Vietnam did a great job in 2011 organizing many events to promote its land and
people. In 2012 the country will continue to use diplomacy to foster its
culture.
In 2011, the government strengthened cultural diplomacy along with political
and economic diplomacy. Vietnamese diplomatic agencies overseas held various
activities to introduce Vietnam to the world, such as a celebration of the 100th
anniversary of Ho Chi Minh’s first arrival in France and the 65th anniversary of
his first visit as a state leader.
Last year, Vietnam’s cultural diplomacy paid off with 12 tangible and
intangible heritages recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
“We are proud that cultural diplomacy has helped political diplomacy to
accomplish tasks and introduced Vietnam with a strong position in the
international arena,” says Nguyen Thanh Son, Deputy Foreign Minister and Chair
of the Vietnam National UNESCO Committee.
In 2011, cultural diplomacy was, for the first time, included in the
documents of the 11th National Party Congress and then the Prime Minister
approved the Cultural Diplomacy Strategy until 2020. Various activities were
held on the theme of building a shared awareness of cultural integration and
combining cultural diplomacy with political and economic diplomacy.
The country is set to participate in multilateral cultural mechanisms, and
utilize UNESCO programs and initiatives for national socio-economic development
to elevate Vietnam’s role and position.
“With its increasing role in the world arena, Vietnam needs to integrate
deeper into the world to make the most of this process,” says Son.
More than two decades ago, Vietnam decided to open the doors to the world in
order to strengthen the national economy and ensure social stability and
security. During the current globalization trend, the country is pursuing a
policy to befriend all countries while preserving national identity, and firmly
sticking to Ho Chi Minh’s Thoughts and socialist orientation.
According to Son, this year the Foreign Ministry will continue to ensure that
cultural diplomacy accompanies overseas Vietnamese affairs. Last year, overseas
Vietnamese in many countries had an opportunity to study their mother language
and join in regular cultural exchanges.
“The major task of this year is to mobilize the strength of associations,”
says Son. “We will try to bring more overseas Vietnamese back to Vietnam, and
communicate the latest developments in Vietnam to people living overseas. We
hope that the Vietnamese community abroad will contribute more to Vietnam’s
development.”
VOV