Seminar on “Students and People-to-People Diplomacy and Diplomatic Protocol”

Attending the Seminar, on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, were Mr. Nguyen Trung Kien, Chairman of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs; Ambassador Luong Thanh Nghi, former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam to Australia, former Vice Chairman of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs, and former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Viet Nam to the Kingdom of Denmark; Dr. Nguyen Thanh Ha, Acting Deputy Head of the State Protocol and External Interpretation Department; Dr. Nguyen Dong Anh, Secretary of the Youth Union Executive Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Dean of the Faculty of International Communication and External Culture, Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam; and Mr. Ngo Ba Hoang Hai, Full-time Deputy Secretary of the Youth Union of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Officer of the Party Committee and Mass Organizations Office of the Ministry.

Representing the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee were Mr. Le Tuan Anh, Member of the Secretariat, Deputy Head of the Inspection Commission, and Chief of Office of the Central Committee of the Viet Nam National Union of Students; Mr. Huynh Tan Dat, Member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Viet Nam National Union of Students and President of the Vietnamese Students’ Association in Australia; Mr. Nguyen Phuc Binh, Executive President of the Viet Nam - Australia Innovation Network and former President of the Vietnamese Students’ Association in Australia; Mr. Dang Dinh Hung, Standing Vice President of the Vietnamese Students’ Association in Australia; Ms. Bui Minh Phuong, Vice President of the Vietnamese Students’ Association in the United Kingdom; together with representatives of the Viet Nam National Union of Students in various countries and a large number of students from the Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Huynh Tan Dat emphasized that today’s young generation is not only a recipient of knowledge but also serves as “people’s ambassadors,” contributing to the promotion of Viet Nam’s image, values, and cultural identity to the international community. In the context of deepening international integration, the President of the Vietnamese Students’ Association in Australia stressed that equipping young people with knowledge and skills in foreign affairs and diplomatic protocol, while strengthening their understanding of and steadfastness in the Party’s and State’s guidelines and policies, is an essential requirement.

Continuing the program, Mr. Nguyen Trung Kien expressed pride in the country’s significant and historically meaningful development achievements in recent years, which have laid a solid foundation for Viet Nam’s increasingly enhanced position on the international stage. In this process, people-to-people diplomacy plays an important role in fostering mutual understanding, building trust, and promoting Vietnamese cultural values worldwide. The Chairman of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs emphasized that young Vietnamese people at home and abroad constitute a core force of the great national unity bloc, bearing responsibility for preserving and promoting national cultural traditions while proactively absorbing the quintessence of world cultures, thereby contributing to the strengthening of the country’s soft power.

Sharing insights drawn from practical diplomatic experience amid increasingly complex regional and global developments, Ambassador Luong Thanh Nghi noted that the younger generation - particularly Vietnamese youth and students studying and living abroad - needs to maintain political resilience and adopt an objective, prudent approach to diverse and multidirectional information flows. He underscored the importance of resolving differences through peaceful means based on mutual respect and international law. The Ambassador also emphasized that the essence of Vietnamese culture lies in its people; accordingly, each young individual should serve as a bridge to promote the spirit of harmony, humanity, and national solidarity through intercultural exchange and dialogue.

Within the framework of the Seminar, the Youth Union of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Vietnamese Students’ Association in Australia signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation, agreeing to strengthen coordination in implementing programs to enhance knowledge and skills in foreign affairs and diplomatic protocol for youth and students. On this basis, both sides committed to promoting cultural exchange, connectivity, and dialogue activities between Vietnamese youth and their international counterparts through flexible and context-appropriate approaches in multicultural settings. These cooperative initiatives not only contribute to improving the effectiveness of youth and student work among overseas Vietnamese communities, but also gradually foster a dynamic and well-connected network of Vietnamese youth capable of making meaningful contributions to people-to-people diplomacy, enhancing mutual understanding, promoting cooperation, and reinforcing Viet Nam’s image and standing internationally.

Following the signing ceremony, Dr. Nguyen Thanh Ha presented and clarified key aspects of diplomatic protocol based on Viet Nam’s legal framework and international practices, while guiding students through simulated scenarios in diplomatic communication and conduct. Through this, young participants gained a clearer understanding that diplomatic protocol is not merely a matter of formality, but a concrete manifestation of the Party’s and State’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, cooperation, and development.

The Seminar concluded successfully in an atmosphere of frank and open dialogue, contributing to enhanced awareness, strengthened political resilience, improved integration capacity, and refined diplomatic skills among Vietnamese youth in the context of increasingly deep international integration. The program also reaffirmed the important role of youth and students in preserving and promoting national cultural identity, as well as in enhancing Viet Nam’s prestige and standing on the international stage.

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