Value of "Soft Power"

In that context, the mental strength which is now normally called "soft power" plays a very important role.

 

First of all, derived from the friendly culture of Vietnamese people, from the ability to win the hearts and minds of people with pursued just objectives and from the circumstance of confronting many enemies at the same time, Vietnam always follows the maxim "more friends means fewer enemies" in order to reduce enemies and increase allies. As soon as Vietnam gained independence in the face of many external hostile forces, President Ho Chi Minh affirmed that “Vietnam is willing "to make friends with all democratic countries and not to cause animosity with anyone." Inheriting that tradition, stepping into the new period of renovation, Vietnam pronounced to the entire world that "Vietnam wants to be a friend of all countries in the world striving for peace, independence and development." This ideology is officially recorded in the Amended and Supplemented Platform of the Communist Party of Vietnam ratified by the 11^th Party Congress organised in early 2012: Vietnam wants "to be a friend, a reliable partner and a responsible member of the international community that contributes to the cause of peace, national independence, democracy and social progress in the world."

 

Within that general framework, with the tradition “a distant relative is not as valuable as a close neighbour”, right after achieving independence, Vietnam paid a special attention to strengthening cooperative relations with bordering countries and other countries in Southeast Asia in particular, and in Asia in general. Vietnam places top priority on the task of strengthening unity in diversity of ASEAN member countries, improving the international position of the association and heading for the formation of ASEAN community in 2015. By the way I would like to emphasise the humanity of Vietnamese people, which are unfamiliar to narrow nationalism. After being long-time victims of foreign invaders, Vietnamese people always remember their sacrifices and losses, but they never breed hatred, always clearly figure out who cause suffering to them and other peoples in the world, are ready to “close the past to look to the future" after the war ends.

 

Second, in the process of gaining and maintaining independence, sovereignty and economic, social and diplomatic development, Vietnam always upholds the spirit of independence, autonomy and self-decision to its lines and policies. This is understandable because each country grasps its own specific situations, capabilities and interests to know the ways to achieve its goals. On the other hand, Vietnam never falls into narrow nationalism or causes damage or pain to other nations. Even during the fierce war, Vietnam always tried to limit the scope of war, prevent supporters and helpers to engage in direct military conflicts with other nations. Independence and autonomy does not mean isolationism, but that policy always goes with international unity guidelines, which are now international integration.

 

Third, Vietnam always perseveres the "solid principle and flexible tactic" tradition. The principles signify independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country, the goal of building a “prosperous people, powerful country, democratic, equitable and civilised society", and the equitable and mutually beneficial cooperation among nations. And, the ways to pursue the unchanging principles are variable, sometimes soft but sometimes hard, sometimes progress but sometimes regress, depending on specific matters, time and forces.

 

Fourth, in the spirit of the above guiding ideology, Vietnam’s diplomacy is always tied to a principle that President Ho Chi Minh expressed in his poem:

In that spirit, Vietnam’s diplomacy always keeps control, even actively creates opportunities, and proactively attacks to gain gradual victory to seal overall victory. In peacetime, Vietnam is active with international economic integration, starting with entry to ASEAN in 1995, and then taking broader steps to join ASEM (1996), APEC (1998), and the WTO in 2006.

 

The above shows that the past and the present, the tradition and the practice of Vietnamese diplomacy are on the same line that creates the school of Vietnamese diplomacy founded by President Ho Chi Minh - the founder of the independent state of Vietnam in the mid-twentieth century as well as the father of modern Vietnamese diplomacy. Those traditions which are creatively applied over time to make great historical achievements of national independence, unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity, create an international environment conducive to social and economic development, enhance the country's reputation in the region and the world, and will continue to be promoted in the next period.