Together with other diplomatic activities, defence diplomacy, which is one of important pillars of Party, state, and people-to-people diplomacy, contributes to enhancing position and prestige of the military and our country in the international arena, attainment of the best interests of the country, and creation and maintenance of a stable, peaceful environment conducive to national building and development as well as firm protection of the Fatherland in the new situation.

In 2023, security and political situations in the region and the world witnessed unforeseeable, complex developments. Major powers stepped up formation of alliances and coalitions. Strategic competition took place fiercely. Local wars and religious, ethnic, armed conflicts occured in some places. These situations have deep influence on all countries around the world. As for our country, under the leadership of the Party and  the serious participation of the whole political system, levels, branches, military, and people, the sociopolitical situation remained stable; economic growth was back on track; building and rectification of the Party and political system as well as prevention and response to corruption and wrongdoings gained considerable results; defence and security were strengthened; diplomacy was conducted in an effective, intensive, extensive, substantive manner; position and prestige of the country were further promoted.

On grasping diplomatic guidelines and policies of the Party and State, international integration and defence diplomacy were carried out synchronously, actively, and proactively; recorded comprehensive achievements both bilaterally and multilaterally; continued to be one of the vital pillars of Party, State, and people-to-people diplomacy; and contributed to defence of the Fatherland from afar, establishment of strategic trust, enhancement of international position and prestige, strengthening of defence power, and firm preservation of a friendly, cooperative, stable, peaceful environment for national development.

Sr. Lt. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien attends the conference reviewing defence diplomacy of 2023

In 2024, regional, international situation is likely to witness further unforeseeable, complex developments. Strategic competition among major powers, armed conflict, and nontraditional security challenges become more and more difficult to predict, deeply affecting peace, security, and development on global scale. ASEAN’s role continues to be respected but strategic competition poses challenges to the strengthening and maintenance of internal solidarity as well as leverage of ASEAN’s centrality in the regional architecture. Dispute and encroachment upon sovereignty over waters and islands potentially result in conflict. Basically, our country has many advantages but confronts numerous new difficulties and challenges. Hostile forces and reactionaries intensify acts of sabotage in many fields, including international integration and defence diplomacy. The entire military, therefore, needs to perceive advantages and disadvantages clearly and brings into play the spirit of solidarity, unity, proactiveness, and creativity to carry out international integration and defence diplomacy effectively, further enhancing position and prestige of the country and People’s Army in the international arena and strenthening defence capabilities in defence of the nation. Some key missions and solutions needed to be taken are as follows.

First, it is necessary to continue to promote propagation and education to raise cadres’ and soldiers’ awareness and responsibility for implementation of international integration and defence diplomacy. This is the most important task and the foundation for ensuring that international integration and defence diplomacy are carried out in the right direction, achieve the best objectives, and create a favourable environment for building and safeguarding the Fatherland. Accordingly, party committees and commanders of departments, units, colleges, etc., continue to grasp and educate cadres and soldiers, especially those in charge of diplomacy, about diplomatic guidelines of the Party and State as provided in the Resolution of the 13th Party Congress, the Resolution of the 11th Military Party Congress, the Resolution of the 8th Plenum of the Party Central Committee (13th tenure) on the Strategy to Safeguard the Fatherland in the New Situation, conclusions and directives of the Politburo, Secretariat of the Party Central Committee, Central Military Commission (CMC), and Ministry of National Defence (MND) as well as principles, objectives, requirements, and missions of international integration and defence diplomacy in the new situation, thereby enhancing their awareness and responsibility for task execution. Form and method for education should be rich, diversified, and close to each subject. Importance is attached to cooperation with news agencies and newspapers in the military and beyond on propagation and education, ensuring aligment with perspectives, guidelines, directions, and principles, strict maintenaince of discipline, and secrecy. During implementation, departments and units in the entire military must work out action pprogrames and plans, which are close to guidance and direction of the CMC and MND on diplomacy. The pprogrames and plans are to be realised flexibly, creatively, and in accordance with each partner, area, and characteristic of missions. After each stage and mission, there is a need to review and draw experience timely and seriously, laying the basis for recommendations and increased quality of implementation in the coming time.

Second, it is important to research and predict situations correctly; proactively give strategic advice to the Party and State about defence relation and cooperation with partners, ensuring effectiveness, substance, balance, and harmony. Good adoption of this solution will contribute to guarantee of the best interests of the country, and peace at home and peace abroad. Accordingly, departments and units in the entire military continue to work closely with functional bodies, especially the Foreign Relations Department, to proactively study and correctly predict regional, international situations and shift in defence, security, diplomacy policy of countries. Of note, there is a need to analyse and clarify intentions, goals, and nature of strategic shift as well as diplomatic activities of major powers and regional countries; the positive and nagative influence on international cooperation, defence diplomacy, and protection of sovereignty over territories, borders, waters, and islands of the Fatherland. This provides a solid foundation for advising the CMC and MND to propose suitable policies and solutions for the Party and State in order to timely and effectively respond to issues concerning defence, security, international integration, and defence diplomacy without falling into surprise in any situations. On the basis of diplomatic perspectives, guidelines, and principles of the Party, it is necessary to carry out defence diplomacy in the new situation in a flexible, creative, effective manner, proactively defending the Fatherland from afar and preserving a stable, peaceful environment; consistently implement the diplomatic guideline of “independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation, and development”; persistently implement the policy of multilateralisation and diversification of diplomatic relations according to the motto of “more friends, fewer enemies” and on the basis of the “four-no” defence policy of Viet Nam; affirm that defence diplomacy is a pillar of the Party, State, and people-to-people diplomacy and contributes to building of the all-people national defence; combine power of the country with that of the time to generate overall power for building and developing the country and firmly defending the Fatherland in the new situation.  

Third, international integration and defence diplomacy are to be conducted actively, proactively, and synchronously in all fields, at all levels, and in accordance with degree of relationship. Today, in the context of rapid, complex, unforeseeable changes in the region and the world, international integration and defence diplomacy need to be carried out synchronously in all fields, at various levels, and in line with degree of relationship. Accordingly, the entire military keeps implementing the MND’s diplomatic prograpme in 2024 in a flexible, creative, close, effective manner with focuses; strengthen and proactively foster defence relation and cooperation with neighbouring countries, major powers, strategic partners, ASEAN member states, and traditional friends on the basis of being steadfast in the “four-no” defence policy, achieving strategic objectives and national interests, and ensuring harmony, intertwined interests, equality, respect, mutual benefit, and compliance with international law. Border diplomacy, service-to-service and arm-to-arm cooperation, professional exchange, cooperation with partners in scientific research, training, exchange of young officers, investment, trade, logistics, military technology, etc., need to be pursued closely, synchronously, and in line with guidelines and policies. Moreover, it is vital to further promote multilateral defence diplomacy according to Directive No. 25-CT/TW, dated 8 August 2018, of the Secretariat; proactively participate in UN peacekeeping operations as provided by Resolution No. 130/2020/QH14, dated 13 November 2020, of the National Assembly. The MND of Viet Nam should also actively take part in and propose invaluable initiatives to defence, military, security forums in the region and the world, notably the ADMM and ADMM-Plus; effectively carry out the Project on organising activities to commemorate the VPA’s 80th anniversary of the foundation day and 35th anniversary of the Whole People’s Defence Festival Day in 2024; make good preparation and successfully host the Viet Nam International Defence Expo in 2024; work closely with commissions, ministries, and branches at the central level, localities, and Viet Nam’s overseas diplomatic missions to make good preparation for high-ranking diplomatic activities of leaders of the Party, States, and the MND.

Fourth, attention should be paid to development of departments and cadres in charge of diplomatic work on a par with requirements and missions in the new situation. These are the key people who directly put guidelines and policies of the Party and State on international integration and defence diplomacy into practice. Departments and units, therefore, must focus on developing the corps of cadres responsible for international integration and defence diplomacy to ensure that they are capable of doing the advisory job and complete tasks well. Party committees and commanders of departments and units in the entire military regularly strengthen diplomatic bodies at all levels, especially the operational- and strategic-level one, according to the new organisational and staffing table. Furthermore, they need to attach importance to recruitment, training, and development of cadres and employees in charge of diplomatic work, especially the young cadres, who have fine dignity, good knowledge and skills, and professional working style. In the context of Viet Nam’s increasingly deep and wide international integration, there needs to promote training in knowledge and skills at international integration, exchange of young officers, sharing of experience, and command of foreign languages, meeting mission requirements in the new situation. Investment should be made in material infrastructure and equipmement in support of international integration and defence diplomacy at home and abroad.

Finally, legal normative documents concerning international integration and defence diplomacy are to be improved. This is a vital task aimed to fully institutionalise perspectives and guidelines of the Party and State on defence diplomacy, meeting emerging requirements and missions. Accordingly, the MND’s departments, units, and forces in charge of defence diplomacy need to proactively cooperate with relevant agencies in reviewing, amending, and promulgating legal normative documents concerning international integration and defence diplomacy, ensuring closeness, synchronicity, unity, and in line with guidelines and policies of our Party and State on diplomacy and international integration as well as international law. This will provide the legal basis and favourable mechanisms for the entire military to carry out diplomatic activities successfully. Additionally, on grounds of operational reality, departments and units in the whole military continue to concretise the guidelines and policies into programmes and plans to implement resolutions and directives of the Party, CMC, and MND, ensuring closeness, synchronicity, unity, and effectiveness.

Senior Lieutenant General, Associate Professor, Doctor HOANG XUAN CHIEN, Member of the Party Central Committee, Member of the Central Military Commission, Deputy Minister of National Defence