Foreign Minister shares lessons Vietnam learned from the Geneva Agreement

On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Geneva Agreement (July 21, 1954 - July 21, 2024), in an interview with the press about the significance of this historic event, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son affirmed that, along with the Dien Bien Phu victory, the Geneva Agreement completely ended the nearly 100-year colonial domination of our country, opening a new chapter in the cause of national liberation and national unification of our people.

Bộ trưởng Bộ Ngoại giao Bùi Thanh Sơn — Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son

"The signing of the Geneva Agreement is not only a historical milestone for our nation, but also has epochal significance. Because this is a common victory of the three Indochinese countries and peace- loving people around the world," said the Minister.

Regarding our country's diplomacy, Minister Bui Thanh Son affirmed that the Geneva Agreement is the first multilateral international treaty that Vietnam has participated in negotiating, signing and implementing, not only affirming Vietnam's position as an independent and sovereign nation in the international arena.

"This is an important milestone in the development of Vietnam's revolutionary diplomacy, leaving many valuable lessons and training many excellent diplomats in the Ho Chi Minh era," Mr. Son emphasized.

The Minister said that the process of negotiating, signing and implementing the Geneva Agreement is a valuable handbook on Vietnam's foreign policy and diplomacy, which has been inherited, creatively applied and developed in the negotiation, signing and implementation of the 1973 Paris Agreement later as well as in the implementation of foreign affairs work today.

Lessons on combining national strength with the strength of the times, national solidarity combined with international solidarity to create "an invincible strength".

"During the negotiation process of the Geneva Agreement, we constantly expanded international solidarity and sought the support of the world's people for the just struggle of the Vietnamese people," the Minister added.

Quang cảnh phiên khai mạc Hội nghị Geneva về Đông Dương vào ngày 8.5.1954 — Scene of the opening session of the Geneva Conference on Indochina on May 8, 1954

That is a lesson in steadfastness in goals and principles, yet flexibility and change in strategy according to the motto "with the unchangeable, adapt to all changes". Throughout the process of negotiating, signing and implementing the Geneva Agreement, Vietnam has always adhered to the principles of peace, national independence and territorial integrity, yet been mobile and flexible with strategies appropriate to the balance of power and the international and regional situation to achieve strategic goals.

The next lesson for Vietnam is to always attach importance to research, assessment and forecasting the situation, to “know oneself”, “know others”, “know the times”, “know the situation” in order to “know how to advance”, “know how to retreat”, “know how to be firm”, “know how to be gentle”. This is a profound lesson that remains valuable in the current context of a world that is changing in a complex and unpredictable manner.

In addition, the Geneva Agreement is also a lesson in using dialogue and peaceful negotiations to resolve disagreements and conflicts in international relations. According to Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son, this is a lesson of the times, especially when many complex conflicts are taking place in the world as at present.

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