Dr. Phan Anh Son, President of the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations. (Photo: Dinh Hoa)

These directions are built upon a comprehensive assessment of the global and regional context, the deep internalization of increasingly high demands set by the Party and State leadership, and the practical realities of the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations and its member organizations at both central and local levels.

Never in recent decades has the world confronted such a complex web of simultaneous upheavals - a fracturing international order, intensifying strategic competition among major powers, localized conflicts across multiple regions, slowing global economic growth, worsening impacts of climate change, and core technologies, especially big data, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and semiconductors, reshaping the dynamics of international relations in unprecedented ways.

Domestically, in thoroughly grasping and implementing the directions of Party and State leaders, the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations and its member organizations have just completed a comprehensive reorganization of their organizational structures and apparatus, adapting to the two-tier local government model nationwide. With a broader geographical scope and a greater workload, the organizational and coordination capacity of the entire system is required to be raised to a new level.

A changing world, the country entering a new development phase, and an organizational system that has just been restructured - these three factors combined place a major responsibility on those engaged in people-to-people diplomacy today: setting out new and overarching orientations for the next five-year journey.

A glorious tradition

People-to-people diplomacy is a unique strategic innovation of our Party and President Ho Chi Minh - a mode of diplomacy deeply imbued with Vietnamese identity, shaped and developed from the aspiration for independence and self-reliance, the nation’s tradition of peace, amity and humanity, Ho Chi Minh’s thought, and the Party’s foreign policy. During the years of struggle for national independence and reunification, it was people-to-people diplomacy that contributed to turning Viet Nam’s aspiration for peace into the conscience of humanity and a shared voice of progressive forces around the world.

Upon entering the period of renewal and international integration, people-to-people diplomacy continued to be an important force contributing to breaking the siege and embargo. It not only brought Viet Nam “out into the world” but also brought the world to every locality and community. With a network of thousands of partners across continents and thousands of peace, solidarity and friendship activities organized each year, people-to-people diplomacy has mobilized aid and contributed to poverty reduction, social welfare, healthcare, education, environmental protection, overcoming the consequences of war, and responding to natural disasters and epidemics. At the same time, it has promoted research, external information activities and work concerning Vietnamese people overseas, contributing to promoting the image of the country and its people and strengthening understanding and trust among nations.

General Secretary To Lam, President Luong Cuong, together with General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping and delegates, perform the launch ceremony for the “Red journey for youth research and study”, Hanoi, April 2025. (Photo: Dinh Hoa)

Within this broader flow, the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations and its member organizations have continued to grow, gradually affirming their core and specialized role in people-to-people diplomacy, becoming bridges of friendship and messengers of peace, conveying to friends around the world the message of a Viet Nam that cherishes peace, remains steadfast and loyal, and acts responsibly.

A major lesson that history has left for those of us engaged in people-to-people diplomacy today is encapsulated in General Secretary To Lam’s observation: The country’s position and prestige lie not only in material strength but also in “soft power”. This encompasses the nation’s glorious history, its rich cultural identity, the great and historically significant achievements of the renewal process, its foreign policy of peace and amity, its harmonious and principled yet compassionate approach to international issues, its respect for international law, and the support and solidarity of people around the world.

Imprints of a challenging term

The 2019-2026 term comes to a close against the backdrop of unprecedented global upheavals, with far-reaching impacts on Viet Nam in general and people-to-people diplomacy in particular. In this context, the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations and its member organizations have made efforts to overcome difficulties, demonstrated resilience and achieved many positive results.

The Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations advised on and organized numerous people-to-people diplomacy activities during visits by Party and State leaders, and successfully organized thousands of people-to-people diplomacy activities at both central and local levels, including events attended by thousands or even tens of thousands of participants. A number of distinctive cooperation mechanisms have been established and maintained regularly with key partners, ranging from the Viet Nam-China People’s Forum and the Viet Nam–Russia People’s Forum to the Viet Nam-US Friendship Festival series, the “Nurturing Friendship” Programme and the “Memorabilia Tell Stories” Contest, as well as activities with partners in ASEAN countries, Europe and traditional partner countries. These efforts have contributed to firmly consolidating political trust, strengthening friendship and creating space for promoting sustainable socio-economic development cooperation.

General Secretary and President To Lam meets with leaders of the Communist Party, left-wing organizations and friends in the United States in New York, September 2024, as part of a program jointly organized by the Commission for External Relations of the Party Central Committee, the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations and the Permanent Mission of Viet Nam to the United Nations. (Photo: VNA)

We successfully hosted the 22nd Congress of the World Peace Council in 2022 and, for two consecutive occasions, led the world in the number of signatures supporting the Nuclear Disarmament Campaign, affirming the responsibility and voice of the Vietnamese people in matters of global peace and security.

Amid a contraction in global international aid, foreign non-governmental aid has remained stable on an annual basis, contributing to the construction of thousands of homes for disadvantaged people under the programme to eliminate temporary and dilapidated housing, the mobilization of hundreds of billions of Vietnamese dong to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and overcome the consequences of natural disasters, as well as trillions of Vietnamese dong for programmes addressing the consequences of war, assisting people with disabilities, supporting healthcare and education, responding to climate change, and creating sustainable livelihoods.

Representatives of foreign non-governmental organizations receive Certificates of Commendation from the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations at the 2024 Contribution Recognition Ceremony. (Photo: Dinh Hoa)

The quality of research, policy advice and external information activities has improved markedly, making practical contributions to the decision-making process on many important foreign affairs issues.

During the 2019-2026 period, the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations was honoured to receive the Ho Chi Minh Order and the First-Class Labour Order in recognition of its efforts and positive achievements in people-to-people diplomacy.

All these achievements, while a source of pride, are not the ultimate destination. Looking squarely at reality, the activities of the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations still have certain limitations: awareness of the role of people-to-people diplomacy remains incomplete in some places; some activities are still formalistic and have yet to generate substantive value; the network of partners in key areas and among influential circles remains disproportionate to requirements; and research and policy advice at times remain focused on specific matters and have yet to keep pace with rapid and complex developments in the world. Clearly identifying these limitations provides the basis for the 7th National Congress to determine new directions and objectives, as well as fundamental solutions, for the new term.

The road ahead

Drawing on the lessons of the past term and in response to the requirements of the country’s new development phase, the 7th National Congress for the 2026-2031 term has set the overarching objective for the entire term as follows: “To build the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations from the central to local levels into a comprehensively strong organization, with a contingent of officials possessing firm political resolve, proficiency in foreign languages and strong professional expertise; to develop an extensive network of international partners with far-reaching influence. To firmly affirm and maximise its core role in the people-to-people diplomacy pillar; to coordinate closely and effectively with Party diplomacy and State diplomacy, contributing to the successful fulfilment of the ‘key and regular’ task, playing a pioneering role in creating and maintaining a peaceful and stable environment, firmly safeguarding the Fatherland at an early stage and from afar, and contributing to bringing the country into a new development phase.”

Alongside the core task of “building a positive and favourable social foundation” for relations between Viet Nam and other countries, people-to-people diplomacy needs to proactively create resources for development, shape the country’s image and national prestige, and create spaces for dialogue to safeguard national interests at an early stage and from afar; substantive effectiveness, as well as the interests of the nation and its people, should serve as the measure of all activities.

Ceremony for signing a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between Friendship Hospital and the N.N. Petrov Research Institute of Oncology within the framework of the first Viet Nam-Russia People’s Forum, September 2025. (Photo: Dinh Hoa)

To translate these orientations into reality, the guiding motto for the entire term has been clearly defined as “Proactive adaptation, creative breakthroughs, practical effectiveness”, together with key groups of tasks and solutions, ranging from raising awareness of the position and role of people-to-people diplomacy to expanding and diversifying external relations; proactively expanding the partner network to new influential groups - intellectuals, parliamentarians, local authorities, businesses, social organizations, networks of scholars, the media and research centres; stepping up resource mobilisation and improving the effectiveness of international resource connections; renewing external information activities; and elevating the quality of research and policy advice.

Building on the foundation laid by previous generations, continuously renewing thinking, approaches, content and methods of operation, and elevating their value - this is the path for the people-to-people diplomacy work of the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations to affirm a position commensurate with the country’s new development requirements.

Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations to Hold National Congress The 7th National Congress of the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO), for the 2026-2031 term, is scheduled to take place on September 14 in Ha Noi. The Congress will be held under the theme “Proactive adaptation - Breakthrough innovation - Practical effectiveness.”

International Friends and Partners Congratulate Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations’ Congress Amid the country’s ongoing process of renewal and advancement, the 7th National Congress of the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations, for the 2026-2031 term, marks the beginning of a new chapter for the Union in carrying out people-to-people diplomacy. Ahead of the Congress, international friends and partners from many regions have sent letters and messages of congratulations, recognizing the Union’s contributions and expressing their desire to continue working alongside it in the years ahead.