On April 16, the symposium ‘Nguyen Co Thach’s vision in building a comprehensive and modern diplomatic sector’ was held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and chaired by Mr. Bui Thanh Son, Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Participants attending the symposium “Nguyen Co Thach’s vision in building a comprehensive and modern diplomatic sector”.
Speakers at the symposium were former Deputy Prime Minister, Ambassador Vu Khoan, former Foreign Minister, Ambassador Nguyen Dy Nien, and other former leaders, ambassadors, senior advisors, experts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Attending the symposium were bout 100 officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and representatives from other ministries and central agencies. The Director and officials of Department of International Cooperation, NAPA attended the event.
Speaking at the symposium, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son highly lauded the role of Nguyen Co Thach for laying a foundation for Vietnam’s diplomacy in the Doi Moi period. He expected that Nguyen Co Thach’s visions and experience lessons in diplomacy development should be applied for a modern and professional diplomacy, contributing to improving the position and prestige of the country.
Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son speaking at the symposium
At the symposium discussion, former Deputy Prime Minister, Ambassador Vu Khoan affirmed that late Foreign Minister Nguyen Co Thach was a pioneer who introduced drastic, timely policies to overcome the difficulties of Vietnam’s diplomacy when the country was just out of the war and facing with fierce challenges including staff reorganization, training staff on expertise and foreign languages, focusing on the management training, improving the organizational structure and working methods which were successfully implemented.
The breakthrough innovation initiatives of Late Foreign Minister Nguyen Co Thach were later mentioned in speeches by former Foreign Minister, Ambassador Nguyen Dy Nien, former Permanent Deputy Minister, Ambassador Nguyen Dinh Bin, former Deputy Minister Ambassador Nguyen Phu Binh, Ambassador Tran Trong Toan (former Vice Chairman State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese), and Ambassador Nguyen Nguyet Nga (Senior Advisor, Former Director of the Department of Multilateral Economic Cooperation). Nguyen Co Thach introduced innovation in direction, administration, and leadership training. Leadership apprenticeship at ministerial and department levels was considered completely new at that time and successfully deployed, creating opportunities for qualified young diplomats to be appointed to leading and managerial positions of the ministry. This is a useful experience in leadership training that could be referred for development of potential strategic leaders in the new period.
Former Foreign Minister Nguyen Dy Nien, Minister Bui Thanh Son, former Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan, Deputy Foreign Minister Dang Minh Khoi (from right to left).
Late Foreign Minister Nguyen Co Thach also paid great attention to research and training. According to Ambassador Vu Duong Huan (former Director of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam), Nguyen Co Thach focused on the role of practical research to offer appropriate policy solutions for Vietnam. He promoted initiatives in research and development, training such as establishing research institutes and research councils; organizing training courses for researchers; inviting qualified experts to compile training curricula and materials.
The discussion at the symposium affirmed the imprint and vision of Late Foreign Minister Nguyen Co Thach. To inherit and promote his vision requires an overall, synchronous and systemic approach for leadership and management, new ideas to improve organizational apparatus to meet the requirements of political tasks, constantly promote innovation in working procedures and methods, enhance modernization of facilities and digital transformation; and improve the quality of the Party’s organizations in the new period.
Photo time of NAPA delegation and former Minister Nguyen Dy Nien
Photo time of NAPA delegation and Deputy Foreign Minister Dang Minh Khoi and former Ambassador Nguyen Nguyet Nga.
