Vietnam's position after 49 years of national reunification

"If we know how to combine internal and external strength, we can overcome any difficulty ," said Mr. Ngo Quang Xuan.

You joined the diplomatic service in 1974, a year later the South was liberated and the country was unified. How did you and many others feel at that time?

I returned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1974 when the Ho Chi Minh campaign had not yet begun. But the atmosphere and spirit of fighting against the US to save the country were rising. In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that spirit was even more evident because the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was the place that followed all the developments outside.

Engineer Team No. 2 departs for UN peacekeeping mission on August 8, 2023 in Hanoi (Source: Hoang Phong)

Every movement, every country that supported or had an official voice on the war, the State Department would be the one to track the records from the beginning.

When the Ho Chi Minh campaign opened from the Buon Ma Thuot campaign and was deployed at lightning speed, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was a "hot" area for news. Every day, we updated news from the battlefield and all were translated, edited and distributed, updated promptly for the entire community of countries following the final stages of the Vietnam War.

The atmosphere at that time was very exciting. When I think about it now, it feels like it just happened. The national pride, admiration for the people's contributions and the sacrifices of our soldiers on the battlefield are still fresh in my mind.

Representative of the Vietnamese delegation at the time of the announcement of the results, Vietnam received 192 votes in favor (out of a total of 193 votes) and was elected for the second time as a non-permanent member of the Security Council for the 2020-2021 term.

At that time, how did we propagate and inform so that international friends could understand?

For me, a person who has spent his whole life in multilateral diplomacy, with the United Nations (UN), I find that disseminating and updating information for the UN and international organizations is of great value. It is the fastest way to bring information to countries. In meetings and forums, many delegations and friends come into contact with us, and when we meet, we will take the opportunity to share with you.

When war breaks out, both sides always look for excuses and loopholes to belittle the other, using every means and trick to distort the truth. But no matter how they distort, nothing can compare to the just cause of the Vietnamese people.

That is the core factor to convince international friends, even the American people. They themselves have many anti-war movements in Vietnam and they really need information on the ground, real information.

Ambassador Ngo Quang Xuan

Is it true that the long, arduous and sacrificial resistance war for independence and national liberation is not only meaningful to Vietnam but also to the region, so we have many reasons to convince, sir?

That’s right. At that time, we also had a strong socialist system that always supported Vietnam in all aspects. The force of people who loved peace and progress in the world was also very large.

Humanitarian, charitable, anti-war organizations and many organizations under the UN system were also present very early in Vietnam. They were often present to encourage, help with material, spiritual, public opinion, and provide great political support.

At that time, we just did our best, but after reviewing, we realized that at that time, we had applied President Ho Chi Minh's teachings correctly. That is, we applied the strength of the times. We combined both internal and external strength in harmony, becoming total strength.

During your diplomatic career, you were the Vietnamese Ambassador to the United Nations. Many important milestones of the country took place since the early 90s of the last century. Looking back at that time, how do you feel?

I began my term at the UN in the 1990s, when Vietnam and the US were negotiating to normalize relations. At that time, the Soviet Union, which had been Vietnam’s mainstay, had collapsed, making things extremely difficult. Multilateral activities had to change in content and method.

At that time, we actively carried out multilateral activities, participated in leadership mechanisms, and were not passive but proactive in shaping the rules of the game and taking on a leading role.

Since 1997, we have made some highlights such as: Being Vice President of the UN General Assembly for the first time, participating in the most important committees and starting to register to become a non-permanent member of the Security Council.

What memory do you remember most?

In 1995, while serving as Ambassador to the United Nations, I had the honor of witnessing a historic event. That is, from October 20-26, 1995, President Le Duc Anh visited the United States to attend the week celebrating the 50th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. This was the first time a Vietnamese plane landed on American soil, at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City.

More specifically, the captain of the flight was pilot Nguyen Thanh Trung, who flew the FS-E plane to bomb the Independence Palace on April 8, 1975.

The President presented the UN with a replica of the massive Ngoc Lu bronze drum. According to custom, when a member country presents a gift, usually an artifact symbolizing a national culture, it must report to the leader to approve the decision on the location of the display.

On the occasion of attending the 50th Anniversary of the United Nations, on the afternoon of October 25, 1995, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, USA, President Le Duc Anh presented a version of the Ngoc Lu bronze drum to UN Secretary General Boutros B. Ghali (Source: VNA)

Knowing this, I urgently worked with the UN Protocol Department and chose to place the Ngoc Lu bronze drum right at the entrance to the Security Council meeting room because I thought this was the most meaningful location. However, just a few weeks later, I was unexpectedly invited to a meeting by a UN leader and informed of the request to move it to another location. I immediately thought that someone might feel sensitive about Vietnam's permanent presence right at the door of the Security Council.

I told this leader that the gift Vietnam gave was known to the whole world as well as tens of millions of Vietnamese people. If I had to move to another location, I would not know how to explain it to the leaders and millions of my compatriots.

After that, the delegation had to spend half a year persevering, lobbying, and persuading, and finally those responsible agreed.

Today, this version remains at the entrance of the Security Council meeting room, becoming an indispensable destination in the program of Vietnamese delegations every time they visit and work at the UN headquarters.

Engineer Team No. 1 builds classrooms for children in Abyei area. Source: Vietnam Peacekeeping Department)

How do you see Vietnam's position in the international arena changing over the past 49 years?

Vietnam's position has risen to a very high level. To date, we are a member of most multilateral organizations, have diplomatic relations with more than 190 countries and economic and trade relations with more than 200 countries/territories.

The more years of developing relations with Vietnam, the more countries see Vietnam as a safe destination in all aspects, trustworthy in politics and economic, trade, cultural cooperation... Currently, we have up to 30 comprehensive and comprehensive strategic partners, developing in all aspects.

We also become active members participating in many activities of international organizations. On the one hand, we continue to study, on the other hand, we share experiences, contribute, participate in core activities, and send peacekeeping forces to join the world's peacekeeping forces.

Ambassador Ngo Quang Xuan met with United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan at the United Nations Headquarters, November 1999

Since the late 1990s, we have established positions that we have maintained until now. In large prestigious organizations such as UNESCO and the UN Human Rights Council, we are all on the leadership board.

Clearly, we have demonstrated our role in contributing, building, and shaping the rules of the game with the superpowers and the most important countries of the UN, participating in the process of guiding the rules of the game. Even many forums cannot lack the voice and presence of Vietnam.

Do you think that multilateral relations are the most important foundation from which we develop bilateral relations and sign other agreements?

Bilateral relations are the most direct and substantial in all aspects. However, the role of multilateral mechanisms is indispensable, creating a legal framework for bilateral relations to develop.

For example, at the UN, the most important and comprehensive international legal document is the UN Charter. This document has become a model for international relations between countries. When two countries establish diplomatic or economic relations, they must rely on such an international legal framework.

Or the same goes for the World Trade Organization (WTO) mechanism. Without this mechanism, there would be no other free trade agreements.

Multilateral and bilateral relations are inseparable, complementary and supplementary to each other, making the politics and relations between countries strong.

Vietnamese "blue beret" soldiers participate in the United Nations peacekeeping force.

In the current context of the world, what opportunities does Vietnam have to continue to affirm its position?

Since World War II, major powers have always thought that they should be the leaders and shape the rules of the game, but this trend is increasingly incorrect. A multipolar world and many political centers are gradually forming, sharing power.

Big countries cannot act on their own. No matter how much they are in conflict and compete for the number one position in the world, peace-loving people will not allow that to happen.

We are playing an important role in multilateral mechanisms and the United Nations. We are a country that has experienced much suffering, loss and sacrifice in wars, contributing to regional and world peace. This has been recognized by the world and this is the basis for Vietnam to consolidate and promote its role, making Vietnam's position increasingly solid.

Thank you!

Trang Tran (performed)
Design: Van Anh

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/vi-the-viet-nam-sau-49-nam-non-song-thu-ve-mot-moi-192240429121630043.htm