People's diplomacy implements Uncle Ho's Testament in integration

On November 17, 1950, Uncle Ho wrote a letter to the Conference to establish the Vietnam World Peace Protection Committee, the predecessor of the current Vietnam Peace Committee, and this day has become the traditional day of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations.

On the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the implementation of President Ho Chi Minh's Testament and the 64th anniversary of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO), VNA reporter interviewed Mr. Vu Xuan Hong, Chairman of the VUFO.

President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations Vu Xuan Hong speaks at the congress. Photo: VNA

Here is the interview content.

- Could you tell us about the outstanding contributions of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations in people-to-people diplomacy over the past years?

Mr. Vu Xuan Hong:As we know, on November 17, 1950, Uncle Ho wrote a letter to the Conference to establish the Vietnam World Peace Committee, the predecessor of today's Vietnam Peace Committee. And that day has become the traditional day of the Union and this year we celebrate the 64th anniversary of our traditional day.

Over the past 64 years, generations of cadres working in people's foreign affairs, including member organizations and the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations, have accompanied the foreign affairs forces of the Party and the State in implementing the foreign policy of the Party and the State. We have been very successful in mobilizing the people of the world, especially the progressive people of France, to support the resistance war of the Vietnamese people, leading to the world-famous Dien Bien Phu victory.

We have gained extremely valuable lessons from combining the Party's foreign affairs, State diplomacy and people's diplomacy to form an unprecedented world people's front in the 20th century to unite, protect and support Vietnam.

In each country there are groups in solidarity with Vietnam. In each region there are networks in solidarity with Vietnam. The whole world unites into a movement of the world people's front in solidarity with the Vietnamese people, with a lot of content and rich forms. It is a source of great encouragement for the Vietnamese people in the struggle against American imperialism, national liberation and towards national reunification.

It can be said that in the victory of the Vietnamese people, there is an important contribution from the people of the world, including the contribution of people's diplomacy and the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations.

Entering a period of peace, overcoming the consequences of war, lifting the embargo and moving towards normalizing relations. The Vietnamese people are very friendly and tolerant, not forgetting the past but putting the past behind and looking towards the future. We have been very successful in creating a social consensus, with the support of all classes of people in the world, forces such as veterans, those participating in humanitarian and charitable activities, supporting and helping Vietnam overcome the consequences of war...

It can be said that the field of peace, solidarity and friendship is a very active field with new content. Previously only focusing on political activities, now friendship associations are also a bridge for economic, trade, investment, cultural, scientific and educational relations. Sincere ways of doing things and professional ways of campaigning have had a great significance in creating a new network of international friends of Vietnam.

To overcome the consequences of war, at the same time build the country, especially contribute to the process of hunger eradication and poverty reduction, the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations has inherited the experience from previous generations, and has been very successful in mobilizing foreign non-governmental aid and humanitarian aid for development for Vietnam over the years.

Since 1992, aid worth about 3 billion USD and thousands of projects have been implemented in all provinces and cities across the country; focusing on hunger eradication, poverty reduction, overcoming the consequences of war, solving problems related to the consequences of remaining bombs and mines, supporting victims of Agent Orange... In the new situation, we are mobilizing international friends to support and help with issues related to epidemics, environment, climate change, economic restructuring...

The Union's foreign information and propaganda work has contributed to further strengthening the friendly relations between the Vietnamese people and people of other countries; at the same time, it has contributed to informing and orienting the Vietnamese people to enter the integration process and correctly understand the current international situation.

Currently, in terms of organization, the Union has 112 member organizations, 46/63 provinces and cities have the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations and the trend will grow strongly because now is the integration period. Provinces should have people's diplomacy to enliven their foreign relations. At the Central level, the Union has 66 friendship associations and multilateral committees. All of these organizations are trying to operate effectively, contributing to the implementation of the foreign policy of our Party and State in the current trend of integration and innovation.

- So, can the Union draw lessons from its experience in peace and friendship work and mobilizing foreign non-governmental aid to serve the work of hunger eradication, poverty reduction and national development?

Mr. Vu Xuan Hong:It can be said that Uncle Ho and the Communist Party of Vietnam saw very early the role and position of people-to-people diplomacy. Given the situation of the country, given the geopolitical position of our country, international solidarity is very much needed. We see that, over the 64 years, there are several valuable lessons learned.

Firstly, it is the awareness of the role and position of people's diplomacy as one of the three pillars of Vietnam's diplomacy, including Party diplomacy, State diplomacy and people's diplomacy. The functions and tasks of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations are socio-political organizations specializing in people's diplomacy in the fields of peace, solidarity, friendship, mobilizing foreign non-governmental aid and doing foreign information and propaganda work.

The Party has issued directives on people's foreign affairs and on the Union. The Prime Minister has also made very important decisions to institutionalize the Party's directives. In society, Party committees and authorities at all levels in the country should have a correct, complete and synchronous understanding of people's foreign affairs, on that basis creating conditions for people's foreign affairs to operate more effectively.

The second lesson is that, depending on the specific circumstances, we must follow the motto of people's foreign affairs, which is to be proactive, flexible, creative and effective. This is a very important motto, it has allowed people's foreign affairs to develop over the years.

In mobilizing foreign non-governmental aid, we must first ensure the country's interests, be proactive in mobilizing, manage activities and help foreign non-governmental organizations operate according to Vietnamese law, and make international friends in Vietnam understand Vietnam and become ambassadors for Vietnam in other countries. That is the lesson of winning people's hearts with Vietnamese culture, with our treatment, with our very good implementation of foreign non-governmental aid in each locality, in each sector, at each level.

Finally, it is very important that in the international situation that is changing a lot. The people's foreign affairs force in the past was very excellent and people's foreign affairs work has very strict requirements in terms of expertise, profession, mass mobilization work, the art of persuasion and the art of winning people's hearts.

Therefore, the work of training and fostering to have a team worthy of inheriting the people's foreign affairs career and the 64-year tradition of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations is very important. I think that is a very important lesson that the Union is trying to implement today.

- Ho Chi Minh's thought on pure international solidarity has always been inherited and developed by our Party, State and people over the past 45 years. Could you share the significance of implementing Uncle Ho's Testament in people's foreign affairs when Vietnam is integrating more and more deeply into the world and becoming a reliable partner and responsible member of the international community?

Mr. Vu Xuan Hong:45 years have passed since Uncle Ho made his Will. It can be said that this is a Will that touches the hearts of people, from adults to young people, from Vietnamese people to friends and progressive people all over the world. Uncle Ho wishes that if he were still alive until the day of victory, he would travel to five continents, to brotherly countries to thank the leaders, people, and children of those countries.

Over the years, the Union and all member organizations have done a very good job of expressing gratitude to international friends. It can be said that all movements, organizations, and people who have contributed to Vietnam, in some way, Vietnam has expressed gratitude to friends through inviting friends to return to Vietnam; through care; through giving noble awards from the Party, the State, and people's organizations and continuing to maintain that relationship so that friends continue to support and assist us.

He also had the wish to build a more decent and beautiful country. In the recent past, with its very modest work, the Union and its member organizations have also done their best to mobilize international friends to support and help Vietnam through foreign non-governmental aid, investment and cooperation to serve the cause of innovation, industrialization and modernization of the country.

He also advised on the issue of solidarity, domestic solidarity and international solidarity. Domestic solidarity must be preserved like the apple of one's eye. In international solidarity, the Vietnamese people must have the responsibility to contribute to international peace and solidarity movements.

Through all its activities, especially in multilateral and bilateral activities, the Union has spoken for the Vietnamese people, always being the core nucleus in uniting international friends... Through those activities, we have built a network of international friends. We have also contributed the will, aspirations, correct and just viewpoints of the Vietnamese people to the progressive people's movement in the world.

Uncle Ho is a great example of a passionate revolutionary patriot, a steadfast will, an excellent activist in many fields. Especially in the field of foreign affairs, it can be said that Uncle Ho made decisive contributions at the most important times of the country. And his example, his determination, his foreign affairs activities are always a shining example for all cadres of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations and people working in foreign affairs nationwide to follow.

- In the coming time, peace, cooperation and development will still be the main trend. So in that context, what is new in people's diplomacy and what important tasks should we focus on?

Mr. Vu Xuan Hong:It is true that peace, cooperation and development are still the main trends, but along with the main trends, the world is facing war, terrorism, climate change, territorial disputes, sea and island disputes, epidemics...

We are a force in the foreign affairs army that will try our best to implement the foreign policy of the Party and State, diversify and multilateralize relations, somehow gain the support of international friends, and strengthen the relationship between the Vietnamese people and people of other countries in the world. And in fact, through the recent challenges, we see that international friends continue to support Vietnam, even in the struggle for Vietnam's sovereignty in the East Sea.

On the one hand, the Union continues to mobilize international friends to support Vietnam and unite with Vietnam in the new situation to lay the foundation for the relationship between the Vietnamese people and the people of other countries, to promote relations in economics, trade, culture and other fields.

The second is to continue to mobilize foreign non-governmental aid, how to get friends to help us more. In recent years, the amount of aid has increased by 15-20% each year. Currently, Vietnam has entered the list of lower middle-income countries in the world, but there are still many problems for friends to support, help, share experiences and in this area we need to continue to do better.

The last thing we want to say is that our country is proactive and active in integration. That means we must mobilize everyone to participate. The story of foreign affairs today is not only about politicians, not about businessmen or professional diplomats anymore, but has knocked on the door of every citizen. Therefore, how to help our people understand more about the issues happening in the world is also one of the tasks set.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is striving to build the ASEAN Community by 2015 with three pillars: the Political-Security Community, the Economic Community and the Socio-Cultural Community. So how have the people prepared to participate, how have businesses participated, and how have other forces participated?

Regional integration is posing new tasks. Appropriate ways to motivate people to become active and proactive participants in the country's integration process is also one of the tasks that the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations has been carrying out./.

Thank you very much!

According to Vietnam+