"Vietnam values the importance of peace and cooperation in international relations"

The statement underscores Vietnam’s strategic worldview: national security and prosperity are best advanced through a stable, rules-based international environment and constructive ties with diverse partners. Peace is not framed as mere absence of conflict but as a precondition for development. Having emerged from decades of war, Vietnam links peace to socioeconomic transformation, sustaining growth, attracting investment, and building resilient supply chains all depend on predictable, nonviolent relations among states.

Cooperation signals method and mindset. Vietnam favors multilateralism, legal instruments, and dialogue to manage differences, exemplified by its advocacy for ASEAN centrality and adherence to international law, including the UN Charter and the 1982 UNCLOS in maritime disputes. Rather than exclusive alliances, it practices balanced, “bamboo diplomacy”, flexible yet principled, engaging the United States, China, Japan, India, the EU, and others while preserving strategic autonomy. Trade agreements such as the CPTPP, RCEP, and EVFTA embody this approach: economic interdependence becomes both a development engine and a stabilizer against conflict.

Peace and cooperation also carry normative weight. They imply respect for sovereignty, non-interference, and peaceful settlement of disputes, core tenets Vietnam champions in forums from the UN Security Council to ASEAN-led mechanisms. Practical contributions reinforce these norms: Vietnamese medical and engineering units in UN peacekeeping missions demonstrate responsibility-sharing and build diplomatic capital. At sea, Vietnam strengthens deterrence and maritime domain awareness, yet continues to promote dialogue and confidence-building to avoid escalation.

The emphasis further reflects long-term priorities: climate resilience in the Mekong, digital transformation, and green industrialization require cross-border solutions. By investing in cooperative frameworks, Vietnam seeks to shape its environment rather than be constrained by it. The message is both aspirational and pragmatic: durable peace emerges from inclusive, lawful cooperation, and such cooperation, in turn, safeguards the space for national development, diversification of partnerships, and the steady modernization of the Vietnamese state and economy.