Hanoi (VNA) – Party General Secretary and State President To Lam has called on Vietnam's overseas representative agencies to place diplomacy serving national development at the centre of their work, stressing that external relations must be translated into tangible resources to advance the country's growth and strategic development goals.
The top leader made the call at a working session with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' leadership and Vietnamese ambassadors and heads of representative missions abroad in Hanoi on July 31 as part of the 33rd Diplomatic Conference.
Reporting on the implementation of external affairs in their respective host countries, the ambassadors and heads of representative missions said that Vietnam's overseas missions have consistently adhered to the Party's guidelines and the State's policies while demonstrating a strong sense of responsibility, proactiveness and creativity in fulfilling their assigned tasks amid the rapidly evolving and increasingly complex international environment.
They pledged to continue keeping a close watch on developments in their host countries, promoting friendship and cooperation with partners, and making practical contributions to the achievement of the country's strategic objectives, including double-digit economic growth, green transition, digital transformation and development model reform.
Top leader To Lam noted that the 33rd Diplomatic Conference is taking place under special circumstances, as this is the first year of the comprehensive implementation of the 14th National Party Congress’s Resolution and the country is accelerating institutional reforms and transforming its growth model.
Therefore, he said, its theme – "Promoting the pioneering role and fulfilling the crucial and regular task of Vietnam's external affairs in the new era" – should be regarded as a call to action. The conference provides an opportunity to deepen understanding of the Party's resolutions on national development and defence in the new period, thereby fostering greater unity in both awareness and action.
Assessing the current situation, he said that Vietnam is facing numerous challenges, but also significant opportunities if they are seized proactively. The country now has its broadest-ever network of comprehensive strategic and strategic partnerships, covering most major global centres and participating in the majority of new-generation free trade agreements.
The key challenge, he stressed, is how to translate these relationships into concrete resources for national development.
He emphasised that heads of Vietnam's representative missions abroad serve as comprehensive representatives of the nation, not merely of the diplomatic sector. They should strengthen strategic research, maintain a thorough understanding of developments in their host countries, and act proactively, creatively and decisively within the framework of the Party's guidelines and the State's laws.
He urged them to earnestly implement the Resolution of the 14th National Party Congress and resolutions of the Party Central Committee and the Politburo, particularly Politburo Resolution No. 10-NQ/TW dated June 8, 2026 on the development of the foreign-invested economic sector. They should also attach greater importance to forecasting and providing early warnings on trade barriers, trade remedy measures, green standards, rules of origin and technology export controls.
Representative missions should continue to attach great importance to overseas Vietnamese affairs and citizen protection, recognising the Vietnamese community abroad as an important source of intellectual capacity, capital and technology. They should strengthen connections with overseas Vietnamese intellectuals, experts and entrepreneurs to support national development programmes, build networks of Vietnamese experts in key technological sectors, and work closely with relevant agencies at home on citizen protection while providing early warnings to prevent potential risks.
The General Secretary and President also highlighted the importance of protecting internal political security and State secrets, ensuring the safety of diplomatic personnel and representative missions, and strengthening political and ideological work as well as efforts to combat corruption, wastefulness and misconduct in accordance with the Party's new resolutions and regulations.
Sharing the difficulties faced by officials serving overseas who must live far from their families, the top leader acknowledged and highly appreciated the dedication, commitment and quiet sacrifices of heads of representative missions. He said he had assigned relevant agencies to review policies for officials and staff of overseas representative missions, particularly those serving in difficult locations, and devise plans to upgrade offices, enhance security and safety, and improve working conditions.
He expressed his hope that following the conference, heads of representative missions would return to their host countries with renewed determination, acting more proactively, more resolutely and with a stronger focus on meeting the country's development needs. They should always bear in mind that they represent a nation undergoing profound transformation and that every achievement made abroad can be translated into opportunities for people at home, he noted.
On behalf of the ministry and the heads of Vietnam’s representative missions abroad, Politburo member and Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung affirmed that the diplomatic sector fully recognises that the General Secretary and President's directions reflect not only the care and trust of the Party and the State, but also strategic orientations and political requirements for Vietnam's external affairs in the country's new stage of development.
The entire diplomatic sector will make every effort to translate those directions into concrete and practical outcomes, making meaningful contributions to the country's development in the new era, he pledged./.
