Vietnamese and Indian diplomats and scholars gathered on June 12 at an online seminar on public diplomacy and Vietnam – India relations.

Participants at the online seminar (Photo: VNA)

At the event, Mahjabin Banu, President of India’s Society for Policy Research and Empowerment (SPRE), said India’s public diplomacy has become more diverse in the past time via upgrading the nation’s commitments with neighbouring countries, including ASEAN member states.

India and Vietnam have boosted their joint work in multicultural exchanges, scholarships and joint research programmes, human capacity improvement, and people-to-people exchange, among other aspects, he added.

Vietnamese Ambassador to India Pham Sanh Chau stated the two countries share a long traditional friendship and a nearly-2000-year cultural connection fostered by their generations of leaders and peoples.

People-to-people exchange is an important bridge of the ties, he went on, saying it contributes to reinforcing the traditional relationship and mutual trust given both nations striving for deep integration into the international community.

Vietnam acknowledges the increasingly important role of public diplomacy in developing the national policy for external relations, serving security targets, and promoting the country’s position in the world, he added.

Boosting people-to-people exchange and using cultural tools and information for external relations are all public diplomacy, the diplomat said.

Participants took the occasion to raise questions on Vietnam's experience in the fight against COVID-19, and expressed their impression on the country's outcomes in the fight.

The event was co-organised by the Vietnam Embassy, the Centre for Vietnam Studies in India and SPRE.