In 2023, foreign affairs were implemented actively in the Party’s foreign relations, state’s diplomacy and people-to-people diplomacy.

2023 was the mid-term year of implementing the Resolution of the 13th Party Congress. 

Diplomatic activities

At the mid-term Party Central Committee Conference in May 2023, Party Chief Nguyen Phu Trong commented that foreign affairs and international integration activities continued to expand and gain important achievements, allowing Vietnam to continue to consolidate its position and reputation in the international arena.

At the 32nd National Diplomatic Conference on December 19, Trong affirmed: "For the last nearly three years, especially since the first National Foreign Affairs Conference was organized, the foreign affair sector has been making every effort, strictly grasping and joining hands to pursue the Party's foreign policy, gaining important and historical outcomes and successes. This was an impressive bright spot among the country's overall results and achievements in recent years."

The 13th Party Congress's foreign policies have been implemented methodically. The Politburo and the Secretariat have issued a series of resolutions and directives to improve foreign policy effectiveness in the new situation.

On June 15, 2023, the Politburo issued Conclusion No57-KL/TW on ‘continuing to improve the quality and effectiveness of foreign information service in the new situation’.

In November, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Central Foreign Affairs Commission, Central Propaganda Commission and Su That (Truth) National Political Publishing House jointly launched the book on developing Vietnam's foreign affairs and diplomacy in a comprehensive and modern way, imbued with the identity of "Vietnamese bamboo". The book selects speeches, articles, essays, interviews, letters, and telegrams of Party Chief Nguyen Phu Trong, demonstrating the Party leader's consistent and thorough thoughts on Vietnam's foreign policy and diplomacy in the new era.

Vietnam continues to expand and deepen relations with neighboring countries, important partners and traditional friends.

In 2023, Vietnam successfully organized 15 key-leaders’ visits to other countries and served 21 visits by high-ranking foreign leaders to Vietnam.

High-ranking foreign affairs activities were carried out widely across continents and at many important multilateral forums such as ASEAN, the United Nations, the Mekong sub-region, APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation), AIPA (ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly), COP28, and Belt and Road Forum.

In 2023, Vietnam established foreign relations with Trinidad and Tobago in February and Tonga in September, raising the total number of countries which have foreign relations with Vietnam to 193.

Vietnam has upgraded relations to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with two countries. US President Joe Biden visited Vietnam in mid-September at the invitation of the Vietnamese Party Committee Secretary General Nguyen Phu Trong, and the two countries released a joint declaration, stating that the relationship between Vietnam and the US has been upgraded into a comprehensive strategic partnership.

In late November, during an official visit to Japan, Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio both announced the upgrading of the Vietnam-Japan relationship to comprehensive strategic partnership.

In December, Chinese Party Committee General Secretary and President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan along with a high-ranking Chinese delegation paid an official visit to Vietnam. This is the third time that Xi Jinping has visited Vietnam as Party Committee General Secretary and President (the previous visits were in 2015 and 2017).

The two sides issued a Joint Declaration agreeing to build a community with shared future for mankind.

A sincere, compassionate, faithful, trustworthy, and responsible VN

Vietnam successfully completed its term as Vice President of the UN General Assembly (September); was elected Vice President of the 42nd UNESCO General Assembly (early November), Vice President of the Intergovernmental Committee of the Convention for the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage, and a member of the World Heritage Committee (2023-2027); and elected to the Human Rights Council (2023-2025).

To date, Vietnam has comprehensive strategic partnerships, strategic partnerships, and comprehensive partnerships with over 30 countries. It is a member of 70 forums and international cooperation mechanisms, and a signatory of 16 free trade agreements (FTAs). Countries highly appreciate Vietnam's peacekeeping forces in Africa and the UN.

Economic diplomacy has been promoted on the basis of Directive 15 of the Party Committee Secretariat. Vietnam’s trade turnover reached $700 billion, with over 30 products having turnover of over $1 billion each, while FDI increased by 15 percent in 2023. Vietnam is the 11th largest economy in Asia.      

VietNamNet