In a warm room in the center of Hanoi, former Vice President Nguyen Thi Binh sat on the sofa waiting for us. She wore an ivory-white vest, her hair was silver and her face was rosy. This appointment - which we, the reporters of VietNamNet, were very lucky to have - took place on the occasion of her 98th birthday (May 26).

With her central accent and occasional witty jokes, she makes the conversation intimate and cozy.

ON THE DAY OF SIGNING THE AGREEMENT, THE SUN IN PARIS WAS SUNLIGHT

Recently, on major national anniversaries, videos and photos of you participating in the Paris Agreement negotiations more than 50 years ago have been shared a lot on social networks. Your memoir "Family, Friends and Country" was recently republished and has been very well received. How do you feel about this?

- I wrote this memoir nearly 20 years ago, and have edited it several times, the most recent being around the 50th anniversary of our country's reunification. The book encapsulates the main events, my thoughts and feelings during my years of revolutionary activities and later, when the country was reunified and at peace. In addition, I have written a number of articles for newspapers.

I am very happy that the pictures, articles and memoirs are well received by readers, including young people. If they read those documents, I hope that young people can draw some experiences for work and life.

As the only woman participating in the four-party negotiations, what were your thoughts when you signed the historic Paris Agreement, changing the fate of the country and people?

- At the end of 1968, I was instructed by the Party to participate in negotiations in Paris. I am very grateful to the leaders for their trust and for entrusting me with this great responsibility. This was probably the longest negotiation in world history, taking place from 1968 to 1973. When I left Hanoi, I did not expect this "special working trip" to be so long.

As head of the negotiating delegation of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam participating in the negotiations, I had many advantages.

First is the struggle of our people, our country is extremely heroic, as a small country, standing up against the oppression and invasion of a big country. Next is the support of countries and international friends. Friends around the world admire and respect the indomitable fighting spirit of our people, they sympathize with the Vietnamese people, sympathize with those who represented the Vietnamese people attending the conference.

The preparatory meeting for the 4-party conference was supposed to start on November 6, 1968, but the US side used the excuse that the Saigon government had not arrived yet so the meeting was not held. Another reason for their delay was about procedures, which emerged as the shape of the table and the way the seats were divided. The fight over the table - in the history of world diplomatic struggles, there has never been such a special way of starting.

For each of us in the two negotiating teams, January 27, 1973 was an unforgettable day. Before that, both teams had to focus on completing the documents, including reviewing and printing. We worked tirelessly until late at night but were still happy...

We received calls and flower baskets from friends in Paris and the provinces, and from friends from neighboring countries to congratulate us on our victory.

On the day of the signing of the agreement, the sky in Paris was sunny, and the delegations arrived at Kléber Avenue one after another. On both sides of the sidewalk and in front of the International Convention Center, people stood crowded among the forest of red flags with yellow stars and flags with yellow stars on a half-red, half-blue background, waving and welcoming us.

When I signed as a representative of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam, representing the people of the South who were fighting, I was both moved and extremely honored. I thought of the South, of my compatriots, comrades, of my family and friends in both the South and the North...

The Paris Agreement was a decisive victory leading to the liberation of the South and the reunification of the country, the result of nearly 20 years of fierce and arduous war for the entire nation.

I am extremely grateful to Uncle Ho and thank the leaders of the Party, the Front and the Provisional Revolutionary Government for entrusting me with this difficult but glorious task.

Former Vice President Nguyen Thi Binh was one of the people who promoted multilateral diplomacy today, by bringing the Francophone Summit to Vietnam in 1997, when the embargo had just been lifted. This was the first international conference that Vietnam hosted.

Madam, do you remember that conference?

- The 6th Party Congress initiated the comprehensive renovation of the country, in which our Party advocated strengthening international cooperation, striving to fulfill national duties and fulfill international obligations to the people of the world.

At the 7th Congress, the Party set out the task of continuing to promote the implementation of an independent, autonomous, open, diversified and multilateral foreign policy.

Knowing French and having attended several Francophone summits, I also know many leaders of the Francophone community. Vietnam hosting the conference is an opportunity for us to introduce a renewed, developed and integrated Vietnam, contributing to promoting cooperation between Vietnam and other countries in the community.

Although our country's material conditions were still difficult at that time, with the help of friends from other countries, we built the infrastructure (conference hall No. 11 Le Hong Phong) and organized the conference very successfully. From that conference, it must be said that the prestige and position of Vietnam in the Francophone community were greatly enhanced.

The 7th Francophone Summit held in Hanoi included a large number of delegates from member countries, mostly led by the President and Prime Minister. This was the largest international conference that our country had hosted up to that time. President Tran Duc Luong delivered the opening speech in French, and French President Jacques Chirac responded on behalf of the guests.

The idea of ​​an economic Francophone has become a reality and is becoming one of the pillars of Francophone cooperation.

During the recent 50th anniversary of the country’s reunification, an international guest who came to our country to attend the ceremony tried every means to meet you. What can you share with your international friends about their affection for you and Vietnam?

- During the 5 years in Paris, in addition to work related to negotiations, I also spent time visiting countries to lobby, call for support, attend conferences, and hold solidarity rallies with Vietnam. Wherever there was an organization inviting us, we took the opportunity to go, from Europe to Africa or to America. We took advantage of every opportunity to propagate and mobilize people of all walks of life, political parties and governments.

When signing the Paris Agreement, the US did not think that Vietnam had fought with France, but right there, we had many close friends supporting us...

After peace was restored, I was assigned tasks by the Party and State, held many positions and worked in people's foreign affairs, so I knew many friends.

Some people say that I have the most international friends for that reason. Many friends around the world know Vietnam through me, so they love and admire me.

I am old, my health is not what it used to be, many of my friends have passed away from this world. Therefore, I always cherish the guests who remember me and love our country.

Last April, a man came to see me, connected via social media to meet, the son of the late Algerian Prime Minister Redha Malek. Mr. Malek was the Algerian Ambassador to France when I participated in the Paris Agreement negotiations. Mr. Malek and the Algerian Embassy helped the delegation a lot. At that time, his son was only 5 years old. To this day, he still remembers me, which is really precious.

We journalists were very impressed with the times you gave interviews to foreign press - a woman surrounded by dozens of international reporters but still tactful in her behavior, intelligent in her answers. What did you share about those press contacts?

- First of all, as the interviewee, you yourself must have a firm stance, remember that the journalist has the right to ask and you have the right to answer. But how to answer so that they are convinced, and understand better the just fight of your people, that is the important thing.

Some people are easily distracted by flashbulbs, the rush of questions, or the crowd. At such times, we had to respond calmly, gently but firmly, and forcefully, without making the question-and-answer session tense. The press at that time was very sympathetic to us.

Having performed many tasks in different positions, I idolize many people. For example, in diplomacy, I consider comrade Xuan Thuy as a teacher who has taught me many lessons.

HAPPINESS IS KNOWING HOW TO LOVE AND BE FAITHFUL

In politics, she is a sharp, intelligent, and courageous woman. So what is Ms. Nguyen Thi Binh like in real life, Madam?

- My husband passed away nearly 40 years ago. Currently, my life has both joys and sorrows. The happiest thing is my family, I have 2 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. The unhappy thing is that some of my children are healthy, some are not. I am too old, I don't know when I will return to Uncle Ho, my comrades, my teammates, and my beloved husband. I just hope my children have a peaceful and healthy life, that is my last wish.

Every day, I still watch TV, read newspapers to update domestic news and I really like reading world news. I also learned to use my phone to read news.

I love eating rice with braised fish, and now I have a routine. I also try to exercise and walk every day to relax. Luckily, I can still see my children and grandchildren, but I can't hear as clearly as before.

She once wrote: “I am a happy person because I married the person I love.” This sounds simple but contains the weight of a lifetime...

- This should be a secret, but after thinking about it for a long time, I still share it with everyone through my memoir. I spent the first part of my memoir talking about this topic. Happiness, in my opinion, is knowing how to love and being faithful.

What makes me happy is that my lover is still faithful even though we have been apart for 9 years. He is in the army in the North and I am in the South. We still wait for each other and when we meet again, we become husband and wife. That is happiness.

I often work away from my family, but my loved ones are always by my side, attached and are the motivation in all my work. I cannot separate the influence and love of my family on every step of my arduous journey - that is the strength and happiness of my life.