The affirmation was made by President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO) Phan Anh Son at a reception in Hanoi on July 16 for a delegation from the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, led by Wei Ran, Director of the Foreign Affairs Office and Chairman of the People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China.

Welcoming the delegation, Phan Anh Son noted that 2025 marks a special year, as both Vietnam and China are actively organizing activities to celebrate the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic relations.

The VUFO considers it an honor to receive the delegation from the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. This visit is also seen as a valuable opportunity for both sides to further strengthen the overall friendship between Vietnam and China, and in particular, promote people-to-people diplomacy between the two nations.

Expressing appreciation for the warm and sincere welcome from VUFO, Wei Ran emphasized that the purpose of this visit is to review and advance the key directions agreed upon by the two countries’ senior leaders, as well as to follow up on the outcomes of the recent visit to Vietnam by Chen Gang, Secretary of the Guangxi Party Committee.

During this visit, the delegation also hopes to discuss measures to expand cooperation between Guangxi and Vietnamese localities, thereby contributing to the building of a China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance.

According to Wei Ran, Vietnam has recently undergone an administrative restructuring process, merging local-level administrative units in a much more streamlined manner compared to previous periods. This development presents new challenges for local-level relations between the two countries, especially for those Vietnamese localities that have established sister-city ties with their Chinese counterparts.

The delegation expressed hope that the VUFO would propose appropriate approaches to further strengthen cooperation between Vietnamese and Chinese localities in the current context, thereby helping maintain and develop strong sister-city partnerships.

Recalling recent milestones and key diplomatic events between the two countries, VUFO President Phan Anh Son stated that under the guidance of high-level leaders, people-to-people diplomacy has consistently been regarded as a vital channel contributing to Vietnam–China relations. For this reason, VUFO remains committed to advancing and nurturing the friendship between the peoples of the two countries.

With regard to Vietnam’s current administrative restructuring efforts, including the streamlining of organizational structures and the merger of administrative boundaries, Phan Anh Son emphasized that the country is working to build a more efficient apparatus that delivers practical benefits for its citizens. He noted that China had also undertaken similar reforms in the late 1980s and early 1990s, which proved highly effective in the subsequent years.

As Vietnam and China share many similarities in their development paths, Son suggested that the two countries could exchange valuable experience to learn from each other and boost national development together, especially amid rapid changes in the global and regional situations, and the growing demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Regarding ways to step up cooperation between localities of the two countries in the current context, Phan Anh Son proposed that Guangxi province consider appropriate approaches based on the real situation. He suggested that the Guangxi Foreign Affairs Office could send letters or official notes to Vietnamese localities that have established twinning relations, in order to maintain existing ties and preserve these partnerships.

In addition, Chinese localities can work through the VUFO to connect with their Vietnamese counterparts and help sustain existing twinning partnerships. VUFO is always ready to coordinate with Chinese local agencies to maintain these local-level ties. This is also one of VUFO’s key tasks of strengthening people-to-people diplomacy with neighboring China.

Expressing full agreement with the proposals, Wei Ran emphasized that all of the VUFO leader’s suggestions align well with the nature of locality-to-locality relations between the two countries in the current context.

These proposals share the common goal of bolstering cooperation between Vietnamese and Chinese localities, thereby contributing to the overall development of China–Vietnam relations. The delegation will compile the ideas and report back to higher-level authorities for consideration and guidance on applying the most suitable measures based on local circumstances.

Vietnam – China people-to-people exchanges: A call for deeper engagement

People-to-people exchanges have emerged as one of the six key pillars underpinning efforts by Vietnam and China to strengthen bilateral relations, particularly as both countries enter a new phase of development, and the year 2025 has been officially designated as the Year of Vietnam – China Humanistic Exchange.