People-to-people Diplomacy Must Directly Nurture Viet Nam-Lao Strategic Connectivity
	Deputy Foreign Minister Ngo Le Van: People-to-People Diplomacy Has Effectively Promoted Vietnam’s “Soft Power”

Chaired by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the conference was attended by Politburo member and Standing Member of the Party Central Committee's Secretariat Tran Cam Tu, Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung, and senior representatives from the Party, the National Assembly, the Viet Nam Fatherland Front, and political and socio-political organizations. According to the review report, over the past year people-to-people diplomacy achieved many notable results, helping deepen and enhance the effectiveness of friendship and cooperation with people of other countries, while creating a favorable social foundation for Vietnam’s multilateral and bilateral diplomatic relations.

Standing Member of the Secretariat Tran Cam Tu delivers a keynote address at the conference. (Photo: Nhan Dan Newspaper).

Politburo member Tran Cam Tu emphasized that under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam and through the profound application of Ho Chi Minh Thought on combining “national strength with the strength of the times,” people-to-people diplomacy has developed strongly and made practical contributions to the country’s revolutionary cause and international integration. He affirmed that people-to-people diplomacy is not a supplementary activity, but a strategic pillar on par with Party diplomacy and state diplomacy, contributing to the creation of a peaceful, stable, and favorable international environment for development.

In 2025, the network of international partners and friends of Vietnam’s people’s organizations, associations, and mass organizations continued to expand, with reputable cooperative relationships across many regions and fields. Activities in cultural and educational exchanges, academic exchanges, business connectivity, and the promotion of cooperation in science and technology, healthcare, and sustainable development helped strengthen trust and tighten bonds of friendship between the people of Vietnam and those of other countries, while promoting the image of a dynamic, friendly, and internationally integrated nation.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ngo Le Van, in discussions with the press, also highly appreciated the role of people-to-people diplomacy in “effectively serving the common objectives of external affairs in 2025,” while stressing the importance of further closely linking this work with Party diplomacy and state diplomacy. Through this, Vietnam not only expands traditional areas of cooperation but also promotes new channels of engagement and diversifies relations with potential partners worldwide.

Standing Member of the Secretariat Tran Cam Tu together with leaders and delegates attending the conference. (Photo: Nhan Dan Newspaper).

Alongside the achievements, opinions at the conference candidly pointed out challenges and shortcomings that need to be addressed, such as insufficiently coordinated mechanisms, uneven quality of some people-to-people diplomatic activities at the local level, and the need to enhance the capacity of staff with in-depth expertise in people-to-people diplomacy. Delegates proposed continuing to innovate working methods, strongly applying information and communication technologies, and strengthening professional training and capacity building to adapt to a rapidly changing global context.

According to experts, people-to-people diplomacy also plays an important role in mobilizing international resources for socio-economic development, responding to climate change, digital transformation, and green and sustainable development - areas identified as strategic priorities in Vietnam’s long-term foreign policy and international cooperation strategy.

The year 2025 concluded with important milestones in people-to-people diplomacy, continuing its central role in Vietnam’s open foreign policy and making practical contributions to enhancing the country’s position on the international stage. The orientations and tasks set out for 2026 also reflect the determination to develop people-to-people diplomacy into a more core, professional, and effective force in the context of deeper international integration.

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