People-to-people diplomacy: Bridge for mutual understanding, trust building in Vietnam-US relationship
WVR - People-to-people diplomacy has played a very important part in the ups and downs of the relationship between Vietnam and the US, President of the Vietnam-US Society (VUS), Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh said on the 10th anniversary of the Vietnam-US Comprehensive Partnership.
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| Former Ambassador to US Pham Quang Vinh at the 4th Congress of Viet Nam-US Society in 2021. (Photo in courtersy of the owner) |
According to Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh, looking at the whole process of the development of Vietnam-US relationship during the last 28 years of diplomatic relations, 10 years of the Comprehensive Partnership is the strongest, most profound and substantive development period.
It has been demonstrated in the following points:
Firstly, during the past 10 years, there have been consecutive high-level and all-level visits, especially the first visit by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to the US, boosting the cooperation between the two countries on the basis of an expanded comprehensive partnership, deepening the principles of relations of mutual respect for each other’s independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and political system.
Secondly, in 10 years of the Comprehensive Partnership, bilateral economic, trade and investment cooperation remains a bright and extremely important point, in line with the interests of both countries.
Specifically, two-way trade between the two countries has increased more than 3 times, from over 35 billion USD to 139 billion USD. In 2022, the US market officially became Viet Nam’s largest export market, the only market where Vietnam exports were over 100 billion USD.
Furthermore, cooperation in all fields, both bilaterally and multilaterally, has built up their strengths such as cooperation in security and defense, science and technology, education; people-to-people exchanges have been expanded, including people-to-people diplomacy in dealing with aftermaths of the war.
It can be said that the 10 years of the Comprehensive Partnership have laid strong foundation and in the coming time will bring about great prospects for the development of bilateral relations in general, people-to-people diplomacy in particular.
People-to-people diplomacy has played a very important part in the ups and downs of the Viet Nam-US relationship, Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh stated. If viewed from historical length, people-to-people relations in the Viet Nam-US relationship can be seen in two very big distinct stages.
The first phase involved the war period and its aftermaths, which lasted several decades until 1995 when the two sides established diplomatic relations.
“It can be said that Vietnam along with its righteous resistance had created a very large anti-war movement, enlisted the sympathy and affection inside the US, and supported by many strata of American people. There were many American friends who went out to the streets to protest, showing their sympathy with the Vietnamese people along with Vietnam’s righteous war, and when the war ended, they continued to fight for the lifting of the embargo, healing the wounds of the war", the Ambassador noted.
"During this period, there were many touching stories. There were American and Vietnamese veterans who became the bridge for lifting the embargo and normalizing relations. Many American people, individuals and organizations had come to Vietnam to find ways to help the Vietnamese people clear landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) left over from the war, and help those who have suffered the consequences of the war. There were many prominent figures from US Congress, Government and society who had joined in efforts to push for more favorable policies in promoting cooperation between the two countries”, Vinh added.
| "There were many American friends who went out to the streets to protest, showing their sympathy with the Vietnamese people along with Viet Nam’s righteous war, and when the war ended, they continued to fight for the lifting of the embargo, healing the wounds of the war" - Former Ambassador to the US Pham Quang Vinh. |
In the second phase, since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the US, especially during the 10 years of the Comprehensive Partnership, the two countries’ relations have been expanded in all fields, political trust and understanding between the two sides have increased and cooperation frameworks have been strengthened.
In this context, people-to-people diplomacy has continued to be expanded in the direction of continuing to strengthen ties with traditional American friends, who had been attached to Vietnam in protesting the war, lifting sanctions and normalizing relations, and now participating in humanitarian activities, cultural and educational cooperation programs in Vietnam, and connecting the next generations of those American traditional friends.
In fact, according to Ambassador, the VUS has implemented various activities such as “Program from the two sides” to connect children and families of veterans from both sides. A lot of activities in the fields of culture, education, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges have been also carried out to enhance mutual understanding between the two countries.
“Looking back on the path of Vietnam-US relations, people-to-people diplomacy has made active contribution, serving as a bridge to enhance understanding, building trust, and bridging friendship to form a broader and deeper movement during the 10 years of comprehensive cooperation”, said VUS President.
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| Ambasasdor Pham Quang Vinh spoke during a session between the US-Vietnam Business Club and Vietnam-US Bussiness Council. (Photo in courtersy of the owner) |
Referring to the direction of VUS’s activities in the coming time, Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh shared that the 13th Party National Congress as well as the Directive No. 12/CT-TW of the Secretariat of the Party Central Committee in 2022 stated that people-to-people diplomacy is among three pillars constituting Vietnam's comprehensive foreign policy (Party diplomacy, State diplomacy and people-to-people diplomacy), creating synergy for the country.
The VUS also aimed at a vision of further developing people-to-people diplomacy as one pillar of Vietnam's comprehensive foreign policy, making more contributions to the bilateral relationship between Vietnam and the US, taking advantage of a peaceful environment and resources to serve country’s development goals set out in the post-COVID-19 pandemic period.
The Ambassador added that, at the same time, VUS will keep on further expanding the partner network of people-to-people diplomacy in Vietnam-US relations, with the key points as followed:
The first is to continue to strengthen ties with traditional friends, especially who are related to activities for peace and friendship and supported Vietnam in the past, while connecting the next generations.
Secondly, to reach out new partners and friends in different social stratums and fields of activity, such as friends who are members of other association or work for research institutions, and people who are interested in Vietnam-US relations.
"In the past years, the Vietnam-US Society had connections and exchanges with Vietnam Association of Film Promotion and Development, the Association of Writers, the Union of Science and Technology Associations or the Arts and Literature Association, the Veterans Association and the Agent Orange Association, etc.
It is also necessary to connect with US-related associations in Vietnam, as well as network of schools and institutions in the US, so that our network will keep on expanding...", said the Ambassador.
The President of Vietnam-US Society also said that VUS expects the milestone of 10 years of Comprehensive Partnership will open a new chapter in the relationship between the two countries.
"At the same time, in the context of current foreign policy of Vietnam, with the development of the bilateral relation between Vietnam and the US, we hope that the people-to-people diplomacy in the comprehensive foreign affairs in general and in Vietnam-US relations in particular will be facilitated, further contributing to serve Vietnam's interests in peace and development, promoting Vietnam-US relations to a new height", he stated.
| “If we look back at the history, the relationship between the two countries has gone through many ups and downs. However, even during the resistance war of the Vietnamese people, there had been contacts of President Ho Chi Minh with the US side. The letter that President Ho Chi Minh sent to US President Harry Truman all expressed Vietnam’s desire for the relationship between the two countries to be developed..." |
(Source: WVR)
