Online conference to review economic diplomacy in 2025 and outline tasks for 2026

On the evening of January 10, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired an online conference with ambassadors and heads of Vietnamese representative missions abroad to review the performance of economic diplomacy in 2025 and outline tasks for 2026. At the online point of presence in Dak Lak province, the conference was chaired by Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Truong Cong Thai, with the participation of leaders of provincial departments and agencies.

Mr.Truong Cong Thai, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, and leaders of provincial departments and agencies, attend the online conference in Dak Lak.

The conference assessed that, in 2025, the global and regional economic and political situation was complex, with many difficulties and challenges affecting Vietnam. Economic diplomacy had closely followed the directives of the Party, State, Government, and Prime Minister, achieving outstanding results.

Within the framework of 75 key leadership foreign affairs activities, Vietnam upgraded relations with 17 countries and signed 350 cooperation agreements, 2.5 times more than in 2024. This strengthened connectivity, attracted external resources to serve socio-economic development goals, and enhanced the ability to adapt to fluctuations in the international economy and trade.

Vietnam maintains and strengthens its leading export markets, attracts investment in a sustainable and efficient manner; and creates breakthroughs in several new, potential markets such as Latin America, the Middle East-Africa, Central Asia, and Central and Eastern Europe. As a result, Vietnam is among the top 15 largest trading countries in the world, with total import and export turnover expected to exceed US$900 billion.

The promotion of Vietnamese brands and products has undergone significant changes; tourism promotion and marketing have been emphasized, with diverse activities achieving impressive results and making a positive contribution to the growth of the service and tourism sector.

Ambassadors and heads of Vietnamese representative missions abroad.

In 2025, over 70 cooperation documents at the government, ministerial, and enterprise levels, as well as cooperation agreements between research institutes, universities, and localities, have been signed in various fields of science and technology, particularly in shaping and promoting strategic cooperation frameworks and agreements with leading science and technology centers.

Vietnamese representative agencies abroad have implemented nearly 500 economic diplomacy activities to promote trade, investment, and tourism; supported localities in organizing more than 150 trade and investment promotion activities at home and abroad; and assisted provinces and cities in signing approximately 100 agreements with international partners.

At the conference the delegates focused on analyzing and forecasting the global situation and its impact on Vietnam in order to proactively develop countermeasures, promote economic diplomacy, serve national development, and especially contribute to achieving double-digit growth targets: further strengthening cooperation in economics, trade, investment, science and technology, especially with strategic and comprehensive partners; creating breakthroughs in trade, investment, labor, and tourism cooperation; prioritizing support for localities and businesses to promote international economic integration; strengthen and elevate multilateral diplomacy.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh delivers a keynote address at the conference.

Concluding the conference, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh assessed that economic diplomacy had achieved important results that transformed the situation, summarizing it with the statement: "Proactive and positive - Expanded markets - Improved quality - Clear effectiveness - Economic growth - People benefit."

In 2026, with the motto "unity creates strength, cooperation creates benefits, dialogue strengthens trust," and "diplomacy in general and economic diplomacy in particular must be sincere with a spirit of harmonious interests and shared risks," Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh directed ministries, sectors, localities, agencies, businesses, and Vietnamese representative offices abroad to resolutely implement and effectively carry out the Party and State's guidelines and policies, especially the upcoming Resolution of the 14th National Congress of the Party and the strategic resolutions of the Politburo that have been and will be issued. This includes prioritizing breakthroughs in international cooperation in science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, green transformation, and green development in the digital age, as this is an objective and top priority; developing sustainable energy, smart cities, and tourism; attracting large technology corporations and Vietnamese scientists abroad; and creating conditions for Vietnamese businesses to participate in global value chains.

The Prime Minister emphasized the general spirit of discipline and responsibility - accelerating innovation and sustainable efficiency; "The Party has directed, the Government has agreed, the National Assembly has concurred, the people have supported, and the nation expects, so we should only discuss action - not retreat"; assigning "6 clear responsibilities": "clear person, clear task, clear responsibility, clear authority, clear time, clear results".

Thanh Huyen