According to speakers, Vietnam’s public diplomacy has continued to play an active role in expanding cooperation and diversifying forms of activities while deepening the ties with traditional friends, progressive forces worldwide and major regions in 2010.

They also suggested that this year, people-to-people diplomacy should pay more attention to activities within the ASEAN framework and build on the ASEAN presidency that Vietnam currently holds.

Participants said more coordination is needed between domestic agencies and Vietnamese embassies to promote the images of the Vietnamese land and people and refute incorrect arguments by hostile forces as well as prevent other misunderstandings about Vietnam.

In 2010, they said, priority will be given to the Party’s 11^th National Congress and the celebrations of major anniversaries.

In 2009, Vietnam sent more than 700 delegations abroad comprising nearly 5,000 people, and received some 600 international delegations of nearly 6,000 people in total through the channel of public diplomacy.

The conference on people-to-people diplomacy in 2010 was attended by Permanent Member of the Party’s Secretariat Truong Tan Sang and Foreign Minister-cum-Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem.