Directive No. 16-CT/TW states that, after nearly five years of implementing Directive No. 12-CT/TW dated January 5, 2022, issued by the Party Central Committee Secretariat on strengthening the Party's leadership and improving the effectiveness of people-to-people diplomacy in the new situation, people-to-people diplomacy has achieved positive results. It has contributed to promoting and expanding friendly and cooperative relations with people in other countries, enhancing Viet Nam's role and standing in regional and international people-to-people mechanisms and forums, and mobilizing resources for national development.

However, people-to-people diplomacy still faces several limitations and shortcomings. Awareness of its strategic position and role remains incomplete and insufficiently profound. Its implementation methods and approaches have not been renewed in a timely manner. Efforts to mobilize support from people in other countries for Viet Nam on several important issues have yet to achieve breakthroughs. Coordination remains insufficiently close, while resources are fragmented and the collective strength of the entire political system and the population has yet to be fully brought into play.

Standing Member of the Secretariat of the Party Central Committee Tran Cam Tu.

Tasks and solutions

Against the backdrop of rapid and complex developments in the regional and global situation, particularly the requirements for successfully implementing the Resolution of the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Viet Nam, Politburo Resolution No. 06-NQ/TW dated May 19, 2026, on implementing the foreign policy adopted at the Party's 14th National Congress, and the country's development policies and strategies, stepping up and elevating the quality of people-to-people diplomacy has become imperative. Accordingly, the Party Central Committee Secretariat requires Party committees and organizations at all levels, state authorities, the Viet Nam Fatherland Front, and socio-political organizations to thoroughly disseminate and effectively implement the following tasks:

Continue to thoroughly disseminate and bring about a strong shift in awareness of the strategic position and role of people-to-people diplomacy as one of the three pillars of foreign affairs, alongside Party diplomacy and State diplomacy, which together create the combined strength of Viet Nam's comprehensive, modern and professional diplomacy.

People-to-people diplomacy is a key and regular task of the entire political system and the whole population. People's organizations, citizens, businesses, entrepreneurs, intellectuals, artists, overseas Vietnamese and other groups are at its center, serving as its key actors and the direct forces responsible for implementation.

People-to-people diplomacy plays an important role in bringing into full play the nation's intellectual resources, cultural identity and humanitarian traditions; mobilizing resources for socio-economic development; and enhancing Viet Nam's role and contributions to world politics, the global economy and human civilization. It must make practical contributions to the cause of national construction, development and defense in the new situation.

Strengthen the Party's comprehensive leadership and the State's unified management, ensuring consistent orientations and close, coordinated and effective cooperation among the three pillars of foreign affairs. Enhance the accountability of heads of agencies and organizations. Promote the role of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front and its member organizations, with the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations serving as the core force, while encouraging the active participation of citizens and overseas Vietnamese communities.

Uphold sincerity, trust and mutual respect in relations with people in other countries; attach importance to building trust and long-term relationships; and strengthen ties with traditional friends while expanding and deepening relations with partners, particularly neighboring countries, comprehensive strategic partners, strategic partners and important partners. Persist in dialogue, enhance mutual understanding, narrow differences and broaden consensus.

Closely combine cooperation with struggle, safeguard national interests to the highest degree, remain steadfast in principles while maintaining flexibility in tactics, and ensure that approaches are appropriate to each partner, geographical area and the specific characteristics of people-to-people diplomacy.

Maintain networks of support for Viet Nam worldwide and expand networks of friends and partners. Leverage the advantages of people-to-people diplomacy in deploying the country's soft power, contributing to strengthening social foundations, building trust, aligning interests, maintaining a peaceful and stable environment, and safeguarding the Fatherland early and from afar. Mobilize and effectively utilize resources to support rapid and sustainable development, improve people's living standards, and successfully achieve the country's development goals by 2030, with a vision to 2045.

Enhance Viet Nam's position and role in the common struggle of people around the world for peace, national independence, democracy, development cooperation and social progress.

Renew thinking on the implementation of people-to-people diplomacy. Shift from “participation” to “contribution and shaping”; from “exchanges, friendship and advocacy” to “connection and alignment of interests”; from “simply mobilizing resources” to “connecting knowledge, technology, innovation and development resources”; and from “relying primarily on specialized personnel” to “promoting the role and resources of the people and the proactive participation of social organizations”.

Substantially renew the methods of implementing people-to-people diplomacy, ensuring that activities are grounded in practical requirements, focused and targeted, and combine immediate tasks with long-term goals. Expand relations while improving the quality and effectiveness of cooperation. Bring into full play the role and strengths of people-to-people diplomacy to effectively address bottlenecks and complex issues in sensitive geographical areas or fields that are difficult for State diplomacy to access.

Develop and regularly update a “people-to-people diplomacy partner map” by geographical area, field and level of priority, serving as a basis for guiding the development of extensive, multi-tiered and multi-sectoral networks of friends and partners that are in-depth and sustainable. Give priority to identifying, proactively connecting with and nurturing relationships with young people, intellectuals, scientists, entrepreneurs, artists, social organizations, and reputable and influential individuals.

Proactively propose initiatives and participate in shaping the content and agendas of regional and international people-to-people mechanisms and forums. Gradually develop initiatives, forums and cooperation networks initiated or co-created by Viet Nam, thereby enhancing the country's voice, standing, capacity to mobilize support and contributions to regional and international issues.

Improve the effectiveness of foreign non-governmental organization (INGO) affairs in a transparent and focused manner, aligning them with development priorities. Shift from “passive reception” to “proactive orientation, selection, monitoring and evaluation of program and project effectiveness”.

The 7th National Congress of the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations for the 2026-2031 term.

Closely link people-to-people diplomacy with national development tasks and the enhancement of national soft power. Give priority to fields such as science, technology, innovation, digital transformation, education, training, culture, tourism, green transition and sustainable development.

Leverage the strengths of people-to-people diplomacy to gain broader access to international social resources; unlock resources, strengthen solidarity and bonds, and promote the role of overseas Vietnamese communities as bridges. Translate these resources into effective and practical programs and projects that serve the country's strategic breakthroughs. Support the business community in accessing partners, markets, knowledge and management experience, thereby enhancing competitiveness and participation in value chains.

Encourage businesses to contribute to and participate in people-to-people cooperation programs, ensuring that such activities are consistent with the functions and responsibilities of relevant organizations and harmonize the interests of all parties. Effectively promote cultural diplomacy and the approach of “winning hearts and minds through diplomacy”; make effective use of cultural heritage, preserve national identity, and promote the historical and cultural values and image of the Vietnamese people. Transform Viet Nam's values and reputation into sources of attraction, respect, trust, understanding and widespread support from the international community.

Renew and modernize people-to-people external communications through proactive, timely, accurate and persuasive approaches. Link external communications with people-to-people exchanges, business cooperation, and the promotion of outstanding Vietnamese products and services, thereby contributing to enhancing the national brand.

Introduce the achievements of Doi Moi (Renewal) and convey messages about Viet Nam's foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, self-strengthening, peace, friendship, cooperation and development. Promote the image of Viet Nam and its people as culturally distinctive, compassionate, faithful, humane and responsible. Foster understanding and consensus, as well as objective and positive international perceptions of Viet Nam.

Step up the application of digital technologies and artificial intelligence, and make effective use of cyberspace and new media platforms. Diversify the actors, content and methods of communication to suit different geographical areas and target audiences. Promote the role of the press, intellectuals, experts, artists, reputable individuals, influential figures and overseas Vietnamese communities in conveying and disseminating information and reaching international audiences.

Proactively identify, refute and effectively counter false, hostile and distorted information and viewpoints about Viet Nam through timely, flexible, tactful and persuasive approaches. Firmly safeguard national interests, the Party's ideological foundation, and the country's international image and reputation, while ensuring that emerging public-opinion issues do not catch the authorities off guard.

Consolidate organizational structures and coordination mechanisms, and ensure that resources allocated to people-to-people diplomacy are commensurate with the country's new position and strength. Build a contingent of specialized personnel for people-to-people diplomacy with firm political commitment, strong research, forecasting and strategic advisory capabilities, proficiency in foreign languages and technology, and the acumen and skills needed to mobilize international support and flexibly address foreign affairs issues, meeting the requirements of their assigned tasks.

Implementation

Regarding implementation, the Directive specifies the following responsibilities:

Provincial Party committees, municipal Party committees, Party committees of centrally administered agencies, Party departments and central Party-affiliated public service units shall organize the dissemination of the directive and develop implementation programs and plans in line with their assigned functions and responsibilities.

The Party Committee of the National Assembly shall lead and direct the review and refinement of relevant legislation, consider and decide on resource-related matters, and conduct supervision within its authority. It shall promote the role of parliamentary diplomacy and friendship parliamentarian groups in coordinating and supporting people-to-people diplomacy activities.

The Party Committee of the Government shall lead and direct the institutionalization of the directive and ensure the necessary resources for its implementation.

The Party Committee for Mass Mobilization, the Fatherland Front and Central Mass Organizations shall lead and direct the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations and people's organizations in effectively implementing the directive, while inspecting and supervising its implementation within the organizations under their management.

The Central Commission for Information and Education shall take the lead, in coordination with the Party Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Party Committee for Mass Mobilization, the Fatherland Front and Central Mass Organizations, and relevant agencies, in providing guidance on the dissemination, communication and implementation of the directive.

The Party Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall take the lead, in coordination with the Party Committee for Mass Mobilization, the Fatherland Front and Central Mass Organizations, and relevant agencies, in advising on and guiding the implementation of the directive, monitoring, urging and inspecting its implementation, and periodically reporting to the Party Central Committee Secretariat. It shall provide unified guidance on performance evaluation and information and reporting procedures, and direct Vietnamese representative missions abroad to support people-to-people diplomacy activities in their respective host countries and coordinate with overseas Vietnamese communities in carrying out these activities.

This directive replaces Directive No. 12-CT/TW dated January 5, 2022, issued by the Party Central Committee Secretariat on strengthening the Party's leadership and improving the effectiveness of people-to-people diplomacy in the new situation. It shall be disseminated to all Party cells.

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