenced by many different cultures, Vietnamese culture has not been “assimilated”, but has maintained its identity and demonstrated a strong vitality in its ability to adapt flexibly and creatively.
Regarding normative values: Vietnam's "soft power" lies in its popular normative values, which are the indomitable will, the spirit of perseverance in the struggle for national independence, the tradition of community solidarity, the willingness to share and help each other in times of trouble; along with the spirit of peace-loving, humane, tolerant nature... In which, patriotism and national spirit are among the most proud values. Vietnamese history shows that all victories come from the consensus of the people. The idea of "people are the root" from the time of our ancestors to the Ho Chi Minh era has always been placed at the forefront of all decisions. That has helped Vietnam maintain independence, national unity and win wars to protect national independence and freedom. These values are not only reflected in history, but also in modern times, towards the common interests of the entire nation. Promoting spiritual values to create strength, internal force, important motivation, inevitable requirements, and decisions leading to the success of the current process of innovation and international integration, building and protecting the country.
On foreign policy resources: Vietnam's foreign policy has always demonstrated the desire to live in peace, cooperate and respect differences in a diverse world. Through the ages and up to the Ho Chi Minh era, Vietnam has always demonstrated a spirit of tolerance, readiness to be a friend, a reliable partner and a responsible partner to all countries in the international community. Implementing a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification and multilateralization of foreign relations has helped Vietnam build the image of a dynamic and peaceful developing country. From not having a name on the world map, up to now, Vietnam has established diplomatic relations with nearly 200 countries and territories in different continents, has "special" relations with 3 countries (7) , "comprehensive strategic partnership" relations with 12 countries (8) , "strategic partnership" relations with 8 countries (9) , "comprehensive partnership" relations with 14 countries (10) , economic and trade relations with 230 countries and territories... Participating increasingly actively in regional and global multilateral organizations and forums, including the United Nations, the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (AIPA), the Asia-Europe Cooperation Forum (ASEM)... Successfully organized many international conferences and negotiations, such as the 10th ASEAN Summit, ... ASEM Summit; successfully assuming the role of APEC host in 2006 and 2017; ASEAN Chair in 2010 and 2020; Non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2008-2009 and 2019-2020 terms; US-North Korea Summit in 2019... Through cultural diplomacy and many other diplomatic channels, the world knows more about a rich, beautiful, hospitable, resilient, peaceful, and loyal Vietnam with thousands of years of civilization; Vietnam's prestige and influence in the international arena are increasing; Vietnam's mark is increasingly profound; The "soft power" of Vietnam in general, and of culture in particular, is increasingly multiplied, becoming one of the driving forces for economic and social development, so that "Our country has never had such a foundation, potential, position and international prestige as it does today" (11) .
New Age Power Top of Form are the major trends of the world, the main currents of humanity (12) . More specifically, they are progressive trends in all fields of politics, economics, science - technology, ... along with the forces that determine the direction of peace, democracy, equality and prosperity of nations (13) . In today's era, power comes from: 1- The information technology revolution, artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain technology and other advanced technologies are rapidly changing all fields, from economics, society to education and health. Technology not only promotes economic development, but also strongly affects the way people communicate, work and live; 2- Rapid changes in innovation thinking after the global economic crisis in 2008, pushing countries to focus on creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship and adaptability; 3- Globalization continues to be an important factor of the 21st century, when countries and economies are increasingly connected, expanding trade, cultural, scientific and technological relations. This creates opportunities, but at the same time also brings many challenges, making countries increasingly interdependent.
“Soft power” (culture, education, democratic, ethnic, and national values) is becoming increasingly important in building the national image, thereby creating opportunities, enhancing trust, attracting resources to develop the country, building influence, and raising international status. The implementation of the goal of building the national image from “soft power” resources is also more favorable thanks to the increasingly developed media system. However, in reality, taking advantage of the advantages and conveniences of social media in information and propaganda work can meet the public's need for quick access to information and enhance national influence, but this also becomes a "double-edged sword" because of the risks of network security, bad, toxic information, and fake news that can spread widely in a short time. More seriously, hostile and reactionary forces take advantage of social media to distort and sabotage the Party, the State and the regime, attract and incite riots, protests, and cause insecurity and public order, etc. In general, the above factors not only reflect the strength of the current era, but also create opportunities for resonance when combined with the strength of the Vietnamese people.
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How to use foreign media to increase national strength
According to the concept of scholar David A. Baldwin of Princeton University (USA), countries can increase their influence through four methods: 1- Symbolic method (the appeal of normative symbols and information through speeches, propaganda, stories); 2- Economic method; 3- Military method; 4- Diplomatic method (including diplomatic practices and forms of negotiation and contact) (14) .
From this perspective, foreign communication is considered the main tool to implement the symbolic method and plays an important role in the diplomatic method. At the same time, the economic method and the military method need to be closely combined with the symbolic method and the diplomatic method to achieve the set goals.
Therefore, foreign communication plays an important role in the dissemination and competition of power influence in international relations. The symbolic method and the diplomatic method are the two main contents of foreign communication. To achieve the goal of the symbolic method, mass communication (books, newspapers, television, radio, new media) or direct communication channels through negotiations and contacts are used to persuade the international public (public diplomacy). Based on the characteristics and functions of international communication, it can be seen that foreign communication is the main "soft power" tool to create influence at all three levels: global, national and individual (15) .
External communication has a two-way information role, that is: domestic information directed to the world and information from the international into the country. These are communication activities of the government aimed at the public and foreign governments; are the intentional activities of a country directed at the governments and people of other countries to inform all aspects of its country, to build the image of the country abroad in the way that country desires. External communication is a fairly common method in the world to contribute to increasing the overall strength of the country. Moreover, in the current context, the subject of external communication activities is also expanded, not only in the scope of "government or state agencies", but also includes the role of individuals, such as leaders, intellectuals with great influence in society (scientists, writers, thinkers, culturalists and great artists).
For Vietnam, with the aim of increasing the amount of positive and accurate information about Vietnam to the international community and vice versa, foreign media not only analyzes, evaluates, explains and distills meaningful information for dissemination domestically, but also acts as a bridge to help enhance mutual understanding between Vietnam and its partners, is an important force to promote and enhance Vietnam's reputation and position, and contributes to attracting resources for national development. Currently, Vietnam's foreign media work has many advantages because our country has open diplomatic relations and an increasingly modern, fast and timely information and communication infrastructure system connecting Vietnam with the world. In addition, Vietnam's foreign media force is also increasingly large and diverse, from state agencies at all levels to key media agencies, media organizations, etc.
Some suggestions for Vietnam in promoting the role of foreign media in the coming time
In general, with the conveniences that digital society brings, countries also have to face many information wars from many sides, making it difficult to verify the authenticity. Moreover, the application of AI technology in communication is now quite popular, bringing advantages in creating many rich communication products, but also posing difficulties for foreign communication work, when people use AI for inappropriate purposes. In the trend of globalization and digital transformation that is having profound impacts on each country, the 13th National Party Congress sets the task of "innovating content and methods, improving the effectiveness of foreign propaganda work" (16) . On the basis of the achievements that have been achieved, deeply recognizing the limitations and weaknesses, in order for foreign communication work to promote its role more effectively in the coming time, it is necessary to focus on the following main contents:
Firstly, continue to thoroughly grasp, concretize and effectively organize the implementation of the Party's policy on foreign information and communication work, in order to "strongly promote the national image and strengthen the country's overall strength" (17) . Raise awareness and responsibility of Party committees, Party organizations, authorities at all levels, leaders, cadres, Party members and people, especially agencies and organizations assigned to carry out foreign information work; ensure the highest national interests, in accordance with the relations between Vietnam and other countries, the United Nations Charter, and international law (18) .
Second, constantly promote the strengths of foreign press - an important force in foreign communication work, in promoting and spreading images to the public and the international community in the context of digital technology and digital technology having strong developments; focus on using "social listening" technology to grasp information, build appropriate image promotion content; create short, concise policy messages, "media stories" about the country and people of Vietnam, "create trends", "capture trends" on social media; increase products of clips, videos, images, charts in vivid and easy-to-understand digital form.
Third, promote the use of new media tools in connecting foreign relations activities, helping to gather and unleash resources, creating social consensus to achieve common goals through reporting, explaining and persuading domestic and foreign audiences. The connecting role is a fundamental characteristic of information ( 19) to build strength, because connecting information helps mobilize social resources more effectively. Developing science and technology aims to enable people to master technology, effectively use new media to enhance cultural capital, foster good cultural values, build a healthy cultural environment, contributing to enhancing the "soft power" of the nation.
Fourth , build a comprehensive strategy to promote the country's image, mobilizing the cooperation of the entire political system both domestically and internationally. Currently, in the world, many countries have built a communication strategy, promoting the national brand image very early, implemented on a large scale and successfully; mechanisms and policies are regularly supplemented, updated, and perfected, in accordance with the country's development practices. Build a comprehensive strategy, integrate cultural diplomacy activities in implementing the socio-economic development strategy, cultural development strategy, ... to create resonance in the socio-economic development goals of localities and the whole country. This will be the basis for promoting Vietnam's image to the world to be implemented systematically and effectively.
Fifth, continue to promote the cultural values and images of the country and people of Vietnam, focusing on spreading the values, thoughts, views on life, and progressive and noble worldviews of the Vietnamese people, especially through the images and ideological values of President Ho Chi Minh and celebrities honored by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), helping Vietnam build and maintain good relations with other countries through mutual understanding and respect, creating a foundation for international cooperation and trade. In addition to official diplomatic activities, integrate sideline activities (film screenings, art exhibitions, local product introductions, etc.) with the goal of communicating about the country and people of Vietnam from tradition to modernity. Expand the construction of Vietnamese language and culture centers abroad, popularizing Vietnamese values to the overseas Vietnamese community through generations by preserving language and culture. A positive image of Vietnam can create confidence from international investors and businesses, and stimulate economic development through attracting investment capital and business cooperation.
Sixth, promote communication in education, fundamentally and comprehensively innovate the education and training system, from family, school to society, from the root of the problem is the human factor, personal ethics to public ethics. Public ethics is the result of personal awareness and personal ethical culture. Personal ethical culture is considered the origin of cultural diplomacy and each citizen is the messenger of national culture. It can be seen that it is a series of values and ultimately all point to a deep cause which is education - an issue not only of society, or education and training, but also of each family - the cell of society. When there is correct awareness, each citizen will be a symbol, a "channel" of communication contributing to strongly spreading the cultural beauty of Vietnam to the world community.
In short, foreign media today is not only a simple means of communication, but also an important means for each country to affirm and promote its image and brand. Therefore, the content transmitted on foreign media must closely follow foreign policies and guidelines, and especially be consistent between the contents to effectively implement the value of foreign messages. Practice shows that there are times when foreign media channels do not show consistency in the content of foreign messages. In addition, consistency is also reflected in the identification system on media platforms, the information transmitted must be consistent in terms of messages, content, and characteristic design symbols. This not only helps promote a high level of recognition, but also increases accessibility and increases the level of influence of the message on the international public. In other words, to optimize, the message must be consistent in both content and form, especially it must have identity so that each international audience, when receiving the message, recognizes that these are messages from Vietnam, and are Vietnamese values. Therefore, clearly defining the role and effectively promoting the role of foreign media in combining national strength and the strength of the times is an objective and necessary requirement to contribute worthily to the process of implementing the foreign policy of the 13th National Party Congress, and the upcoming 14th National Party Congress, effectively serving the cause of building and defending the socialist Vietnamese Fatherland in the new situation./.
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(1), (14) David A. Baldwin: “Power and International Relations” in Carlsnaes - W., Risse-Kappen - T., Risse - T., Nguomons - BA (Eds.): Handbook of International Relations , Sage, 2002
(2) Vu Duong Huan: Ho Chi Minh's thoughts on foreign affairs and Vietnamese diplomacy, Hong Duc Publishing House, Hanoi, 2022, p. 56
(3) J. Nye: “Think Again: Soft Power,” EP, February 23, 2006, https://foreignpolicy.com/2006/02/23/think-again-soft-power/
(4) Le Hai Binh - Ly Thi Hai Yen: "The role of foreign information work in promoting Vietnam's soft power resources in the new situation", International Studies Journal, No. 1 (124), March 2021
(5) Documents of the 5th Conference of the 8th Central Executive Committee, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 1998, p. 40
(6) Pham Van Dong: Culture and innovation, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 1994, p. 17
(7) Laos, Cuba and Cambodia
(8) China (2008), Russia (2012), India (2016), South Korea (2022), United States (2023), Japan (2023), Australia (2024), France (2024), Malaysia (2024), New Zealand (2025), Indonesia (2025), Singapore (2025)
(9) Spain (2009), UK (2010), Germany (2011), Italy (2011), Thailand (2013), Philippines (2015), Brazil (2024), Czech Republic (2025)
(10) South Africa (2004), Chile (2007), Venezuela (2007), Argentina (2010), Ukraine (2011), Denmark (2013), Myanmar (2017), Canada (2017), Hungary (2018), Brunei (2019), Netherlands (2019), Mongolia (2024), UAE (2024), Switzerland (2025)
(11), (16), (17) Documents of the 13th National Congress of Delegates, National Political Publishing House Truth, Hanoi, 2021, vol. I, pp. 25, 164 - 165, 155
(12) Nguyen Dy Nien: Ho Chi Minh's Diplomatic Thought, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2008
(13) Vu Duong Huan: Ho Chi Minh's thoughts on foreign affairs and Vietnamese diplomacy, op. cit., p. 57
(15) Ly Thi Hai Yen (Editor-in-Chief), Media and International Relations, National Political Publishing House Truth, Hanoi, 2020, p. 177
(18) Conclusion No. 57-KL/TW, dated June 15, 2023, of the Politburo, "On continuing to improve the quality and effectiveness of foreign information work in the new situation"
(19) Yoval Noah Harari: Nexus, Mega Plus and World Publishing House, 2024, p. 49
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