FOREIGN AFFAIR
Seventy years ago, the Geneva Agreement on the cessation of hostilities in Vietnam was signed, marking a new chapter in our people’s struggle for national liberation and reunification. Throughout these 70 years, the lessons from the negotiation, signing, and implementation of the Geneva Agreement have been continuing to hold significant value for the ongoing development, growth, and defense of our nation.
Historical Significance of the Geneva Agreement
On April 26, 1954, the conference to resolve the war and restore peace in Indochina officially opened in Geneva, Switzerland (known as the Geneva Conference). The official participants included the United Kingdom, France, the Soviet Union, China, the United States, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. After 75 days with 23 restricted sessions and 8 plenary sessions, the conference officially signed the ceasefire agreement on July 20, 1954. This agreement, which consisted of 6 chapters and 47 articles, was followed by a Joint Declaration on July 21, 1954, with undeniable contents. Noteworthy commitments included respecting the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of the three countries: Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia; prohibiting foreign intervention in their internal affairs; banning the introduction of foreign military personnel and weapons into Indochina; prohibiting the establishment of foreign military bases in Indochina; and using the Ben Hai River at the 17th parallel as a temporary military demarcation line dividing Vietnam into two military regrouping zones. “This temporary military demarcation line should in no way be interpreted as a political or territorial boundary.” General elections were to be conducted in July 1956, two years after the agreement was signed.
One page of the Geneva Agreement (Source: The 3rd National Archive Center)
The Geneva Agreement is a significant international legal document. For the first time, Vietnam’s fundamental national rights were recognized by major powers at a multilateral conference. The 1954 Geneva Agreement stands as a historical milestone in Vietnam’s revolutionary diplomacy, bearing the profound marks of Ho Chi Minh’s diplomatic thought, style, and art. Nearly 20 years later, the 1973 Paris Agreement reaffirmed these important legal foundations: “The United States and other countries respect the independence, sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of Vietnam as was recognized by the 1954 Geneva Agreement on Vietnam.” Along with the triumph at Dien Bien Phu, the Geneva Agreement brought an end to the resistance against French colonial aggression, liberated the North of Vietnam, and laid the foundation for strengthening the North as a robust rear for the struggle to liberate the South and reunify the country in 1975.
The Geneva Agreement: A Timeless Lesson
The Geneva Conference imparted a timeless lesson on resolving international disputes and conflicts through peaceful means, especially in today’s highly complex global context. The overarching lesson is the absolute, unified leadership of the Communist Party over the revolutionary cause of our people, particularly on the diplomatic front.
Reflecting on the spirit of the Geneva Agreement, it is evident that in the seven decades since its signing, and especially since the Party launched comprehensive, synchronized national renewal, our country has achieved glorious victories and significant, historically meaningful accomplishments. To date, the scale of our economy has increased manifold; the material and spiritual lives of the people have improved markedly. Our external relations and international integration have been effectively implemented.
From a country under blockade and embargo, Vietnam has expanded and deepened relations with 193 countries and territories, including three countries with special relationships, seven comprehensive strategic partners, eleven strategic partners, and twelve comprehensive partners. The overall strength, stature, and prestige of the country have been elevated, garnering international trust and nominations to numerous important international roles in various mechanisms and multilateral forums such as the United Nations, ASEAN, APEC, ASEAM, WTO, and notably, as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2020-2021 term (with a record vote of 192/193), Vice President of the 77th UN General Assembly, member of the UN Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 term, the Intergovernmental Committee under UNESCO for Intangible Cultural Heritage Safeguarding, the International Law Commission for the 2023-2027 term, and as ASEAN Chair in 1998, 2010, 2020, contributing positively to regional and global peace and security.
Building on the lessons from the signing of the 1954 Geneva Agreement, the entire Party, people, and army of Vietnam are striving to resolutely achieve the goals set forth by the 13th Party Congress for various sectors; to establish a comprehensive, modern diplomacy with three pillars: Party external relations, State diplomacy, and people-to-people diplomacy.
Seventy years on, especially during the reform period, Vietnam has consistently pursued an independent, self-reliant foreign policy of diversification and multi-lateralization, proactively and actively integrating comprehensively and deeply into the international community; being a friend, a reliable partner, and a responsible member of its. This represents the creative inheritance and constant development of the remarkable essence of Vietnam's revolutionary diplomacy, embodying the superior characteristics of the “Vietnamese bamboo” – “ with firm roots, sturdy stems, flexible branches,” maintaining a strong position on the international stage.
By Uyen Nhi