The Paris Peace Accords are a landmark victory in the history of Vietnamese diplomacy, experts said at a ceremony on January 17.

The signing ceremony of the Paris Peace Accords on January 27, 1973 ended the war and restored peace and unification in Vietnam. Photo: Vietnam News Agency

The ceremony was held to commemorate the 50^th anniversary of the signing of the Paris Peace Accords that ended the war and restored peace in Vietnam.

“The Paris Peace Accords signed 50 years ago was the most complicated, time-consuming victory in the history of Vietnam’s diplomacy to end the longest war in the 20^th century,” Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son told the ceremony.

The accords created a new foundation for the Vietnamese people and army to end the war and open the era of peace and development in the country,” he said, adding that the Accords is a great victory that resulted from the resilience and sacrifice of the Vietnamese and the leadership of the Party and President Ho Chi Minh.

Valuable lessons and experiences in diplomatic negotiations and foreign relations were drawn from the Paris Peace Accords, which have become the guiding principles for how Vietnam deals with other nations, he added.

The successful negotiations to reach the Geneva (1954) and Paris (1973) agreements are the definitive achievements that make the Vietnamese people's dreams of peace, unification and prosperity come true.

Former Vietnamese delegates partaking in the Paris Peace Accords negotiations at the ceremony on January 17. Photo: Vietnam News Agency

Nguyen Thi Binh, head of the negotiating delegation of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam, said she was honored to be one of the four people who signed the Paris Peace Accords on January 27, 1973.

At the end of 1968, Binh led the Southern delegation to join the Accords negotiations. After five years of talks and discussions, the mission was accomplished.

"The Paris Peace Accords were the decisive victory that led to the liberation of the South and the unification of Vietnam after 20 years of struggle and sacrifice by the Vietnamese people," she said. The Accords was the victory for Vietnamese people and peace lovers worldwide, she affirmed.

"The strong solidarity and support from international friends gave more strength to Vietnam on the battlefield, and at the negotiating table, as once the US signed the Paris Peace Accords, it also recognized the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam and Vietnam's independence and sovereignty," the former high-ranking official affirmed.

Speaking at the ceremony, Hélène Luc, president of the Vietnam-France Friendship Associations, said the victory came from the resilience of the Vietnamese people and international support.

Nguyen Dong Anh, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union of the Vietnam Diplomatic Academy, stated that since the young Vietnamese generations were born in the era of peace and unification, "the more we treasure our history, the more we understand our duties, which are to preserve and promote the achievements of our ancestors."

Independence, self-reliance, and sovereignty are immutable principles in Vietnam's thousands of years of history, said the foreign minister. He noted that to achieve these goals, Vietnam has fought against foreign invasions and created its diplomatic arts.

In its relations with other countries, Vietnam always hopes to create a world of peace and prosperity that benefits all nations. 

"We also want to credit Vietnam's success to our international friends who have shown unrelenting support for our nation in the struggle for freedom, independence, justice, and peace."