Party leader sheds light on Vietnam policy line during Columbia University speech

Addressing numerous professors, lecturers, and hundreds of students from the university, To Lam affirmed that this is the perfect time to discuss Vietnam-US relations and the vision for a new era. He noted that after nearly 80 years of founding the state and nearly 40 years of implementing the Doi Moi (Renewal) process, Vietnam, under the comprehensive leadership of the Communist Party, has recorded significant historical achievements, serving as a foundation for the Vietnamese people to have confidence in the future ahead.

Emphasizing that Vietnam’s development path is inseparable from global trends and human civilization, To Lam stated that Vietnam cannot achieve its lofty goals without sincere international solidarity as well as valuable support and effective cooperation of the international community. He highlighted that Vietnam will continue to promote its renewal, openness, and comprehensive, in-depth international integration, and will remain a stable, reliable, and attractive destination for foreign investors, businesses, and tourists.

The Vietnamese Party and State have identified innovation, along with harnessing the strength of national unity and combining national power with the strength of the era, as the way for Vietnam to overcome the middle-income trap.

“With the new position and strengths of the country, Vietnam is determined to effectively carry out new era diplomacy, ready to proactively and positively contribute to global politics, the world economy, and human civilization. In particular, we will work together with friends and partners to address urgent global challenges such as climate change, food security, health security, and water security, and to promote the establishment of a fair and equitable international order based on the fundamental principles of the UN Charter and international law,” he stated.

He reiterated that upgrading Vietnam-US relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership for peace, cooperation, and development not only serves the practical interests of the two peoples but also positively contributes to peace, cooperation, and development in the Asia-Pacific region and worldwide. He shared five key issues regarding the vision for building a better shared future for humanity, underscoring the importance of fostering a spirit of healing, mutual respect, and understanding. He noted that the current relationship between the two countries is the result of their continued efforts to promote reconciliation and mutual understanding while respecting each other’s legitimate interests. Among these, respecting each other’s independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political systems is of utmost importance.

“Upholding the humanitarian, peaceful, and tolerant traditions of the Vietnamese people, we have actively taken steps to heal the wounds of war. Even before the normalization of relations between the two countries, Vietnam unilaterally sought to locate missing American servicemen for 15 years before the US began cooperating with Vietnam,” said To Lam.

According to the leader, the collaboration to address war consequences has become the foundation for healing, moving toward normalization, building trust, and deepening relations that will continue to be a crucial area of cooperation between the two countries in the years to come, as the consequences of war remain severe, especially for Vietnam.

“From this experience, I believe that for a relationship to develop, both parties need to enhance their understanding of each other’s history, culture, people, political systems, and socio-economic conditions. Broadly speaking, if nations understand and respect each other’s legitimate interests and work together to build trust, the world will be more peaceful and less conflict-prone. In this era of science and technology, we can leverage new methods, such as digital platforms and tools, to promote wider connections and deeper understanding among nations,” stated To Lam.

He then answered questions related to national defense and security and socio-economic development issues of Vietnam, as well as its relationships with other countries, and global matters. In response to a question about balancing relations with major powers to foster socio-economic development, he said Vietnam has clearly identified the United States as one of its top important partners.

“I am also very optimistic about the future of Vietnam-US relations. Experience shows that if we sincerely enhance mutual understanding, respect each other’s legitimate interests, and listen to one another, we can promote a culture of dialogue that resolves any issue. Vietnam maintains good relations with both China and the United States, as well as many other countries worldwide,” said To Lam.

He referred to a Vietnamese saying “men are rich thanks to their friends” (literally) to affirm that “We want to develop and stabilize because we have international friends. Vietnam and other countries in the region desire transparency and responsibility in relations between the United States and China, as well as mutual responsibility for a shared future. The recent visits of the US President Joe Biden and Chinese Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping to Vietnam confirm our foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, and multilateralism based on the principle of adapting to changing circumstances, as espoused by President Ho Chi Minh. The success of these two important visits demonstrates that countries can maintain good relations with both the United States and China, just as Vietnam does.”

On this occasion, the Party and State leader also outlined Vietnam’s socio-economic development orientations, highlighting priority areas for development that would allow for the application of global scientific achievements. He emphasized the need to create breakthroughs in institutional frameworks and high-quality human resources, contributing to the country’s steady advancement into a new era.