Article by former Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan on Vietnamese diplomatic culture

Respectfully introduce the article of former Deputy Prime Minister:

Following the National Conference on Culture, the National Conference on Foreign Affairs in the spirit of the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress, I suddenly had some thoughts about "diplomatic culture" in the sense of the Vietnamese people's philosophy of behavior in their relations with the world. Moreover, "diplomacy" is considered the "science and art of managing international relations", so it itself has cultural connotations.

Through thousands of years of building and defending the country, our ancestors have cultivated many unique cultural values, including a unique diplomatic culture. Ho Chi Minh's thoughts on diplomacy are the crystallization and development of invaluable values ​​accumulated through the glorious dynasties of Ly, Tran, Le, Tay Son... It is no coincidence that UNESCO once honored our Uncle Ho not only as a "national liberation hero" but also as an "outstanding cultural figure"!

The connotation of “diplomatic culture” is very broad; here I would like to boldly share four outstanding characteristic clusters; which are: steadfast in goals, humane in character, open-minded in spirit and flexible in action.

In the world, there are few nations like ours that throughout history have had to shed so much blood to protect the country from invasions by much stronger foreign powers. The hatred of losing the country has contributed to fostering a passionate patriotism and an iron will to protect the independence of the nation and the sovereignty of the country.

That will of the nation was strongly affirmed in the Declaration of Independence that President Ho Chi Minh read 76 years ago:

“Vietnam has the right to enjoy freedom and independence and in fact has become a free and independent country. The entire Vietnamese people are determined to devote all their spirit and strength, their lives and property, to maintain that freedom and independence.”

Closely linked to the iron will to protect the country's independence and the people's freedom, Vietnamese diplomatic culture always contains a spirit of peace: Vietnam wants to "be friends with all democratic countries and not create enmity with anyone" as Uncle Ho once affirmed. Demonstrating that spirit of peace, he carried out vibrant diplomatic activities to save peace, as shown in the Preliminary Agreement of March 6, 1946, followed by the provisional agreement of September 14 signed during his official visit to France for 5 months to gain more time to prepare for the inevitable war of invasion.

Humanism is another inherent characteristic of Vietnamese diplomatic culture. While upholding national pride, the Vietnamese never harbor national hatred, but on the contrary, they always clearly distinguish between the people and the warlike forces; after the war ended, they always expressed their goodwill to "close the past and look to the future". That character has a very strong power to win people's hearts, including those who were once drawn into the wars of aggression against Vietnam. As a diplomat, I personally had many opportunities to meet them, including those who later held high positions in the government and business circles of those countries.

Proud of our long-standing and rich cultural heritage, we Vietnamese are never closed-minded but always open to receiving the cultural quintessence of both the East and the West; sensitively grasp the major progressive trends of the times; in negotiations always firmly defend the right but not arrogant; in communication always open but not servile; in behavior always humble but not subservient; when entertaining distinguished guests always thoughtful but not constrained...

Regarding human civilization, as early as 1919, President Ho Chi Minh assessed: "In principle, general progress depends on the development of internationalism and civilization is only beneficial when international relations are expanded and strengthened." Another proof of his open-minded spirit is that in December 1946, on the threshold of the resistance war against French colonialism, he sent the United Nations a letter expressing: "For democratic countries, Vietnam is ready to implement the policy of openness and cooperation in all fields" along with very open forms of cooperation that can only be implemented today, in the period of international integration.

In the process of revolutionary struggle in general and diplomatic struggle in particular, a whole system of methods of action has been formed, diverse in types, sophisticated in nature, effective in effects, clearly demonstrating the uniqueness of Vietnamese culture.

Regarding the relationship between power and diplomacy, Uncle Ho once emphasized:“We must rely on strength. With strength, diplomacy will win. Strength is the gong, diplomacy is the sound. The louder the gong, the louder the sound.”(1) That does not mean that diplomacy plays a passive role; on the contrary, the success of diplomacy has, for its part, made a practical and enormous contribution to strengthening real power.

When talking about “real strength”, it should be understood as the combination of both “hard power” and “soft power” expressed in the quintessence of national culture, the indomitable will and solidarity of the entire people; the righteousness of the cause; the correctness of the policy and the sharpness in leadership and management.

The “hard - soft” approaches depending on each issue, each time and each partner; “Our principles are firm but our strategies are flexible”, “We must look broadly, think carefully, Resolutely and relentlessly attack, Losing both carts in the wrong water is a waste, Meeting the right time will also bring success” as Uncle Ho advised are all typical features of Vietnamese diplomacy.

Putting the national cause in the flow of the times, Vietnamese diplomacy always holds high the flag of "combining national strength with the strength of the times; domestic strength with international strength" thereby multiplying its own strength.

Applied skillfully in the revolutionary cause in general and diplomatic activities in particular, the above philosophies have made extremely important contributions to the great victories of our people over the past 76 years.

It can be said that the diplomatic culture left by our ancestors and Uncle Ho is a "national treasure" of Vietnamese civilization.

The skillful application of diplomatic cultural values ​​is not only the job of professional diplomats but also an indispensable requirement for all sectors, all levels, and even for each citizen in the context of the country's unprecedented deep integration with the outside world. It is thought that when interacting with friends near and far at home as well as when going abroad, each of us needs to become "ambassadors" to convey the quintessence of national culture in general and Vietnamese diplomatic culture in particular to the international community. Unfortunately, in the way of behaving with the outside world, there are people who not only fail to "show off" their beauty but also reveal their ugly and unsightly traits. If these blemishes are not washed away, national culture in general and Vietnamese diplomatic culture will be affected.

Applying Uncle Ho's idea: "Culture lights the way for the nation to go", we believe that diplomatic culture will light the way for Vietnamese diplomacy to continuously progress, contributing even more to the country's modernization, bringing Vietnam to the stage of glory, standing shoulder to shoulder with friends around the world as Uncle Ho always wished./.

(1) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, National Political Publishing House Truth, Hanoi, 2011, vol. 1, p. 14