On the morning of January 6, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended and directed the 2024 annual summary conference of Vietnam’s diplomatic sector, outlining key tasks for 2025.

The Prime Minister praised the achievements of the diplomatic sector over the past year, describing 2024 as a milestone year marked by significant progress and emotional successes.

Vietnam’s challenges and opportunities

Analyzing the global landscape, the Prime Minister noted that 2024 witnessed rapid, complex, and unpredictable developments in global, regional, and domestic contexts.

He emphasized that peace, cooperation, and development remain dominant trends, presenting opportunities for Vietnam to turn challenges into advantages.

Advancements in science, technology, and digital transformation were identified as new drivers for accelerated growth, opening up significant opportunities for nations, including Vietnam.

Despite being a developing country with a modest economy and high economic openness, Vietnam successfully navigated external shocks, maintained stability, and achieved comprehensive progress across all sectors.

The Prime Minister highlighted that 2024 marked the first year in many years where Vietnam met or exceeded all 15 socio-economic targets.

Diplomatic achievements

Regarding foreign affairs, Prime Minister Chinh emphasized the critical contributions of the diplomatic sector in three main areas: preserving, consolidating, and enhancing relationships.

He noted the diplomatic sector’s success in maintaining a peaceful and stable environment while resolving emerging issues in key partnerships effectively and harmoniously.

This was achieved through close coordination between diplomacy, national defense, and security.

The Prime Minister underscored Vietnam’s achievements in deepening political trust and elevating relations with various partners, highlighting numerous milestones in upgraded bilateral and multilateral ties.

Additionally, the scope of diplomatic activities expanded significantly, including economic diplomacy, scientific and technological diplomacy, cultural diplomacy, public diplomacy, and the mobilization of overseas Vietnamese resources.

Key directions for 2025

Looking ahead to 2025, Prime Minister Chinh stressed the need for diplomacy to adapt quickly and effectively to evolving global contexts.

He called for maximizing the benefits of international agreements and partnerships, turning commitments into tangible resources for national development under the principle, "Say it, do it; commit, fulfill it."

The Prime Minister also highlighted the importance of fostering a professional diplomatic workforce that is both skilled and morally grounded.

With the dual task of "accelerating and restructuring," 2025 will require Vietnam to fulfill its strategic goals while streamlining administrative processes to improve efficiency.

The Prime Minister further emphasized the importance of positioning Vietnam optimally in the emerging global order. He outlined strategies to maintain a balanced and open foreign policy, manage relations with major powers, and achieve the dual objectives of safeguarding sovereignty and ensuring peace for sustainable development.

Driving innovation through diplomacy

Diplomacy was identified as a vital tool for promoting emerging industries such as semiconductors, big data, AI, cloud computing, blockchain technology, cultural industries, and entertainment.

Prime Minister Chinh also stressed the importance of organizing major events, such as the 14th National Party Congress, and hosting international forums to foster multilateral cooperation in advanced technology and governance.

Finally, he reiterated the need to enhance the sector’s capacity by restructuring its workforce, improving infrastructure, and consolidating the three pillars of Party diplomacy, state diplomacy, and people-to-people diplomacy.

Tran Thuong