Strengthening the connection between document and archive work and the implementation of foreign affairs and cultural diplomacy tasks

On July 12, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ha Kim Ngoc, Chairman of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO, visited and worked with the Department of State Records and Archives, Ministry of Home Affairs.

Tăng cường gắn kết công tác văn thư, lưu trữ với triển khai nhiệm vụ đối ngoại và ngoại giao văn hóa

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ha Kim Ngoc works with the Department of State Records and Archives, Ministry of Home Affairs. (Photo: Tuan Viet)

Also attending the meeting were Secretary General of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO Le Thi Hong Van, Acting Director of the Department of Cultural Diplomacy and UNESCO, Deputy Chief of Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ngo Toan Thang. Representatives of the State Records and Archives Department were Director Dang Thanh Tung, Deputy Director Nguyen Thi Nga, Director of National Archives Center III Tran Viet Hoa and officials of the Department.

The leaders of the State Records and Archives Department introduced to the delegation the efforts to preserve and promote the value of document blocks that have become precious heritages such as the Nguyen Dynasty Woodblocks and Nguyen Dynasty Royal Records recognized by UNESCO as world documentary heritages; the Decrees of the President of the Provisional Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in the period of 1945 - 1946, the collection of sketches of the Vietnamese National Emblem by Painter Bui Trang Chuoc recognized by the Prime Minister as national treasures...

Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc and the delegation visited the collection of sketches of the Vietnamese National Emblem by Artist Bui Trang Chuoc. (Photo: Tuan Viet)

Director Dang Thanh Tung expressed his gratitude to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for always paying attention, accompanying and supporting the State Records and Archives Department in the work of building, mobilizing and promoting UNESCO to register documentary heritage in the UNESCO Memory of the World program, coordinating in promoting the value of valuable historical and diplomatic documents, especially documents serving to honor President Ho Chi Minh.

National treasure - collection of Decrees of the President of the Provisional Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam during the period 1945–1946. (Photo: Tuan Viet)

Visiting National Archives Center III, seeing with your own eyes the national treasures kept here such as the documents about the cadres who went to the B battlefield, the exhibition about the Paris Conference in 1973... Deputy Minister Ha Kim Ngoc expressed his impression of the professionalism, dedication, and silent contributions of the Department's officers in their efforts to preserve, maintain, and promote the value of the State's precious documents.

Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc and the delegation visited the exhibition on the 1973 Paris Conference process. (Photo: Tuan Viet)

The Deputy Minister emphasized the value of national archives - a heritage containing multifaceted values, the "soul of the nation", a treasure trove of wisdom and experience that our ancestors through historical periods have passed down to us today, including very valuable documents, which are authentic evidence affirming the sovereignty of the Fatherland's sacred borders, territorial waters, and islands, including Truong Sa and Hoang Sa.

Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc and the delegation visited the National Archives Center III. (Photo: Tuan Viet)

Deputy Minister Ha Kim Ngoc highly appreciated the effective coordination between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the State Records and Archives Department in recent times and emphasized that there is still much room for cooperation that needs to be promoted in the coming time in the context of promoting the implementation of foreign affairs, including cultural diplomacy.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO will support the State Records and Archives Department in implementing activities to preserve and promote the value of documentary heritages recognized by UNESCO and documentary heritages recognized by the Government as national treasures. The two sides also agreed to closely coordinate in research, accompany and support the development of nomination dossiers for the Vietnam-France Joint Documentary Heritage on the life of President Ho Chi Minh, build an electronic portal to collect documents about Uncle Ho, and practically implement Conclusion No. 85-KL/TW of the Secretariat on continuing to strengthen propaganda, introduce and honor President Ho Chi Minh, the national liberation hero, a world cultural celebrity, to the international community.

Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc (center) directed to promote the possibility of signing a cooperation agreement between the two agencies. (Photo: Tuan Viet)

Deputy Minister Ha Kim Ngoc directed relevant units of the Ministry to exchange, coordinate, soon consider and promote the possibility of signing a Cooperation Agreement between the two agencies, creating a framework for future cooperation; emphasizing the promotion of the value of documentary heritage managed by the State Records and Archives Department, cooperation in collecting relics of President Ho Chi Minh for storage and promotion of value; at the same time, opening up the possibility of cooperation in the field of culturally profound foreign gifts from documentary heritage managed by the State Records and Archives Department.