The Communist Party of Vietnam’s External Relations Commission held a press conference on February 3 in Hanoi to brief diplomatic corps and international organisations in Vietnam about the outcome of the Party’s recently-concluded national congress. 

The 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam is a great success,
says Hoang Binh Quan, head of the Party's External Relations Commission. 

Addressing the event, Hoang Binh Quan, head of the External Relations Commission, affirmed that the event proved to be a huge success and completed the Party’s working agenda.  

Nearly 1,600 delegates representing over five million Party members nationwide participated in the event from January 26 to February 1, during which they elected a 200-member Party Central Committee, an 18-member Political Bureau, and a Secretariat of the Party for the subsequent five years.

Most notably, Nguyen Phu Trong was re-elected as the General Secretary of the Communist Party.

According to the Party official, the congress marked a new course of development for the country, with plans in place for the 2025 to 2030 period, with a vision towards 2045, aiming to turn Vietnam a developed nation by the middle of the 21st century.

With regard to foreign policy, Quan said the Communist Party of Vietnam will continue to pursue its existing line of diversification and multilateralisation of international relations.

Vietnam will remain a friend, a reliable partner, and both a responsible and proactive member of the international community, said Quan.

He stressed that the country will ramp up activities relating to bilateral and multilateral diplomacy, whilst striving to enhance the integration capacity by taking advantage of various free trade agreements (FTA) it has signed with partners.

Vietnam will look to expand relations and increase co-operation with socio-political forces and people of numerous countries, for the sake of peace, national independence, democracy, co-operation, development, and social progress.

According to Quan, the country will also foster security, defence, and economic diplomacy, while increasing the efficiency of cultural diplomacy, so as to help popularise the image of Vietnam globally.