Vietnam's Top Leader Engages in Active Diplomacy to Strengthen International Cooperation

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam had a meeting in New York on September 21 with a group of US House lawmakers led by Representative Gregory Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Ahead of top leader’s working trip, Ha Anh and Duy Anh expressed their hope that meetings and cooperation during the trip would help create more new bridges — bridges of dialogue, trust, cooperation and mutual understanding; bridges connecting trade, technology, education, culture and people-to-people exchanges; and bridges enabling Vietnam to continue reaching out to the world with confidence, openness and a strong sense of responsibility. Do Ngoc Hung, Trade Counsellor and head of the Vietnam Trade Office in the US, said what stands out is not only the growth in trade volume but also the increasingly deep economic ties between the two countries. Vietnam attaches great importance to its relations with the US and wishes to see the bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Partnership continue to develop in a stable and long-term manner, in line with the interests and aspirations of the peoples of both countries. Vietnam and Türkiye should also work towards the goal of 4 billion USD in bilateral trade by having Türkiye recognise Vietnam's market economy status, open their respective markets to each other and reduce trade barriers, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam said. If the political momentum generated by high-level exchanges can be translated into durable cooperation mechanisms, science, technology and innovation could move beyond academic exchanges and individual projects to become a substantive pillar of Vietnam-Canada relations, generating concrete products, businesses and economic value for both countries. The Party and State have determined that Vietnam must persistently and resolutely address these shortcomings, while creating favourable conditions and encouraging scientists to conduct research and pursue innovation in order to develop practical and effective products, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam said. A delegation of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics (HCMA) is paying a working visit to the Republic of Korea (RoK) from September 20-22 to strengthen cooperation in public governance, digital government and training of Vietnamese leaders and managers, particularly strategic-level cadres, to meet national development requirements in a new phase. The two sides agreed to keep working together to deepen the substance of “strategic cohesion”, focusing on effectively implementing the agreements between the two Parties and countries; strengthening defence and security cooperation; creating breakthroughs in economic, trade and investment links; and promoting collaboration in culture, sports, tourism, education, locality-to-locality ties and people-to-people exchanges. NA President Tran Thanh Man said in 2027 the Government should shift from pursuing a high volume of legislation to ensuring high-quality laws that provide stability and create favourable conditions for development. The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency. Notably, the draft introduces peak, off-peak and normal-hour retail electricity prices for household customers when technical conditions permit. It empowers the Minister of Industry and Trade to approve the wholesale electricity price framework. The development of high-speed railways, smart transport systems and integrated logistics networks connecting roads, railways, seaports and inland waterways is also creating significant opportunities for further Italy-Vietnam cooperation. The Vietnamese community in India can serve as a practical bridge between the two nations, contributing to stronger people-to-people ties and creating opportunities for cooperation in trade, investment, science and technology, education and other fields. Jonathan Wallace Baker, UNESCO Representative to Vietnam, noted that the official proclamation of the 2027–2036 period as the "International Decade of Culture for Sustainable Development" comes at a particularly important moment. As the international community works to accelerate progress towards the 2030 Agenda while beginning to consider what comes after 2030, the Decade provides a ten-year framework to strengthen the place of culture in development. The following is a list of selected news summaries reported last weekend by the Vietnam News Agency. General Secretary and President To Lam’s attendance and address at UNGA 81 high-level debate are particularly significant as Vietnam and the UN look ahead to the 50th anniversary of their relations. Vietnamese Ambassador to France Trinh Duc Hai noted that the two countries share a long and eventful history, along with deep exchanges in people-to-people ties, culture, intellectual life and science. Bilateral relations today have moved beyond the framework of their shared history and are firmly looking towards the future. FPA President and CEO Noel V. Lateef emphasised that awarding the FPA Medal to General Secretary and President To Lam serves as a tribute both to the Vietnamese leader personally and to a Vietnam that is undergoing robust transformation and integrating more deeply, proactively, and responsibly into regional and global affairs. Assessing the significance of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam’s attendance at the UN General Assembly High-Level Week, a UN official noted that Vietnam’s presence consistently reflects a development and foreign policy vision that places peace, stability, security, and the well-being of the people at the centre. Since the two countries established their Comprehensive Partnership framework in 2017, bilateral relations have developed steadily across a wide range of areas. The trip is expected to make an important contribution to further strengthening and deepening Vietnam’s relations with the UN, the US and its partners; promoting more substantive and closely connected Vietnam–Canada ties; and affirming Vietnam’s proactive, active and responsible role in global issues, as well as its active contribution to regional and global peace, stability, cooperation and development. Canadian Ambassador to Vietnam Jim Nickel said that Canada regards the visit as an opportunity to further advance bilateral relations, reflecting their substantive nature and enormous potential. Copyright, VietnamPlus, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) Editor-in-chief, Mr. Tran Tien Duan.