Embassy of Vietnam in Tanzania: Proud to serve on the frontline of diplomacy

Ambassador Vu Thanh Huyen. (Photo: Embassy of Vietnam in Tanzania)

Ambassador Vu Thanh Huyen, Vietnam's Ambassador to the United Republic of Tanzania, concurrently accredited to the Republic of Kenya, the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, the Republic of Rwanda, the Republic of Uganda, the Republic of Burundi, the Federal Republic of Somalia, and serving as Vietnam's Representative to the African Union, shared these remarks with The World and Vietnam Report ahead of 33rd National foreign affairs conference.

Leveraging the role of the most sensitive "antennas"

The Party and State have affirmed that foreign affairs must continue to play a pioneering role in creating and maintaining a peaceful and stable environment, while mobilizing external resources to serve national development. In your view, how should overseas Representative Missions assert their role to effectively fulfill the vital and regular tasks of Vietnamese diplomacy in this new era? Specifically in Tanzania, what directions has the Embassy been implementing to concrete these objectives?

Entering the new era - the era of the nation's rise - Vietnam's overseas Representative Missions serve as the most sensitive "antennas" and the vanguard force on the foreign affairs front. To effectively fulfill this pioneering role, Representative Missions must always define clear objectives and focus on strongly promoting three core roles:

First, the role of a "Strategic Sensor" in political diplomacy: This is achieved through actively monitoring, researching, and providing timely forecasts on geopolitical and geo-economic shifts within the host region. From there, the Missions can provide deeper and more precise recommendations to the Party and State Leadership on flexible policies to firmly protect national interests from early on and from afar, thereby maintaining a peaceful and stable environment.

Second, the role of a "Bridge and Catalyst" in economic diplomacy: With the mandate of placing economic diplomacy at the center of development dynamics, every Representative Mission must strive to actively seek, connect, and attract high-quality external resources - including capital, technology, management experience, and markets. This directly serves domestic socio-economic development goals and supports Vietnamese enterprises as they venture into the global market.

Third, the role of a "Cultural Ambassador and Protector" in cultural diplomacy and overseas Vietnamese community affairs: We constantly strive to powerfully radiate the values and image of a renovated, self-reliant, and culturally rich Vietnam. Alongside this, we ensure effective citizen protection, foster national great unity, and support the overseas Vietnamese community to become a vital resource contributing to the homeland.

Regarding East Africa in general and Tanzania in particular, these are highly potential markets and traditional, close friends of Vietnam deeply rooted in our history. To concrete the Party's strategic goals, the Embassy of Vietnam in Tanzania has been focusing on key directions to strengthen political trust, creating a foundation for comprehensive cooperation by actively promoting delegation exchanges at all levels, particularly driving breakthroughs in high-level relations.

Ambassador Vu Thanh Huyen paid a courtesy call on Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan. (Photo: Embassy of Vietnam in Tanzania)

Currently, the Embassy is actively coordinating with relevant authorities of both countries to facilitate the official visit to Vietnam by Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, following the invitation of General Secretary and President To Lam. Personally, President Samia Suluhu Hassan has always held a special affection, deep respect, and profound admiration for Vietnam's heroic history of struggle as well as its remarkable socio-economic development achievements today.

For a long time, she has expressed a strong desire to visit the S-shaped country to witness its renovation first-hand and learn from Vietnam's development model. The Embassy is making every effort to soon realize this historic visit, creating a powerful momentum to elevate bilateral relations to a new height.

Concurrently, the Embassy is striving to maximize bilateral cooperation mechanisms to prepare for the 2nd Meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Committee, consolidating the long-standing traditional friendship and creating a favorable legal corridor for economic cooperation.

In addition, we have made effective contributions to economic diplomacy and elevated key investment projects. This includes providing close support and closely accompanying the Halotel (Viettel) telecommunications joint venture in Tanzania. The Embassy actively connects and assists Halotel in engaging more deeply and drawing closer to the host country's ministries, sectors, and government authorities, given that it is an iconic enterprise and the flagship leader of Vietnamese businesses abroad.

To date, Halotel has surpassed 16.5 million subscribers, with a cumulative infrastructure investment of over 1 billion USD, and has officially expanded 5G network coverage across all 26 territories of Tanzania. This stands as the most vivid testament to the prestige, technological capacity, and corporate social responsibility of Vietnamese enterprises in Africa.

The total import-export turnover between the two countries has recently seen continuous growth—estimated at approximately 25% to 38% after 5 years, despite global economic fluctuations. What is most encouraging is that this growth is not merely mechanical but stems from the highly complementary nature of the two economies.

Tanzania has now risen to become one of the largest suppliers of raw cashew nuts to Vietnam's processing plants. Conversely, the East African market increasingly favours high-tech products, electronic components, and high-quality consumer goods manufactured by Vietnam. This vast potential will undoubtedly expand further following the upcoming official visit of President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

Given the unique characteristics and potential of the area, the Embassy is also striving to promote the South-South agricultural cooperation model. Tanzania possesses vast, fertile arable land but lacks advanced technology, whereas Vietnam holds leading expertise and agricultural techniques.

The Embassy will continue to drive tripartite cooperation projects and transfer cultivation and aquaculture technologies to help the host country ensure food security, while simultaneously opening up new development spaces for Vietnamese agricultural experts and enterprises.

Evidently, despite the geographic distance and numerous unique difficulties on the ground, the collective staff of the Embassy of Vietnam in Tanzania continuously maintains a proactive spirit to overcome all hardships. We are determined to outstandingly fulfill our duties, bringing the relations of Vietnam with Tanzania in particular and the East African region in general into a deeper and more substantive phase, thereby making effective contributions to the country's development in this new era.

Ambassador Vu Thanh Huyen meets and engages in a friendly exchange with Tanzania's Minister of Finance, Khamis Mussa Omar, during the Tanzanian Parliament's Traditional Sports Festival. (Photo: Embassy of Vietnam in Tanzania)

Economic diplomacy cannot follow the beaten path

Amidst increasingly complex geopolitical competition and global economic fluctuations, in your view, how should Representative Missions innovate their operational methods to enhance the efficiency of economic diplomacy, proactively seek partners, and expand the cooperation space for Vietnamese enterprises?

The current global context has presented unprecedented challenges alongside fierce geopolitical competition, leading to a trend of shifting and fracturing global supply chains. This is further compounded by rising protectionism and technical barriers. Within this matrix of fluctuations, economic diplomacy cannot follow well-worn paths. Every overseas Vietnamese Representative Mission must compel itself to innovate its mindset and operational methods, shifting from a posture of "passive support and connection" to one of "proactively architecting and accompanying" businesses.

In Tanzania and the East African region, the Embassy has been implementing operational innovations across four core pillars:

First, innovating the mindset by shifting from "Territorial Diplomacy" to "Inter-regional Network Diplomacy": In reality, current economic disruptions do not stop at a nation's borders. East Africa is a deeply integrated economic group (EAC) and is actively integrating into the continent-wide market (AfCFTA).

The Embassy does not view Tanzania merely as a standalone market, but rather positions it as a "gateway and launchpad" for Vietnamese enterprises to access the broader East African market of over 300 million consumers. We proactively establish information networks and connect with inter-regional trade regulatory bodies and East African business associations to grasp policy trends, thereby providing early warnings and strategic roadmap consultations for domestic enterprises.

Second, innovating the approach through a proactive "hunting" strategy for partners and opportunities: Instead of waiting for requests from domestic enterprises or for local partners to reach out, the Embassy proactively seeks partners and builds connections. We work directly with economic ministries, local authorities, and host Chambers of Commerce and Industry to review their priority investment attraction portfolios (such as infrastructure development, agricultural processing, healthcare, and digital transformation).

After screening for reputable partners and viable opportunities, the Embassy proactively "packages" this information and connects directly with relevant Vietnamese industry associations and capable enterprises to suggest ideas and channel trade and investment flows.

Third, innovating the support model to become a legal anchor and on-site risk resolver: The African market in general, and East Africa in particular, is rich in potential but also harbors various legal risks, complex administrative procedures, ethnic conflicts, or international payment risks.

The Embassy innovates by enhancing its local partner verification capabilities. We stand ready as a channel to verify the legal status and credibility of host country enterprises before Vietnamese firms sign commercial contracts. Concurrently, the Embassy acts as a bridge to support the resolution of arising commercial disputes, protecting the legitimate rights and interests of Vietnamese businesses early on to avoid regrettable economic losses.

Ambassador Vu Thanh Huyen, Ms. Tran Thi Thuy Dung, Deputy General Director and representative of Halotel's leadership, along with officials and staff of the Embassy of Vietnam in Tanzania, during a visit to the Political and International Relations Department of the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) Party. (Photo: Embassy of Vietnam in Tanzania)

Fourth, innovating tools by applying digital transformation to economic diplomacy: Maximizing the local telecommunications infrastructure and digital technology advantages driven by Halotel's 5G network, the Embassy continues to innovate trade promotion methods from purely in-person to hybrid formats. We are also coordinating the research and development of a digital database on the East African market so that domestic enterprises can access and study it remotely. This effectively bridges the vast geographical distance between Vietnam and East Africa, saving time and trade promotion costs for businesses.

In summary, from an optimistic perspective, geopolitical competition may create barriers, but fluctuations can also give birth to new development spaces. Through rigorous and decisive operational innovations, the collective staff of the Embassy of Vietnam in Tanzania commits to being a persistent companion and a guiding "lighthouse" to shield and empower Vietnamese enterprises as they confidently explore and conquer the high-potential East African market, making practical contributions to the nation's economic strength in this new era.

Bringing Vietnam-Tanzania relations in line with their potential and stature

Looking toward the journey ahead, what are your expectations for the development of Vietnam-Tanzania relations? In your view, what will be the key milestones that the Embassy aims to achieve to contribute to the goal of elevating national position, prestige, and interests in this new era of development?

Looking toward the journey ahead, I hold immense faith and high expectations for a breakthrough development in Vietnam-Tanzania relations. Our two nations share a solid foundation built upon traditional friendship, high political trust, and especially two highly complementary economies. As Vietnam enters a new era - the era of the nation’s rise - and Tanzania emerges dynamically as an economic hub of East Africa, this bond will not only bring substantive benefits to the peoples of both countries but also unlock new development spaces for both the ASEAN and East African regions.

To realize these expectations while making practical contributions to the goal of elevating national position, prestige, and interests, the Embassy of Vietnam in Tanzania aims to forge the following three major imprints:

The first historic imprint is driving a breakthrough in high-level relations and tightening traditional friendship. The utmost effort of the Embassy during this tenure is to coordinate the successful organization of the official visit to Vietnam by Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, at the invitation of General Secretary and President To Lam. This will mark only the second Head of State-level visit between the two countries in over a decade, since the visit of former President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete - the 4th President of Tanzania - in October 2014.

Ambassador Vu Thanh Huyen presents the Letter of Credence to Ethiopian President Taye Atske Selassie. (Photo: Embassy of Vietnam in Tanzania)

This is not merely a routine diplomatic visit, but one of profound symbolic meaning for the loyal friendship and camaraderie between our two peoples. It will fulfill the long-standing desire and deep admiration that Madame President has personally held for Vietnam.

Crucially, against the backdrop of President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s recent firm re-election for a new term, this visit carries strategic significance and is highly expected to establish a new framework for relations, paving the way for a wave of comprehensive, far-reaching, and substantive cooperation across all fields in the next phase of development.

The second signature imprint is affirming the brand of Vietnam’s technological standing and value chains. The Embassy is determined to closely accompany and support the Halotel (Viettel) telecommunications joint venture, transforming it from a tech icon into a core driver of the digital economy ecosystem, expanding its influence into neighboring East African countries.

Concurrently, the Embassy aims to fundamentally shift the bilateral trade structure from raw commodity trading toward on-site deep-processing cooperation, while promoting the establishment of logistics hubs by Vietnamese enterprises at the gateway Port of Dar es Salaam. Creating these stable value chains will assert Vietnam's investment capacity and management excellence, turning us into a vital strategic economic partner for the host country.

Ambassador Vu Thanh Huyen pays a visit to Nezerwa Orphanage Centre in Burumbuja. (Photo: Embassy of Vietnam in Tanzania)

The third profound imprint is the powerful radiation of our national image and the "softening" of national prestige. In terms of people-to-people diplomacy, we will create a lasting impact by deploying Trilateral Agricultural Cooperation Programs (the South-South model) to assist Tanzania in ensuring food security.

The image of friendly and approachable Vietnamese experts helping local populations serves as the most vivid testament to a responsible, sincere, and peace-loving Vietnam. Regarding cultural and educational diplomacy, we will seamlessly combine the innovation of cultural diplomacy through digital infrastructure with the promotion of educational cooperation and human resource training.

The Embassy aims to connect universities and research institutes of both countries, increase scholarship exchanges, and train Tanzanian students and postgraduates in Vietnam in fields of strength such as high-tech agriculture, information technology, and healthcare. This transfer of knowledge and investment in human capital will bring our identity and goodwill closer to the local youth, thereby building an enduring network of successive generations who cherish, understand, and remain long-term attached to Vietnam in East Africa and Africa as a whole.

In conclusion, I wish to affirm that despite the vast geographical distance and numerous difficulties regarding living and medical conditions on the ground, the collective staff of the Embassy of Vietnam in Tanzania remains immensely proud to be soldiers on the frontline of foreign affairs. We pledge to devote our entire mind, heart, and initiative to achieve these bold milestones.

The Embassy is determined to drive bilateral relations between Vietnam and Tanzania, as well as the diverse, multi-layered cooperative ties between Vietnam and the East African region, to grow even more robustly, matching the stature and potential of all parties, and contributing worthily to the new era of our nation's rise.

Thank you so much!

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