Late Prime Minister Pham Van Dong's legacy – A foundation for modern Vietnamese diplomacy
WVR - On the afternoon of February 24, in Hanoi, the scientific seminar "Pham Van Dong and Foreign Affairs - Vietnamese Diplomacy" was held, chaired by the Diplomatic Academy (Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Member of the Party Central Committee, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Manh Cuong attended and delivered a directive speech at the seminar.
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| Overview of the scientific seminar "Pham Van Dong and Foreign Affairs - Vietnamese Diplomacy". (Photo: Thanh Long) |
The seminar was attended by over 100 delegates, including former leaders of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, former leaders of the Party Central Committee's Commission for External Relations, representatives from various central committees, ministries, research agencies, ambassadors, veteran officials, scientists, experts in foreign affairs, and representatives from units under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as lecturers and students from the Diplomatic Academy.
Notably, the seminar saw the participation of former Member of the Party Central Committee, former Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Dy Nien; Nguyen Tien Nang - former Assistant to the late Prime Minister Pham Van Dong; Tran Tam Giap - former Secretary to the late Prime Minister Pham Van Dong, and Major General Pham Son Duong, son of the late Prime Minister Pham Van Dong, along with his wife.
As an activity towards the 120th anniversary of the birth of the late Prime Minister Pham Van Dong, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Head of the Party Central Committee's Commission for External Relations (March 1, 1906 – March 1, 2026), the seminar focused on discussing and clarifying the outstanding aspects of late Prime Minister Pham Van Dong's thinking, vision, and methodology in foreign affairs; honouring his qualities, thoughts, and legacies in the field of foreign affairs.
The seminar also served as an occasion for generations of foreign affairs officials to remember and pay tribute to his great contributions to the revolutionary cause of the Party, the nation in general, and the diplomatic sector in particular.
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| Member of the Party Central Committee, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Manh Cuong delivering the opening speech at the seminar. (Photo: Thanh Long) |
In his speech at the seminar, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Manh Cuong affirmed that the late Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Head of the Pary Central Committee's Commission for External Relations Pham Van Dong was an outstanding student of President Ho Chi Minh, a steadfast and exemplary communist; a highly respected leader of our Party, State, and people; a brilliant diplomat admired and respected by international friends.
The Deputy Foreign Minister emphasized that Pham Van Dong's diplomatic style embodies sincerity, humility, flexibility yet resolute; profound in theory yet very approachable and easy to understand; prioritizing dialogue, respecting differences, and steadfastly pursuing the goals of peace, cooperation, and development. His name is associated with significant historical events in Vietnamese diplomacy such as the Fontainebleau Conference and the Geneva Conference. His forward-thinking vision laid the groundwork for the country's great victories during the Renewal era.
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| Former Member of the Party Central Committee, Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Dy Nien presenting a paper: "Comrade Pham Van Dong – an outstanding student of President Ho Chi Minh, the elder brother of Vietnamese Diplomacy". (Photo: Thanh Long) |
The seminar clarified the talent, character, and outstanding contributions of late Prime Minister Pham Van Dong - an exemplary diplomat of the Ho Chi Minh era - to the Vietnamese revolutionary cause. With 41 years as a Member of the Party Central Committee, 35 years as a Politburo Member, 32 years as Prime Minister, especially 7 years as Deputy Prime Minister, then Prime Minister, concurrently Minister of Foreign Affairs (1954-1961) and Head of the Party Central Committee's Commission for External Relations (1954-1955; 1960-1961), Comrade Pham Van Dong was always a model of courage, integrity, and strategic vision, always prioritizing the interests of the country and the people.
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| Pham Tien Nang, former Assistant to the late Prime Minister Pham Van Dpng, recounting stories and memories about the late Prime Minister Pham Van Dong. (Photo: Thanh Long) |
The delegates also honoured the foreign affairs legacy of late Prime Minister Pham Van Dong; emphasizing that he was a strategic leader in combining the three fronts of military - political - diplomatic struggle to achieve victory in the nation's prolonged resistance wars; a brilliant, shrewd, intelligent, and creative diplomat with a unique ability to "tell Vietnam's story to the world".
To colleagues and officials in the diplomatic sector, comrade Pham Van Dong was the "elder brother", a "great teacher" second only to President Ho Chi Minh, highly respected and loved by generations working in foreign affairs. He was also a leader with a special charisma, always willing to take time to answer challenging questions from journalists; his heart and erudition won widespread support from international friends for the country's revolutionary cause.
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| Major General Pham Son Duong, son of the late Prime Minister Pham Van Dong, representing the family, speaking at the seminar. (Photo: Thanh Long) |
Comrade Pham Van Dong also devoted much effort to building the diplomatic sector and training foreign affairs personnel. Notably, he emphasized a people-centered approach, upholding principles but applying them flexibly; requiring diplomats to continuously learn - studying politics, professional skills, and foreign languages, and especially learning how to draft documents, a task he valued highly and often personally edited and guided as Prime Minister.
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| Member of the Party Central Committee, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyễn Mạnh Cường delivering the concluding speech at the seminar. (Photo: Thành Long) |
In his concluding remarks at the seminar, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Manh Cuong proudly shared that, along with President Ho Chi Minh - the founder and first Minister of Foreign Affairs, the late Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Van Dong always emphasized the role of diplomacy as an important means to create peace and development, laying a solid theoretical and practical foundation for foreign affairs and international integration to be officially identified as a "key, regular" task at the recently concluded 14th Party Congress.
The lessons learned from late Prime Minister Pham Van Dong's revolutionary activities and works remain valuable today, providing specific directions for implementing the foreign policy of the 14th National Party Congress and building a modern, comprehensive, professional diplomatic sector, gradually elevating comprehensive foreign strategy to new heights.
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| The delegates attending the seminar pose for a commemorative photo. (Photo: Thanh Long) |
