Nguyen Phu Trong – the forerunner of Vietnam’s bamboo diplomacy in modern times
VOV.VN - Vietnam’s bamboo diplomacy that was concretised by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong from President Ho Chi Minh’s wartime diplomacy line has been put in practice for the past three years, proving to be effective in developing a strong Vietnamese nation and elevating its position internationally.
Brilliant milestones on the diplomatic front
According to Maj. Gen., Assoc. Prof. Le Van Cuong, former director of the Institute of Strategy and Science under the Ministry of Public Security, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s most important mark on the diplomatic front is building and expanding Vietnam’s relationships with other countries, especially with the three great powers of China, Russia, and the United States.
Reinforcing ties with these world powers has enabled Vietnam to integrate more deeply into the world, meaning that Vietnam has been given a chance to promote its relations with other partners across five continents, thereby properly implementing the principle of combining national strength with the strength of the times, said Maj. Gen. Cuong.
In his speech delivered at the 13th National Party Congress in early 2021, General Secretary Trong affirmed that, “Vietnam has never had the capacity, position and international reputation it has today.”
Maj. Gen. Cuong described the upgrading of Vietnam-US diplomatic relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership in September, 2023, as a thoughtful step at a time when the Russia-Ukraine conflict was becoming increasingly complicated, and the upgrade was closely associated with the Party General Secretary’s role and contributions.
In his opinion, the Party leader weighed up the pros and cons and duly made a landmark decision by upgrading ties with the US in order to create a better diplomatic balance for Vietnam.
It’s worth remembering that since normalising relations with the US in 1995, Vietnam has welcomed visits by five former and current US Presidents, including Bill Clinton in 2000, George Bush in 2006, Barack Obama in 2016, Donald Trump in 2017 and 2019, and most recently President Biden in 2023.
It’s rare that all US Presidents since 1995 have made a trip to visit Vietnam, a country that is not traditionally considered an ally of the US, noted Maj. Gen. Cuong.
It is also noteworthy that except for the first four US Presidents, President Biden visited Vietnam at the invitation of General Secretary Trong. This marks a special point in joint diplomatic relations in particular and in bilateral relations in the international arena in general.
Furthermore, it is also interesting that General Secretary Trong paid a working trip to the US in 2015 at the invitation of Barack Obama who was President of the US at the time. This marked the first time that a sitting US President had ever made an invitation to the leader of a foreign political party.
This highlights that the US is highly appreciative of the Vietnamese side’s role in the region, and in return, Vietnam also appreciates the US’ role in bilateral relations, said Maj. Gen. Cuong.
Above all, the upgrading of relations with the US can be considered to be the most important mark that General Secretary Trong left on the Party, State, and people of Vietnam, and this was also the most brilliant foreign achievement recorded in Vietnamese diplomacy during his reign.
The flexibility in Vietnamese diplomacy
Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Cuong noted that General Secretary Trong showed flexibility in developing Vietnamese relations with China, a neighbouring country that shares a long border in the north, especially in resolving disagreements in the East Sea, internationally known as the South China Sea.
During a state visit made in 2011, General Secretary Trong and General Secretary and President of China Hu Jintao signed an agreement on principles to resolve maritime issues, including establishing a government-level hotline in order to promptly exchange and deal with information.
Geopolitical success with great powers was not Vietnam’s only highlight under the leadership of General Secretary Trong, but ties with regional powerhouses also made many diplomatic imprints. Since his taking over as head of the Communist Party of Vietnam in 2011, Vietnam has upgraded its comprehensive strategic partnership with six countries, namely Russia, India, the Republic of Korea, the US, Japan, and Australia. In addition, it is also building on the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with China established in 2008.
To neighbouring countries and ASEAN, Vietnam is always a friend and responsible partner, with its voice and position increasing under the reign of the Party leader.
Bamboo diplomacy in modern times
Maj. Gen. Cuong said the policy of “bamboo diplomacy” was first raised by General Secretary Trong three years ago. It is closely associated with Vietnam’s long history of undergoing 17 struggles to protect national sovereignty and expel invaders under feudal dynasties.
Between 2023 and 2024, the heads of three major world powers - the US, China, and Russia - each paid State visits to Vietnam. This shows that each of the three superpowers all acknowledged the nation’s own rising position in terms of security, economics, and politics in the international arena. This also proves that Vietnam has competently implemented its “bamboo diplomacy” policy.
During the war of resistance against US imperialism, President Ho Chi Minh did not use the word “destroying”, but instead stated the slogan of “Fighting until the Americans go away, fighting until the puppets fall” in order to give the enemy a way to retreat, whilst simultaneously looking to establish diplomatic relations after the war. This diplomatic approach demonstrates Vietnamese people’s kindness and tolerance, upholding President Ho teaching of, “Firm in objectives, flexible in strategies and tactics.”
President Ho’s diplomacy line was concretised by General Secretary Trong into the policy of “bamboo diplomacy”, in which bamboo roots symbolise national interests that are firmly attached to the ground and not broken in storms, while bamboo tops are flexible, said Maj. Gen. Cuong.
General Secretary Trong’s diplomatic ideology has become a lodestar for the Party and State to lead the country in a complex international and regional context. Such a policy is also a great legacy that General Secretary Trong has left behind for the country and people of Vietnam.
