President Hô Chi Minh during his visit to Bulgaria in August 1957. Photo: VNA Archives
The diplomatic thought of Ho Chi Minh became the guiding principle of Vietnam’s foreign policy, based on independence, autonomy, peace, cooperation and development; it contributed to strengthening Vietnam’s position, prestige and role on the international stage, while laying the foundations for sustainable national development in this new era.
Diplomacy in the service of development
Dr. Le Trung Kien (Ha Chi Minh National Political Academy) asserts that, in President Ho Chi Minh’s legacy, the principle of “adapting to changing circumstances while preserving the immutable” remains the foundation and guiding principle in the current context. “Independence – Freedom – Happiness” is the immutable principle. In a context of strategic competition, its application must above all result in absolute firmness regarding sovereignty and the path to socialism. Therefore, Vietnam’s foreign policy is not to take sides, but to choose justice and righteousness. Applying the thought of Hô Chi Minh, who advocated “to befriend all democratic countries and not to harbor enmity towards anyone”, Vietnam’s policy consists of not participating in military alliances, not allying with one country against another, but always remaining unwavering in its independence, peace, stability and interests of the Vietnamese people.
The main thing is to always be autonomous, confident, self-sufficient, strong and proud of our nation. Independence is not limited to territorial borders, but also includes independence in leadership and direction, all in service of the goals and path charted by President He Chi Minh and our Party. To achieve political independence, we must be economically self-sufficient. Vietnam needs breakthroughs in defense industry, advanced technologies and energy security. A strong and autonomous economy is the foundation that will allow our voice to carry more weight in international negotiations. International cooperation must be based on a spirit of mutual aid and friendship, and on the truth of our time. We cooperate without isolating ourselves, integrating the best of humanity while relying on our political identity and our socialist orientation. At the same time, instead of favoring a single partner, Vietnam is weaving a network of interdependent interests with all the great powers. When the interests of our partners are closely linked to the stability and development of Vietnam, this constitutes the most effective bulwark to protect our sovereignty.
According to Dr Le Trung Kien, Hô Chi Minh’s thoughts on “popular diplomacy” have today evolved into diplomacy in the service of sustainable development. It is the most direct manifestation of a state “for the people” and “protecting the people”, based on the principle of “the people as the foundation” of diplomatic activity. In the digital age and in a context of deep integration, millions of Vietnamese live, work and study abroad. Diplomacy must apply international law in order to protect the legitimate rights of its citizens, considering this as an indicator of the effectiveness of the administrative and judicial apparatus. At the same time, a rule of law must be transparent, efficient and effective. Diplomacy plays an essential role by drawing inspiration from governance models and experiences in building legal systems from developed countries, in order to perfect the mechanisms in place, control power and better serve the people.
Ho Chi Minh’s thought of combining national strength and the forces of the times is not only a strategy that allowed our nation to achieve independence in the past, but also a guiding principle for building institutions and national governance in the current era of development of the country. According to Hô Chi Minh, the forces of the era reside in the very essence of the theories, progressive movements, scientific knowledge and humanist values specific to this period. Applying this thinking, we cannot make laws in isolation or mechanically copy foreign models.
The strength of our times lies in the international legal system and trade institutions (WTO, EVFTA, CPTPP). The improvement of Vietnamese law must be part of a proactive approach to the integration of international standards in order to protect national interests as soon as possible and from a distance, and to create a transparent legal framework compatible with global standards. However, the basis remains Vietnamese practice; the law must both reflect the modernity of the world and preserve the essence, ethics and socio-political specificities of Vietnam to avoid any legal dilution.
In this new context, the main challenges lie in the conflict between respect for the common rules of international institutions (WTO, CPTPP, etc.) and maintaining a socialist orientation; the confrontation between the opening of cyberspace and the independence of digital sovereignty; Strategic competition between great powers makes it extremely difficult to maintain an attitude of adaptation to changing circumstances. The compulsion to choose a side transforms the maintenance of autonomy in matters of foreign policy into a bitter strategic confrontation; and issues such as climate change, natural disasters, epidemics, armed conflict and cybercrime are global in nature.
President Ho Chi Minh insisted on autonomy, but in the digital world, national borders are blurring rather than becoming tangible. How to reconcile the global circulation of knowledge with the protection of national ideological identity and data security constitutes a significant challenge. How can our laws be compatible with the entire world while still protecting workers’ rights, in accordance with its wishes? Broad cooperation is therefore necessary, but we must be careful not to engage in actions that harm the fundamental interests and just cause of the nation.
Development of foreign relations
Professor Mach Quang Thang, member of the Scientific Council of Lecturers of the National Academy of Political Sciences of Ho Chi Minh. Photo: Le Dong/TTXVN.
Professor Mach Quang Thang (former lecturer at the Hô Chi Minh National Political Academy) said that President Hô Chi Minh laid the foundations of modern Vietnamese diplomacy. According to him, never before had Vietnam had such a foundation, such potential and such international influence, thanks to the deep vision of President Hô Chi Minh’s foreign policy.
From the first years of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, President Hô Chi Minh established a very progressive and open foreign policy: “to be friends with all democratic countries and not to feed of enmity towards anyone.” It even evoked the spirit of “brothers and sisters” – the four seas are safe. According to professor and doctor Mach Quang Thang, this idea of open-mindedness has become the foundation of current Vietnamese foreign policy, and practice shows that we are on the right track, this which allows us to achieve significant success in terms of international integration.
The professor also argued that, in every historical period, Vietnam’s foreign policy has always been linked to the specific situation of the country. Previously, in a global context polarized into two opposing blocs and political systems, Vietnam mainly maintained relations within the socialist bloc and with a few partners adapted to the historical circumstances of the time. However, with the entry into the era of reforms, opening-up and deeper international integration, it has become imperative to develop external relations in all areas and build lasting relationships with many countries and partners around the world.
According to Hô Chi Minh’s ideology, foreign relations are not limited to the expansion of ties, but are also based on sincerity, loyalty and cooperative development. Vietnam is currently working to establish and strengthen comprehensive strategic partnerships, promote cooperation in economic, defense, security and many other fields, while actively contributing to the peace, stability and overall development of the region and the world.
Professor and doctor Mach Quang Thang emphasized that the foreign policy deeply rooted in Ho Chi Minh’s ideology has enabled Vietnam to win not only the affection of its people, but also the respect of many progressive governments and people around the world. Therefore, today it is necessary to further promote the study and application of Ho Chi Minh’s diplomatic thought.
According to him, it is essential to continue the development of external relations and international integration in all areas. Furthermore, in diplomatic relations, it is essential to always maintain a spirit of sincerity, frankness and friendship. Building a lasting friendship is very difficult; it requires a lot of time and trust, while breaking it is very easy.
More importantly, no matter how much its relations develop, Vietnam must remain faithful to its principle of guaranteeing its fundamental national rights while respecting those of its partner countries. Professor and doctor Mach Quang Thang affirms that this is the “immutable” aspect of Ho Chi Minh’s diplomatic thought. These core values include peace, independence, unity and territorial integrity – sacred principles that cannot be compromised under any circumstances. This is also the spirit of “adapting to changing circumstances while preserving the immutable” that President Hô Chi Minh bequeathed to Vietnamese diplomacy.
Do Binh (VNA)
Source : https://baotintuc.vn/thoi-su/kim-chi-nam-cho-duong-loi-doi-ngoai-doc-lap-tu-chu-hoa-binh-hop-tac-va-phat-trien-20260518105010909.htm
