International integration and defence diplomacy constitute part of national defence activities, with a view to defending the Fatherland from early and afar, by peaceful means. As the leading competent office in charge of giving advice to the Central Military Commission (CMC) and the Ministry of National Defence (MND) on this important task, the Department of Foreign Relations has been adopting measures synchronously to make itself comprehensively strong and capable of satisfying its task requirements.

In order to receive and manage military experts and technical - logistics materials from friendly countries provided for Vietnam, between 1950 and 1962, the MND had established Special Committee for Festivities, Office No.2 for International Interaction, Secretary Office for Foreign Relations, and Office for Foreign Relations successively. However, when the resistance war against the US for national salvation entered a new period during which we combined military fighting with political and diplomatic struggle, there was a demand for our Army to establish a specialised agency in charge of foreign relations under the focalised, uniform, direct leadership of the CMC and MND. As a result, on 28 May 1964, under Decision 62/QĐ-QP by Minister of National Defence, Foreign Contact Department (renamed Department of Foreign Relations on 4 September 1989) was founded. Right after its foundation, the Department quickly stabilised its organisational structure and assisted the CMC and MND in directing and leading military foreign affairs, receiving friendly socialist countries’ aid, making military contact with other countries, and managing foreign experts in Vietnam, thus significant contributing to the victory in the cause of national liberation and unification.

Receiving the title of Hero of the People’s Armed Forces

In the period of national construction and protection, particularly since 1986, under the Party’s national renovation guidelines and foreign policies, the Department actively expanded Vietnam’s defence cooperation with other countries. Our military diplomacy of that period continued to be an important diplomatic channel; together with State diplomacy, it contributed to breaking embargo against our country, normalising Vietnam’s relations with China and the US, fulfilling the noble international mission, building the Army, consolidating national defence, and firmly protecting the Fatherland.

In the period of international integration, the Department has actively, proactively, opportunely assisted the CMC and MND in giving sound, important advice to the Party and State on policies and strategies relating to national sovereignty, defence and security, international integration, and defence diplomacy, thereby avoiding passivity in all situations. At the same time, it has well performed its functions of managing, guiding, and coordinating defence diplomacy plans, programs, and activities together with other offices and units across the Army. Thanks to the Department’s efforts, Vietnam’s defence relations with other countries and international organisations have been fostered in a deep, effective, stable, long-term, mutually beneficial manner on the basis of international law, thereby guaranteeing the national benefits at the highest level, preventing the risk of conflict, protecting the Fatherland from early and afar, meeting the requirements of Fatherland defence in the new situation. Defence diplomacy has really become an important part of Party diplomacy, State diplomacy, and people-to-people diplomacy, greatly contributing to defending national independence, sovereignty, unification, and territorial integrity as well as protecting the Party, State, people, and socialist regime. International integration and defence diplomacy have also contributed to enhancing defence potential, raising the prestige and status of the Vietnam People’s Army and the country as a whole, and maintaining peace and stability on regional and global scales.

Over the past 60 years of construction and development, cadres and soldiers of the Department have dedicated themselves to building up the tradition of “loyalty, ingenuity, unity, proactiveness, creativity”. With its brilliant achievements, the Department was honoured with the title of Hero of the People’s Armed Forces (2019) and many other noble rewards by the State.

In the upcoming time, global and regional situations will have rapid, complex, unpredictable developments; major powers will intensify force gathering; strategic competition will be more intense; the East Sea will be faced with the risk of disputes and conflicts. Domestically, the country’s position, synergy, and international prestige are increasingly consolidated and raised. However, more serious non-traditional and traditional security challenges will be posed to Vietnam; hostile forces both at home and abroad will continue stepping up their sabotage against our political – social stability. The tasks of Army building, national defence consolidation, and Fatherland protection will have new developments and impose higher requirements on international integration and defence diplomacy. That necessitates the Department making itself comprehensively strong and capable of meeting its task requirements in the new situation, with a focus on several solutions as follows.

Defence cooperation talk between Vietnam and Australia

First, actively, proactively giving advice to the CMC and MND on the work of international integration and defence diplomacy as the central political task. In the upcoming time, the Department will continue to grasp and effectively implement the Party’s foreign policy guidelines mentioned in resolutions and directives of the Party, CMC, and MND, particularly the Resolution of the 13^th Central Party Committee’s 8^th Plenum on the Strategy for Fatherland Defence in the new situation and the CMC’s Resolution 2662-NQ/QUTW, dated 26 February 2024 on international integration and defence diplomacy towards 2030 and beyond. Emphasis will be placed on raising the quality of strategic forecast and staff work for international integration and defence diplomacy. To that end, the Department will closely cooperate with offices, units, and research centres both inside and outside the Army in researching, analysing, anticipating, and assessing situational developments, especially new trends on regional and global scales, major powers’ strategic competition, force gathering, and intervention as well as the situation in the East Sea to opportunely advise the CMC and MND to develop proper defence diplomacy policies and strategies and avoid falling into passivity in any circumstance.

Moreover, due attention will be paid to enhancing the effectiveness of bilateral defence relations, particularly with our neighbours, major powers, strategic partners, comprehensive partners, ASEAN members, and traditional friends, ensuring the highest level of our national interests, equality, mutual gain, and mutual respect in accordance with international practice and law. Great value will be attached to realising documents and agreements signed by Vietnam and other countries and fostering consultation, dialogue, and cooperation in military branches, training, defence industry, military trade, military medicine, search and rescue, border guard, and settlement of post-war consequences to contribute to modernising our Army and raising the prestige and status of our Army and country. In the process, it is necessary to remain steadfast in the issues of principle but flexible in interaction, clearly identify “partners” and “opponents” for both cooperation and struggle, and avoid conflict, confrontation, isolation, dependence, or pressure to “take sides”.

Additionally, consideration will be given to fostering multilateral defence diplomacy under Directive 25-CT/TW dated 8 August 2018 by the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat and proactively responsibly taking part in United Nations Peacekeeping operations under the National Assembly’s Resolution 130/2020/QH14 dated 13 November 2020. Significance will be attached to actively participating in regional and global security mechanisms and forums, proposing initiatives, and expressing Vietnam’s standpoint, particularly at ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) and ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+), with a view to raising Vietnam’s position and gaining support from the international community for the protection of our national sovereignty, security, and benefits.

Second, improving the efficiency of managing, directing, and guiding offices and units’ performance of international integration and defence diplomacy tasks. As the leading agency in this important field, the Department will continue to adopt measures to raise the effectiveness of state management of international integration and defence diplomacy. It will proactively review and develop plans, programs, projects, and agreements on defence cooperation as well as legal normative documents on international integration and defence diplomacy as the basis for organising and managing defence diplomacy activities in the new situation. While stepping up its direction and guidance, it will closely cooperate with offices and units in better performing diplomatic tasks and making elaborate preparation for visits of leaders of the MND, the General Staff, the General Department of Politics, services, and corps to other countries in a safe, economical fashion. It will closely manage and assist diplomatic activities of foreign Military Attaché Delegation in Vietnam and Vietnamese Defence Attaché Offices in other countries under Vietnam’s law and international diplomatic protocol. It will continue to organise training courses for units across the Army on the Party’s guidelines and skills in the work of international integration and defence diplomacy. Besides, it will closely cooperate with military press agencies in stepping up the work of information and propagation relating to international integration and defence diplomacy, with the aim of achieving a consensus within the entire Party, Army, people, and overseas Vietnamese community, cementing international friends’ faith in Vietnam’s foreign and defence policies, and thwarting hostile forces’ plots and artifices against the cause of building and protecting the Socialist Vietnamese Fatherland.

Third, building a strong Department in terms of politics, ideology, morality, organisation, and personnel. The work of international integration and defence diplomacy has been imposing higher requirements on the building of strong party organisations in terms of politics, ideology, morality, organisation, and personnel. For that reason, the Department’s Party Committee and Command will direct all-level party committees and commands to keep grasping and strictly complying with resolutions and directives of the Party, CMC, and MND on Party building, especially the Resolution of the 13^th Party Central Committee’s 4^th Plenum on building and rectifying the Party and political system, the 13^th Party Central Committee’s Resolution 21-NQ/TW dated 16 June 2022 on consolidating and building grass-roots level party organisations and raising the quality of party members in the new period, and the CMC’s Resolution 847-NQ/QUTW dated 28 December 2021 on promoting the virtues of “Uncle Ho’s soldiers”, resolutely combating individualism in the new situation. At the same time, the Department will improve the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of inspection, supervision, and Party discipline work, proactively prevent and combat degradation in political ideology, morality, and lifestyle as well as the signs of “self-evolution” and “self-transformation”, stringently handle violations of discipline committed by party organisations and party members in an objective, transparent, correct, timely way. It will regularly consolidate party committees and party cells and enhance their leadership, combativeness, and capability in giving advice and guidance to the performance of international integration and defence diplomacy work. Emphasis will be placed on building an “elite, compact, strong” Department and a contingent of cadres and employees with political steadfastness, pure morality, a good command of foreign languages, professional working style, creativity, flexibility, and acumen to satisfy the requirements of international integration and defence diplomacy in the new situation.

Maj. Gen. VU THANH VAN

Director of the Department