Tran Thi Phuong, Standing Vice President of the Hanoi Union of Friendship Organizations. (Photo: Dinh Hoa)

When culture becomes a “language” of foreign relations

As localities become increasingly proactive in international integration, their appeal comes not only from economic potential or large-scale cooperation projects. Many places around the world have chosen culture, history and local identity as a “common language” to build trust, foster empathy and expand relations with international friends. People-to-people diplomacy, therefore, is no longer limited to organizing exchange activities, but is increasingly focused on telling authentic stories about the land and its people.

Drawing on its practical experience, the Hanoi Union of Friendship Organizations has also adopted this approach. Instead of developing standardized programs, Hanoi highlights the very values that define the capital’s identity in its people-to-people diplomacy activities. The title “City for peace,” its rich cultural heritage, system of historical and cultural heritage sites, traditional craft villages and distinctive cultural spaces have become “ambassadors” promoting Hanoi’s image to international friends.

Programs such as the New Year International Art Exchange, Friendship Spring Tour, the “ASEAN Cultural Colors” Exchange and the Friendship Cycling Journey for a Green Hanoi have been designed to enhance first-hand experiences. Images of ambassadors, diplomats and representatives of international organizations personally making Bat Trang pottery, weaving Van Phuc silk or exploring traditional cultural values have helped create vivid diplomatic stories that are more readily shared and far more persuasive than conventional introductions.

Every locality has its own advantages in terms of history, culture, landscapes or traditional craft villages. When these values are effectively harnessed in people-to-people diplomacy, local identity becomes not only a distinctive hallmark but also a means of creating connections, enhancing mutual understanding and laying the foundation for long-term cooperation.

The “ASEAN Cultural Colors 2026” Friendship Exchange, organized by the Hanoi Union of Friendship Organizations in coordination with the Embassy of the Philippines and the embassies of ASEAN countries in Viet Nam, on August 19 in Hanoi. (Photo: Dinh Hoa)

From cultural identity to opportunities for cooperation

If local identity is the first “point of connection” with international friends, the ultimate goal of people-to-people diplomacy remains to create practical values for development. This also reflects a notable shift in the approach taken by the Hanoi Union of Friendship Organizations in recent years: moving from individual exchange activities toward a multi-objective approach that closely links people-to-people diplomacy with the city’s socio-economic development.

Accordingly, many external relations activities are aimed not only at strengthening friendship but are also integrated with cooperation promotion, investment environment promotion, business networking, the expansion of relations with international organizations, and engagement with the Vietnamese community overseas. This approach turns each exchange program into an opportunity to promote cooperation across multiple fields, rather than allowing it to end with meetings or ceremonial activities.

To achieve this goal, the Hanoi Union of Friendship Organizations has also placed emphasis on strengthening research and forecasting capacity in people-to-people diplomacy. Regularly updating international developments and enhancing exchanges with experts, scholars and international organizations not only serves advisory work but also helps identify the right partners, the right timing and the right areas for cooperation. Research and forecasting should therefore become tools supporting the planning of people-to-people diplomacy activities in a rapidly changing and increasingly unpredictable world.

Another lesson drawn by the Hanoi Union of Friendship Organizations from its practical experience is the importance of mobilizing the strength of society as a whole in people-to-people diplomacy. Rather than concentrating all activities in a single focal point, the Hanoi Union of Friendship Organizations creates conditions for its member friendship associations to promote their respective strengths, while strengthening coordination with municipal departments, agencies and international partners in mobilizing and coordinating resources. In particular, in the field of foreign non-governmental assistance, a proactive approach of working alongside partners, facilitating procedures, connecting them with localities and monitoring implementation effectiveness has contributed to directing international resources to the localities and groups that need them most.

Practical experience shows that people-to-people diplomacy today should not be measured solely by the number of activities or meetings organized. More importantly, it should be measured by the ability to translate friendship relations into concrete cooperation programs, mobilize resources for development and sustainably promote the image of localities. This is also an approach that many localities can draw on as they seek to renew their people-to-people diplomacy activities in response to the requirements of a new stage of development.

Tran Thi Phuong

Standing Vice President

Hanoi Union of Friendship Organizations

[Infographic] Party’s Orientation on People-to-People Diplomacy The 2019-2026 period marked a new stage in the development of the Party’s perspectives and guidelines on foreign affairs, including people-to-people diplomacy.

[Infographic] Enhancing Effectiveness of Bilateral People-to-People Diplomacy At the central level, the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations has played a facilitating role in developing large-scale bilateral exchange mechanisms. These mechanisms flexibly combine efforts to strengthen political trust and promote the traditional friendship between peoples with substantive cooperation in the economy, digital transformation, green growth, and climate change response. At the local level, provincial and municipal Union of Friendship Organizations have proactively organized annual friendship event series, each reflecting the distinctive characteristics of its locality. These initiatives have transformed grassroots people-to-people exchanges into a practical driving force directly supporting local needs for international integration, investment attraction, and aid mobilization.