35-Year Legacy - Bridge of Friendship, Cooperation, and Development
	Resolution No. 06-NQ/TW: Advancing People-to-People Diplomacy with Greater Depth, Effectiveness, and Substance

Four key priority tasks

On July 2 in Ha Noi, the Ha Noi Union of Friendship Organizations (Ha Noi Union) held an expanded conference of its Standing Committee and Executive Committee to review people-to-people diplomacy in the first six months of the year and outline directions and tasks for the remaining six months of 2026.

Expanded conference of the Standing Committee and Executive Committee reviewing people-to-people diplomacy in the first six months of the year and outlining directions and tasks for the remaining six months of 2026. (Photo: Dinh Hoa)

Speaking at the conference, Tran Thi Phuong, Standing Vice President of the Ha Noi Union of Friendship Organizations, said that in the coming period, the Ha Noi Union will focus on implementing four key groups of tasks to improve the effectiveness of people-to-people diplomacy and contribute to fulfilling the Capital's development goals in the new era.

First, the Ha Noi Union will continue improving institutional mechanisms and policies while strengthening its organizational structure. It will implement action programs to carry out the Resolution of the 14th National Party Congress, Politburo Resolution No. 02 on building and developing Ha Noi Capital in the new era, and Directive No. 45 of the Ha Noi Party Committee on strengthening people-to-people diplomacy. At the same time, it will accelerate the development of a project to enhance the Capital's people-to-people diplomacy while promoting the role of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front in mobilizing and connecting overseas Vietnamese, intellectuals, experts, entrepreneurs, and expatriates to contribute to the Capital's development.

Second, in the areas of peace, solidarity, friendship, and international cooperation, the Ha Noi Union will continue maintaining and improving the quality of its annual people-to-people diplomacy activities. It will organize a wide range of cultural, sports, and people-to-people exchange events, including the "ASEAN Colors" Friendship Cultural Festival, the Expanded New Ha Noi Newspaper Run for Peace, the international children's painting contest "I Love Ha Noi – City for Peace," the Friendship Cycling Journey for a Green Ha Noi, the Latin American Music Night, and commemorative activities marking important milestones in diplomatic relations between Viet Nam and many countries. In addition, the Ha Noi Union will continue coordinating with municipal departments and agencies to organize major cultural and tourism events, helping promote Ha Noi's image to international friends.

The International Art Exchange Program "Welcome New Year 2026," organized by the Ha Noi Union of Friendship Organizations on January 12, 2026, with the participation of representatives from the embassies of Palestine, Poland, Brunei, Chile, Cuba, Laos, Mongolia, Thailand, and other countries, as well as representatives of international organizations, non-governmental organizations, and international students living, working, and studying in Ha Noi. (Photo: Dinh Hoa)

Third, regarding external communications, the Ha Noi Union plans to organize a working visit to the Russian Federation while welcoming partner delegations from Japan and China. It will continue modernizing external communications by making them more proactive and timely while expanding the application of digital technologies. The organization will maintain publication of the monthly bilingual Vietnamese-English Friendship and Cooperation Newsletter and intensify communication on high-level diplomatic activities, people-to-people diplomacy events, and major milestones in relations between Viet Nam and other countries.

Fourth, the Ha Noi Union will focus on work related to overseas Vietnamese, mobilizing foreign non-governmental aid, and strengthening research and forecasting. It will organize professional training conferences and thematic seminars on people-to-people diplomacy, enhance research and analysis of international developments, and consult the Capital's Advisory Council on People-to-People Diplomacy to improve institutional mechanisms and policies. At the same time, the organization will continue implementing programs to connect intellectuals, experts, entrepreneurs, and overseas Vietnamese while expanding cooperation with international organizations and effectively mobilizing resources to support the Capital's development.

People-to-people diplomacy linked to the Capital's development needs

In her keynote remarks, Pham Thi Phuong Chi, Deputy Director General of the Department of Cultural Diplomacy and UNESCO under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Nguyen Ngoc Hung, Vice President of the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations, highly praised the achievements of the Ha Noi Union during the first six months of 2026.

According to Pham Thi Phuong Chi, the Ha Noi Union has implemented a rich and diverse range of activities, from friendship exchanges and international cooperation to scientific seminars, research, foreign non-governmental aid mobilization, and overseas Vietnamese engagement. Many programs have established a distinctive identity for the Capital's people-to-people diplomacy, including the International Art Exchange Program "Welcome New Year," the Friendship Spring Excursion, the Friendship Journey, and Friendship Exchanges celebrating the traditional New Year of several Asian countries. These activities have not only strengthened solidarity with international friends but also promoted Ha Noi's image as a thousand-year-old city of culture and a City for Peace.

Pham Thi Phuong Chi, Deputy Director General of the Department of Cultural Diplomacy and UNESCO under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (Photo: Dinh Hoa)

Pham Thi Phuong Chi recommended that the Ha Noi Union continue aligning its work with Viet Nam's cooperation priorities with major partners, especially Comprehensive Strategic Partners and Strategic Partners. She also urged the organization to creatively and effectively organize anniversary activities marking diplomatic milestones while promptly completing and implementing projects to strengthen the Capital's people-to-people diplomacy, promote the role of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front in mobilizing foreign non-governmental aid, and connect networks of intellectuals, experts, entrepreneurs, and overseas Vietnamese to contribute to the Capital's development.

Nguyen Ngoc Hung affirmed that the Ha Noi Union is one of the strongest and most innovative organizations within the local union system of friendship organizations. He praised its emphasis on research and policy consultation through conferences, seminars, and thematic workshops, helping improve forecasting quality and policy recommendations amid rapidly changing international circumstances.

Regarding future tasks, he called on the Ha Noi Union to closely follow the Party's, central government's, and city's action programs while enhancing the substantive effectiveness of people-to-people diplomacy in connection with the economy, science and technology, digital transformation, culture, tourism, and green development.

Nguyen Ngoc Hung, Vice President of the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations. (Photo: Dinh Hoa)

He also stressed the need to strengthen the organization's role as a bridge supporting businesses, connecting overseas Vietnamese communities, mobilizing foreign non-governmental aid, and reinforcing partnerships with localities and international partners. The Ha Noi Union should also accelerate digital transformation, build databases, apply technology in management, and improve staff capacity.

The conference participants agreed that the Capital's people-to-people diplomacy must be closely integrated with the development tasks of Ha Noi and the country, shifting decisively from traditional friendship exchanges toward resource connectivity and value creation through cooperation, thereby building a favorable social foundation for diplomacy and enhancing the Capital's standing in the new era.

Concluding the conference, Nguyen Ngoc Ky, President of the Ha Noi Union of Friendship Organizations, expressed sincere appreciation for the guidance, presentations, and contributions made during the event. He said the Standing Committee of the Ha Noi Union would fully incorporate the opinions of central leaders, advisory bodies, and member associations to further improve its reports and enhance the quality of task implementation in the coming period.

Nguyen Ngoc Ky, President of the Ha Noi Union of Friendship Organizations. (Photo: Dinh Hoa)

According to the conference report, during the first six months of 2026, the Ha Noi Union continued affirming its role as the core force in the Capital's people-to-people diplomacy. In addition to advising on numerous important mechanisms and policies to implement Directive No. 45 of the Ha Noi Party Committee and action programs following the Resolution of the 14th National Party Congress, the Ha Noi Union proactively researched and developed projects to strengthen people-to-people diplomacy and connect resources from overseas Vietnamese for the Capital's development. The 2026 Friendship Exchange Program celebrating the traditional New Year of several Asian countries, jointly organized by the Ha Noi Union of Friendship Organizations, the Ha Noi Department of Culture and Sports, and the embassies of Laos, India, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Sri Lanka on April 22, 2026. In the field of international exchanges, many large-scale people-to-people diplomacy activities were successfully organized, including the International Art Exchange Program "Welcome New Year 2026," the Friendship Spring Excursion at Huong Son, Friendship Exchanges celebrating the traditional New Year of several Asian countries, and numerous joint programs with municipal departments to promote Ha Noi's culture, tourism, and image. Diplomatic protocol work was carried out effectively through the reception of numerous international delegations and exchange activities with diplomatic missions. The organization also advised the city to confer the title of "Honorary Citizen of the Capital" on Palestine's Ambassador to Viet Nam, Saadi Salama, in recognition of his contributions to Ha Noi. External communications continued to be modernized and professionalized through the publication of the monthly bilingual Vietnamese-English Friendship and Cooperation Newsletter, expanded application of digital transformation, and close coordination with media agencies to promote the Capital's image to international audiences. The Ha Noi Union also stepped up efforts to mobilize foreign non-governmental aid and connect overseas Vietnamese, intellectuals, and entrepreneurs, helping attract additional resources for socio-economic development while enhancing Ha Noi's international standing.

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