The top Vietnamese leader presided over a ceremony to present appointment decisions to five Vietnamese ambassadors the afternoon of April 28 at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi.

Presenting the decisions to ambassadors assigned to India (also accredited to Nepal and Bhutan); Belgium (also accredited to Luxembourg and serving as Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the European Union); Switzerland (also accredited to Liechtenstein); the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea; and Kazakhstan (also accredited to Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Georgia), he said the appointments were an honour and a major responsibility.

The ambassadors represent not only the State but also the country and its people, and are tasked with implementing the Party’s foreign policy line, contributing to national construction and defence early and from afar.

He called on the ambassadors to fully recognise their responsibilities, continue to uphold their professional capacity, intellect and sense of responsibility, and help bring Vietnam’s relations with other countries into greater depth, substance, stability and effectiveness.

He laid stress on the need to remain firm in principles while being flexible in approach, to uphold independence and self-reliance while proactively pursuing deep international integration, to safeguard national interests, and to contribute to peace, prosperity and common development.

“Foreign policy must also be closely linked with development. It must open the way for development, help address challenges, mobilise external resources, enhance the country’s standing and safeguard the nation early and from afar; together with defence and security, it must form a coordinated and effective overall position at home and abroad,” he said.

He noted that the Party and State attach great importance to foreign affairs, as set out in the Resolution of the 14th National Party Congress, and asked ambassadors to strengthen their capacity in research, forecasting and strategic advice. They should not only report on policies but also take the initiative in shaping them. At the same time, they should maintain and deepen a favourable external environment for the country, while creating the best possible conditions for development, with particular attention to economic diplomacy and science and technology.

He called for efforts to expand markets, remove barriers to attract high-quality investment, propose measures to promote technology transfer, connect businesses, and mobilise resources for strategic sectors such as energy, infrastructure, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, digital transformation and green transition, so as to support rapid and sustainable development.

“Our foreign policy is one of independence, self-reliance, diversification and multilateralisation. Vietnam is a friend and a reliable partner. Relations with other countries must be deepened, especially with neighbouring countries, major partners, strategic partners and traditional friends. We must persist in building trust, maintain dialogue, promote cooperation and handle differences in a skilful manner, while firmly safeguarding Vietnam’s legitimate interests,” he went on.

On the occasion, To Lam also urged the newly appointed ambassadors to further promote soft power to enhance the country’s image and standing.

Ambassadors should present Vietnam’s story in a persuasive way as a peace-loving yet resilient nation, a country undergoing strong renewal with a rich cultural identity, and one ready to contribute to regional and global issues. They were also asked to further advance cultural diplomacy, external information work, and the protection of Vietnamese citizens in their countries of residence.

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