The Declaration of Independence confirmed before the world the will and the brave, inflexible spirit of the Vietnamese people

H.E. Mr. Pham Quoc Bao, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Socialist Republic of Vietnam, on the occasion of the National Day of the country

Ambassador Pham Quoc Bao was born in 1947 in the province Ha Tai. He graduated the Azerbaijan State University. He was successively collaborator, deputy director and director of the International Relations department at the National Assembly chancellery. Chief secretary of the Parliamentary Group for Friendship Vietnam-Bulgaria. Proficient in Russian and English. Married, with two children.

Vietnam and Bulgaria have had traditionally good relations for long years

Your Excellency, what is the significance of the Declaration of Independence of September 2, 1945?
Sixty years ago, on September 2, 1945, in the capital Hanoi President Ho Shi Min read the Declaration of Independence. This was the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, present-day Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

The Declaration of Independence is a confirmation of the historic truth: “All nations in the world are equal by birth; every nation has a right to life, happiness and freedom.”

The Declaration of Independence is an immortal work of President Ho Shi Min, “a powerful and eternal work” embodying the historic traditions of the inflexible and unbending spirit of the Vietnamese nation, an epos that opened a new era for the Vietnamese people – the era of freedom and contribution to the enrichment of the world nations’ right to self-determination – the right to independence and freedom.

The Declaration of Independence is the first important legal document affirming before the world the will and the brave, inflexible and unbending spirit of the Vietnamese people. The will that “nothing is dearer than freedom and independence”!

What are the major achievements of Vietnam after the beginning of the renovation in 1989?
In 1989 the country started to change. Three important successes were achieved:

• Political and social stabilization, enhancement of the defense and security.
• Economic development.
• Expansion of foreign policy, raising the positions of Vietnam in the international scene.

Vietnam learned its lesson from the past nearly 20 years of renovation that if you want to progress you have to reform the economy. But this reform has to retain the socio-political stability of the country. No stability, no progress. Vietnam watches closely for the harmonic conduction of the economic and political reforms.

The investment environment in Vietnam was strongly improved, therefore we attracted over 3000 foreign projects worth more than 40 billion dollars. Furthermore, the development fund of the World Bank and Japan (ODA) reached 23 billion dollars.

In the conditions of globalization, Vietnam is continuing the economic reform for attraction of foreign capital. The international community recognized Vietnam as a country of high rate of development, with nearly 7.5% annual growth, 16% average growth of export over the last 10 years, efficient use of foreign capital. Vietnam was given a high assessment for the implementation of the state program for liquidation of hunger and reduction of poverty. The World Bank considers it a model the other countries can learn from. The political reform in Vietnam spurred the economic development. Vietnam used to follow the mechanism of centralized planned economy, whereas today it applies the mechanism of market economy. It is no longer an economic reform but a categorical policy – change of the political line in economy. Vietnam is developing its economy along many lines. It mobilizes the sources of human and inner resources in the country and hence the economy is developing at a comparatively fast pace.

The people’s right to be master used to be practiced on the principle “the people knows, the people does, the people controls, the people uses”. During the past years of renovation, Vietnam carried out many reforms, made many changes in the organization and functioning of the political and legal systems. The political institutions and the legal system of Vietnam are being constantly improved to build a rule-of-law state of the people, from the people and for the people.

What are the advantages in Vietnam’s foreign policy today?
Pursuing an independent foreign policy for expansion of international relations, Vietnam is ready to be a friend and loyal partner to any country from the international community that fights for peace and progress. Vietnam has diplomatic relations with 169 countries in the world and trade relations with 165. It is a member of nearly all international and regional organizations (UN, ASEAN, APEC, IPU, APF, AIPO, etc.).

Some of the advantages in today’s foreign policy are:

• Intensification of the relations with our partners for the purposes of defense and enhancement of security, creation of most favorable environment for the industrialization and modernization of the country in the name of the goal “rich people, strong nation, equal, democratic and civilized society”.
• Initiatives for world economic integration, further strengthening of the positions and role of Vietnam in the world order, earlier admission of Vietnam in the World Trade Organization, attraction of capital and aids, encouragement of trade, tourism and cooperation in the field of employment.
• Intensification of diplomatic activity for the promotion of trade, for the creation of favorable environment and legal framework for foreign economic activity.
• Expansion of multilateral cooperation with the international, regional and non-governmental organizations, coordination between bilateral and multilateral diplomacy.
• Increasing the role of popular diplomacy, which together with the state and parliamentary diplomacy should become a synthesized force at the foreign political front.
• Serious attitude to the work on mobilizing our compatriots abroad to encourage them and create conditions for their homeland orientation, for participation in the building of the country.