Top leader To Lam: Foreign affairs must directly serve development goals

The top leader was speaking while chairing the inaugural meeting of the Central Steering Committee for Foreign Affairs and International Integration in Hanoi on June 30.

Development-oriented diplomacy at the core

Reviewing Vietnam’s foreign affairs and international integration since the 14th National Party Congress in January 2026, he noted that the country has achieved substantial and meaningful progress. However, he stressed that the new stage of national development requires foreign affairs to shift more decisively toward directly supporting economic growth and long-term development.

Against an increasingly volatile and unpredictable global landscape, he said Vietnam’s foreign affairs must strengthen strategic forecasting, provide timely and accurate policy advice, and act with greater initiative.

Beyond maintaining a peaceful and stable environment, diplomacy should help generate new growth drivers, expand development opportunities, reinforce strategic autonomy and improve national competitiveness, contributing to Vietnam's development objectives for 2030 and its vision for 2045, he stressed.

Describing the meeting as the launch of a new leadership and coordination mechanism for foreign affairs and international integration, Party General Secretary and State President To Lam instructed the Steering Committee to promptly finalise its mandate, operating regulations, annual work programme and task assignments, ensuring unified leadership and coordination across the political system.

To translate development-oriented diplomacy into concrete results, he emphasised that the committee must function as a strategic leadership and coordination body capable of addressing major, emerging and cross-sector issues beyond the authority of individual agencies.

Leaders outline implementation priorities

At the meeting, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung shared the view that foreign affairs should be increasingly development-oriented, noting that the Party’s policies are already well established and that the key challenge now lies in effective implementation.

He proposed that the Steering Committee prioritise maintaining traditional export markets while expanding into new ones, attracting high-quality foreign investment, strengthening energy security and reinforcing the economy's strategic autonomy. He also expressed hope that Vietnam’s representative missions overseas would further enhance their role as bridges connecting international cooperation with the country's development priorities.

Meanwhile, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man called for continued improvements to the legal framework governing the three pillars of Vietnam's foreign affairs during the 2026–2030 period. He also underlined the need to expand diplomatic channels and strengthen parliamentary oversight of the implementation of international treaties and agreements.

The Government and the National Assembly's agencies, he said, should closely coordinate in reviewing and amending domestic legislation to ensure consistency with Vietnam’s international commitments, particularly new-generation free trade agreements.

Permanent member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat Tran Cam Tu highlighted the importance of improving the effectiveness of foreign affairs and international integration to expand the country’s development space. He reaffirmed that Party diplomacy would continue to play a vital role in strengthening political trust, shaping strategic orientations and laying the foundation for Vietnam’s broader external relations.

Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung said the implementation of the Politburo's Resolution No. 59 on foreign affairs and international integration has generated positive momentum for international integration, making it an increasingly important driver of development, macroeconomic stability, national competitiveness and international standing of Vietnam.

As the standing agency of the Steering Committee, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to strengthen inter-agency coordination and ensure closer alignment among Party diplomacy, State diplomacy, parliamentary diplomacy, people-to-people diplomacy and the external activities of ministries, sectors and localities, he said.

A results-driven approach

Concluding the meeting, Party General Secretary and State President To Lam urged the Steering Committee to move immediately from planning to implementation, emphasising the need for swift, decisive and effective action with a strong focus on accountability and tangible results.

He assigned the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to incorporate comments from the meeting and refine all relevant documents under the principle of clearly defining authority, procedures, focal points, responsibilities and monitoring mechanisms. It is also required to implement the ‘six clarities’ approach, specifying responsible persons, tasks, timelines, responsibilities, deliverables and authority.

For the second half of 2026, the top leader instructed the committee to quickly complete the institutional framework necessary for its effective operation. He also assigned the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to work with the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Industry and Trade and other ministries, sectors and localities to comprehensively review the implementation of key international commitments, treaties and agreements, conduct a one-year review of Resolution No. 59 and prepare for the formulation of a new comprehensive foreign affairs strategy.

He stressed that the committee must become an effective strategic leadership and coordination mechanism capable of driving implementation and rigorous oversight, ensuring that Vietnam's foreign affairs and international integration make a more tangible contribution to national development, safeguarding the country and enhancing Vietnam's standing in the new era.

Vietnam to prioritise high-quality FDI over investment quantity: Top leader To Lam

VOV.VN - Vietnam should move away from attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) at all costs and instead focus on selecting and effectively utilising high-quality investment that strengthens the country’s internal capabilities, Party General Secretary and State President To Lam said on June 30.