The Vietnamese government should assist local press media in expanding cooperation with international counterparts, fostering collaboration in communication, actively exchanging information, and disseminating Vietnam's image, people, culture, and development potential to the world.

Head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Communication and Education Nguyen Trong Nghia and Vietnamese diplomats at the meeting on February 19. Photo: Nguyen Hong/Baoquocte

Head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Communication and Education Nguyen Trong Nghia shared the view during a meeting on February 19 with newly appointed heads of Vietnamese missions abroad for the 2024-2027 period.

According to Nghia, the current global and regional contexts are characterized by complex and unpredictable developments. However, the prevailing trend remains one of peace, cooperation, and development, albeit with numerous new challenges.

Domestically, Vietnam has robustly overcome challenges and achieved significant and comprehensive results, laying a solid foundation for socio-economic development, fostering growth, and enhancing long-term competitiveness. On the external front, the country’s high-level diplomatic activities, especially in multilateral forums, were vibrant across continents in 2023, he said.

These circumstances pose new demands and tasks for foreign affairs agencies, especially in terms of information dissemination. It requires intensified efforts to seize opportunities, swiftly deliver information to officials, party members, and people at home and abroad, convey positive messages to international friends, and effectively counter hostile propaganda.

“This contributes to strengthening the people's trust in the Party and State, effectively implementing the Party's and State's foreign policy, garnering international community support, and positively contributing to the nation's renewal, construction, and defense,” he noted.

To sustain these achievements, Nghia suggested that newly appointed ambassadors and consuls focus heavily on disseminating the Party and State's foreign policies and closely coordinate with domestic agencies in charge of international dissemination to enhance the quality and effectiveness of foreign information work in the new context.

He highlighted that supporting domestic media agencies to expand cooperation with international counterparts, fostering collaborative communication methods, actively exchanging information, and promoting Vietnam's image, culture, and development potential to international friends should be the priority tasks of diplomats abroad.

Furthermore, actively researching and providing advice on the dissemination of information on hot topics of public concern is essential for stabilizing the sentiments and thoughts of the Vietnamese community abroad and helping international friends to accurately understand Vietnam's Party and State policies. At the same time, the representatives need to work closely with relevant authorities to protect Vietnamese citizens and support overseas Vietnamese effectively.

At the meeting, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang stated that the appointed ambassadors and consuls are experienced professionals in foreign affairs with sound political acumen and excellent expertise.

She said Vietnam currently has 95 diplomatic missions abroad in all continents. Foreign communication work is always regarded as a primary activity, one of the crucial functions and tasks of the missions and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and an integral part of the Party and State's foreign information work.

Hang hoped to continue receiving close guidance and support from the Commission for Communication and Education to enhance the effectiveness of foreign communication activities of Vietnam's missions abroad and positively contribute to national construction, development, and defense.