 Vietnamese and Laos border guards practice border marker salute in a joint patrol (Photo: VNA) |
In a dynamic world characterized by fluctuations, strategic competition, and diverse options, Vietnam opts not to align with any particular side but upholding justice, fairness, and righteousness in line with international law, the UN Charter, and win-win principles.
Consistent stance
Documents adopted at the 13th National Party Congress in 2021 clearly state the importance of firmly safeguarding national independence, sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity; protecting the Party, State, people, socialist regime, national culture, and national interests; maintaining a peaceful environment, political stability, national security, and human security; and building an orderly, disciplined, safe, and healthy society to develop the country with a socialist orientation.
The documents stress that safeguarding the Fatherland should focus not just on countering war but on enhancing national strength to maintain political stability and a peaceful environment for national construction and development with a socialist orientation.
Vietnam’s National Defense White Book 2019 clearly points out the "4 No's" defense policy: not participating in military alliances, not associating with one country to fight another country, not allowing foreign countries to set up military bases in Vietnam or use Vietnamese territory to fight other countries, and not using force or threatening to use force in international relations.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh reaffirmed this policy last August, at the first meeting of the Steering Committee for a project to review 10 years of implementing Politburo Resolution 22 on international integration.
Published in September, the book "Some Issues on Military Doctrine, National Defense Strategy in Building and Safeguarding the Socialist Motherland of Vietnam in the New Era”, a collection of articles, speeches, and interviews of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, fine-tunes the military guidelines and national strategies of Vietnam. Major General Vu Cuong Quyet, Director of the National Defense Strategy Institute, said: "The core and breakthrough points in the mindset of the Party General Secretary and Secretary of the Central Military Commission in building Vietnam's defense strategy is reflected in the ideology of protecting national independence and self-reliance coupled with protecting peace, a sacred value of the task of safeguarding the Fatherland. This is a unique and creative military and defense ideology. Protecting a peaceful environment is a consistent goal in building comprehensive military defense strength."
 Vietnam participates in UN peacekeeping missions (Photo: VNA) |
Practical actions
Prioritizing national protection at an early stage and from afar, Vietnam has boosted cooperation for peace with several countries. Vietnam has established defense cooperation with key partners in line with bilateral relations, comprehensive strategic partnership, strategic partnership, and cooperative partnership.
Vietnam and China have organized the border defense friendly exchange seven times, strengthening solidarity, friendship, and cooperation between the two countries' border guard units. The Vietnamese Defense Ministry successfully organized the first border exchange with Laos and Cambodia on December 14 at the border triangle of Vietnam’s Kon Tum province, Laos’s Attapeu province, and Cambodia’s Ratanakiri province.
Vietnam has also participated in many multilateral defense foreign affairs activities under the ASEAN defense frameworks (ADMM/ADMM+), the ASEAN military cooperation channel, and the defense cooperation channel within the framework of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) for dialogue and cooperation on political and security issues, and a number of other multilateral forums.
As a responsible member of the international community, Vietnam has worked closely with other countries to address emerging security issues and protect peace and stability in the region and the world. To date, Vietnam has sent 790 personnel to United Nations peacekeeping missions.
Sharing Vietnam's perspective at a policy exchange hosted by the US Council on Foreign Relations during the 2023 APEC Summit in November, President Vo Van Thuong said: "In the current international situation, Vietnam shares common views with other countries on implementing a policy of peace, respecting equality and the legitimate interests of others, and upholding international law. Vietnam supports consolidating and improving the effectiveness of bilateral cooperation mechanisms, and strengthening international coordination to reduce tensions, prevent and end conflicts, and solve development problems."