Michelle Bachelet and the Song of Vietnam-Chile Friendship

	"For Peace and Friendship among Nations" Medal Awarded to Chilean Ambassador to Vietnam Sergio Narea
	ASEAN, Chile Promote Cultural Understanding, Educational Cooperation

Years of Struggle for Vietnam

Born into a family with a democratic tradition, Bachelet endured many personal losses. Under Chile’s dictatorship, her father, Air Force Brigadier General Alberto Bachelet, died after being tortured. She and her mother were also imprisoned before being forced into years of exile abroad. During those years, Vietnam emerged for her as a symbol of independence and the yearning for freedom.

In the late 1960s, young Michelle Bachelet and her friends walked from the port city of Valparaíso to Santiago, a distance of about 200 kilometers, to protest the war in Vietnam. In 1969, the people of Cerro Navia, a district of Santiago, named a park after President Ho Chi Minh, as a way of preserving in their hearts the image of a resilient nation and the leader they so deeply respected.

In the years that followed, whether in Chile or abroad, Bachelet was always present at demonstrations for Vietnam. Speaking to the Vietnamese press in 2023, she recalled that at the international forum “Support for Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia” in the early 1970s, she and her friends raised their voices against the war and joined in a joint declaration expressing solidarity with the Vietnamese people.

Michelle Bachelet, then President of Chile, met General Vo Nguyen Giap during her visit to Vietnam on November 17, 2006. (Photo: Tuoi Tre Newspaper)

In 1975, while in Australia, she joined the anti-war movement and celebrated with Australian friends on Vietnam’s historic April 30. “It was an incredibly wonderful moment, as we had taken part in so many activities of solidarity with the Vietnamese people. We sang together, we celebrated the victory of the Vietnamese people together. We truly felt immense joy because the Vietnamese people had triumphed, and at last, the day of national reunification had come,” she recounted.

From the solidarity movement in Chile to international forums later on, Michelle Bachelet’s name has been closely associated with voices supporting the Vietnamese people. She has often shared that President Ho Chi Minh was among the leaders she admired most, and with each visit and encounter with Vietnam’s leaders and people, her affection and friendship deepened even further.

Continuing the Song of Friendship

Michelle Bachelet is among the foreign leaders who have visited Vietnam the most, with a total of five visits as of 2023. In 1977, during her years in exile, she secretly traveled with a delegation of the Chilean Socialist Party to Vietnam to learn from its experiences. Later, as President, she made two state visits; another visit was made while she served as United Nations Deputy Secretary-General; and in 2023, she returned to Vietnam on the occasion of the 52nd anniversary of Vietnam-Chile diplomatic relations.

During her two presidential terms (2006-2010 and 2014-2018), Bachelet consistently prioritized strengthening bilateral ties. In 2007, Vietnam and Chile upgraded their relationship to a comprehensive partnership. The Vietnam-Chile Free Trade Agreement, which came into effect on January 1, 2014, opened new opportunities for economic cooperation between the two countries.

Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet reunited with former State President of Vietnam Nguyen Minh Triet in Binh Duong, March 30, 2023. (Photo: Tuoi Tre Newspaper)

On the people-to-people channel, the Vietnam–Chile bond has been nurtured through deeply personal and heartwarming stories. In March 2023, upon returning to Vietnam, Bachelet visited the private residence of former State President Nguyen Minh Triet in Binh Duong. They embraced like family. Nguyen Minh Triet recalled Bachelet’s mother, Ángela Jeria, whom he had regarded as his foster mother since their first meeting in 2006. “Mother Ángela is the only mother in the world to have two children who are heads of state of two different countries,” he said with emotion.

Listening quietly, Bachelet could not hold back her tears. She shared: “I am very glad and happy to be back in Vietnam. I always receive a very special welcome here, especially from my brother Nguyen Minh Triet.”

On March 31, 2023, the delegation led by former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet signed an agreement with Binh Duong Province on the restoration of the Ho Chi Minh Park in Cerro Navia, Chile. (Photo: VNA)

Also during her 2023 visit, Michelle Bachelet promoted numerous projects linking Cerro Navia with Nghe An and Binh Duong, such as restoring the statue of President Ho Chi Minh at Cerro Navia Park and developing the idea of digitizing images of Vietnam to be displayed at train stations, helping Chileans better understand the country. She also suggested expanding cooperation in defense and security, student exchanges, scientific research, and expressed her wish to import more Vietnamese agricultural products.

Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet speaking at the celebration of the 52nd anniversary of Vietnam-Chile diplomatic relations, March 25, 2023. (Photo: Thu Ha)

Speaking at the celebration of the 52nd anniversary of Vietnam-Chile diplomatic relations on March 25, 2023, in Hanoi, organized by the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations, Michelle Bachelet emphasized:

“You have overcome great hardships after the war and succeeded. Chile has done the same. To accompany Vietnam along the path of overcoming common challenges is a most precious experience. We will always stand side by side with Vietnam to maintain and advance the relations between our two countries, so that our peoples may live in peace and in better conditions.”

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