Former Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan is forever the pride of Vietnamese diplomacy.

That is the sharing of Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Nguyen Tat Thanh about former Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan.

"If you don't understand the times, how can you do diplomacy?"

In early 1997, Mr. Thanh was transferred from Group A, Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to the newly established "integration department" at the Department of Economic Synthesis.

That was the idea of ​​Mr. Vu Khoan, then Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, to help the ministry's leaders monitor and advise on international integration and multilateral economic issues such as the trade agreement with the US, participation in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC) and negotiations to join the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Former Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan

Two years later, this department was separated into the Department of Multilateral Economic Cooperation, which it has been until now. On an occasion to celebrate its founding, Mr. Vu Khoan still worriedly told Ambassador Thanh: "Perhaps the name of the department is "multilateral economic" is enough, I don't remember why you didn't cross out "cooperation" back then!"

“Mr. Vu Khoan is like that! He always re-evaluates everything he has done and approved, carefully considering every idea, every word, down to every comma. Not only that, perhaps what we admire most about the former Deputy Prime Minister is his intelligence, his true "frugal, honest, impartial and selfless" and his boundless heart for the younger generation. Thanks to Mr. Vu Khoan's companionship, we at that time were able to contribute a small part to Vietnam's economic integration cause," Mr. Thanh shared.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan and his wife - Mrs. Ho The Lan, former Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, walking around Hanoi, December 2009

In 2015, Mr. Vu Khoan and his wife, Ms. Ho The Lan, both retired, arranged to visit Thailand. To save money, he said he did not like flying so he decided to travel by road even though he knew it would be difficult.

As the Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand at that time, I wanted to welcome them properly, but they firmly refused all privileges. Their visit left a deep impression on the Vietnamese community in Thailand.

Ambassador Nguyen Tat Thanh shared

A saying of the former Deputy Prime Minister made Ambassador Thanh remember forever: "If you don't understand the times, how can you do diplomacy?" No matter the circumstances, Mr. Vu Khoan always found the most appropriate way to speak, act, and do things, making everyone admire him.

"In 2013, I attended the VK02 class, which is the Vu Khoan class 2, a short-term course taught directly by him. He guided us step by step, especially in methodology.

On all occasions I heard him speak, whether it was a big, formal event, a small meeting, or a private discussion... he always pointed out the historical roots of each issue, comparing it with the experiences of other countries and regions. Without being too big-headed, his assessments and methodologies still constantly enlighten us and Vietnamese diplomacy," Ambassador Thanh shared.

The pioneer of Vietnam - Australia relations

After the Paris Agreement on Cambodia was signed in October 1991, the major task of the entire diplomatic sector at that time was to focus on finding ways to break the US blockade and embargo.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan (right cover), now Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, accompanied the late Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet on a visit to Australia in 1992.

In October 1992, during a conference in Australia, Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Vu Khoan went to Canberra to discuss with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the possibility of organizing a visit by the Vietnamese Prime Minister. Previously, although National Assembly Chairman Le Quang Dao had visited Australia in 1990, due to the characteristics of the political system, the head of the Australian government had a completely different role than the head of parliament.

Therefore, Mr. Vu Khoan tried to convince the Australian side to welcome Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet on an official visit as a guest of the Government, which is the highest level of reception according to your regulations. As a result, the visit was made in May 1993 on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. This was also the first visit of a Vietnamese Prime Minister to a capitalist country since Prime Minister Pham Van Dong's visit to France and some other countries in 1978.

Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet's visit to Australia created a great resonance, helping to open up bilateral and multilateral funding sources, contributing to the US normalizing relations with Vietnam in 1995.

One issue that the Australian public was particularly concerned about at that time was the issue of human rights in Vietnam. At that time, Australian public opinion believed that Vietnam did not fully guarantee the rights of its people. In response, Mr. Vu Khoan said: “Australia needs to understand human rights from an Asian perspective. For us, the extent to which human rights are protected depends on the specific circumstances and is an internal matter of a sovereign nation.”

Ambassador Thanh said: “In order for you to understand Vietnam better, we then agreed to open a dialogue on law and human rights with Australia, which continues to this day. Through that, Australia increasingly understands and connects with Asia, clearly affirming its respect for Vietnam's political institutions.”

In 1995, Australia welcomed the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam on an official visit. Currently, the two countries are discussing upgrading their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

“Not only in the Vietnam-Australia relationship, I know that in preparation for the country's important foreign affairs activities, many of our leaders are willing to listen or proactively consult with prestigious individuals. And one of those people is Mr. Vu Khoan,” Ambassador Thanh shared.

Mr. Thanh said: "Although former Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan has left this world, he will always be our trusted spiritual support and forever be the pride of Vietnamese diplomacy and people."

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