Local diplomacy - a 'branch' of Vietnamese diplomacy

At the 21st National Foreign Affairs Conference on December 18 in Hanoi, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son affirmed that local diplomacy "is one of the important components of foreign affairs".

Former President Truong Tan Sang and former South Korean President Lee Myung Bak at an event in Thai Binh on December 1, 2023 - Photo: T.KIÊN

In the three years since the 20th National Foreign Affairs Conference, Vietnamese localities have signed 422 cooperation agreements with international partners. The number of provincial and municipal leaders' delegations traveling abroad increased by 60% compared to before, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, reflecting the proactiveness of localities in arousing foreign interest and attracting foreign investment.

Behind the scenes invite Mr. Lee Myung Bak

Speaking to Tuoi Tre , Mr. Nguyen Nhu Hieu - Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) - said that in the past year, the Department of Foreign Affairs has chaired and coordinated with localities to organize 45 events connecting localities and domestic and foreign enterprises such as Meet Japan, Meet Korea... These events are not only with the desire to help localities organize development but also serve as lessons for other localities in international connection. Citing a recent event in Thai Binh province with the participation of former South Korean President Lee Myung Bak in early December, Mr. Hieu said that this event started from the initiative of the locality. The leaders of this province, during a business trip to Korea in early 2023, invited Mr. Lee Myung Bak to Thai Binh. "Then we proceeded through diplomacy, coordinating to build the program. The recent event in Thai Binh can be said to be more successful than expected, promoting the locality comprehensively. Not only a former head of state, but following him, large Korean enterprises also visited Thai Binh. The province also took the opportunity to organize cultural festivals, exhibitions, and booths. Mr. Lee Myung Bak also visited and spoke at Thai Binh Medical University, visited Thai Binh Children's Hospital, medical facilities, industrial parks...", Mr. Hieu gave an example. According to him, the consultation, then the connection of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and most importantly, the connection of businesses, will be added values ​​for the locality's initiative.

Using UNESCO title as a brand

Speaking to Tuoi Tre on the sidelines of the foreign affairs conference, Ambassador Le Thi Hong Van - head of the Vietnamese permanent delegation to UNESCO - said that Vietnam now has 65 UNESCO titles, from world cultural and natural heritage, intangible cultural heritage, global geopark, biosphere reserve, creative city, learning city... Currently, even in one locality there can be many heritages.

According to Ms. Van, linking UNESCO titles is the point of attracting investment, creating local brands. Ms. Van mentioned some localities that are doing well, namely Hue - a city of one destination, seven heritages and Hanoi - both a city for peace and a creative city, and has the world heritage of Thang Long Imperial Citadel. In addition, one of the current trends is to take advantage of digital technology in promoting and developing the values ​​of titles. Ms. Van mentioned the use of social networks such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and KOLs. "When UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay visited Vietnam, she posted seven tweets about Vietnam and received hundreds, thousands of likes and retweets. I think that is the fastest way to convey and introduce Vietnam," Ms. Van analyzed. Speaking to the press, Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Nguyen Quoc Dung hopes that localities will pay more attention to overseas Vietnamese work because this is a very large and rich resource. "I suggest that during overseas business trips, local leaders should pay attention to overseas Vietnamese, meet and connect with them. Every locality has overseas Vietnamese who have left their locality. And the first thing those people do when thinking about Vietnam is to think about their birthplace," Mr. Dung shared. According to Mr. Dung, if localities can combine the children of their homeland who are abroad and make good use of them, it will be very effective. "The locality can send its representatives abroad, if any overseas Vietnamese are suitable, they can propose them to be representatives for their region or locality," Mr. Dung suggested. According to Mr. Nguyen Nhu Hieu, the biggest concern of the diplomatic sector in general and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in particular is how to increase the effectiveness of local connections with the international community and promote local products. Mr. Hieu emphasized that if localities clearly identify key international partners, the connection will be more favorable. International partners here are not only local-level cooperation between Vietnam and other countries but also partners of business associations, organizations, large foreign corporations, especially multinational corporations.

700 billion USD

According to Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son, economic diplomacy has mobilized many external resources, making important contributions to effectively controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, promoting economic growth, with import and export in 2023 reaching nearly 700 billion USD, over 30 items with export turnover of over 1 billion USD, and FDI attraction increasing by 14.8% in the context of many difficulties in the world economy.

Tuoitre.vn

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