Vietnam Prioritizes Science-Technology Diplomacy as Top Leader Addresses Diplomatic Conference

General Secretary and President To Lam, the top leader of the Communist Party of Vietnam, stressed the importance of making science and technology diplomacy a regular task at the opening ceremony of the 33rd Diplomatic Conference held in Hanoi on August 1. The leader called for elevating Vietnam's multilateral diplomacy and implementing comprehensive, coordinated, and effective international integration. He specifically instructed to prioritize the mobilization of resources for science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, private sector development, and improving the quality of foreign investment. He outlined a policy of selectively attracting high-tech projects in areas such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), digital infrastructure, clean energy, biotechnology, and modern agriculture, in alignment with the nation's development strategy. These investments must be linked to technology transfer, workforce development, and the participation of Vietnamese enterprises in global value chains, he stated. Furthermore, he called for building networks of technology partners and enhancing connectivity between research institutes, universities, businesses, and experts to bring appropriate knowledge and technologies into the country. He also directed attention to areas such as engagement with overseas Vietnamese communities, cultural diplomacy, external communications, consular affairs, and citizen protection. He emphasized the importance of creating favorable conditions for overseas Vietnamese to contribute to the homeland, while leveraging the expertise of intellectuals, entrepreneurs, and professional networks abroad. Consular services must ensure convenience and transparency, and citizen protection requires timely, accurate, and responsible responses. All foreign affairs activities must ultimately serve the country and its people, he concluded. The conference was attended by senior government officials, 103 ambassadors and heads of overseas representative missions, and Vietnamese ambassadors from 90 countries and territories. The conference is tasked with concretizing the foreign policy set forth by the 14th National Party Congress and fostering unified understanding and action across the foreign affairs sector to meet the new requirements and responsibilities of Vietnam's external relations.