The signing of the Paris Agreement on ending the war and restoring peace in Vietnam on January 27, 1973, was a resounding victory of Vietnam’s revolutionary diplomacy in the Ho Chi Minh era, making important contributions to the common victory of the whole nation and, at the same time, leaving invaluable diplomatic lessons, including those related to national independence and international solidarity.

Under the wise and timely direction of Party and State leaders, in 2022, the diplomatic sector quickly shifted its focus from vaccine diplomacy to economic diplomacy for national recovery and development, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Vu said in a recent interview granted to the media.

The pioneering role of the diplomatic sector will be carried forward in building and maintaining an environment of peace and stability, mobilizing external resources to serve the national development and raising the country’s position and reputation in the international arena, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son has said.

The Ministry of Justice has recently co-chaired with the United Nations Population Fund Country Office in Vietnam to organize the review of the six-year implementation of the Civil Status Law. On this occasion, Ms. Naomi Kitahara, UNFPA Representative for Vietnam, grants Vietnam Law & Legal Forum magazine an interview on the results Vietnam has achieved in civil status work as well as things that should be done in the future for fulfilling the country’s set goals.

Vietnam is a friend, a reliable partner of all countries and a responsible member of the international community. Its stature has generated new potential toward rapid and sustainable development in the coming years.

The Law on the Mobile Police Force, Law on Cinematography, Law on Insurance Business and Law Amending a Number of Articles of the Law on Intellectual Property are four laws that take effect from January 1.

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), that codified and progressively developed international law in the maritime domain, has received wide recognition and support from the international community. To the 40th anniversary, December 10, 2022, the Convention has been ratified by 167 countries and the European Union (EU), 150 countries have become parties to the Agreement relating to the Implementation of Part XI of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of December 10, 1982, and 90 countries have acceded to the Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of December 10, 1982 relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks, adopted on August 4, 1995.

Migration remains an issue of prime concern in Vietnam. Disparities often encountered by growing numbers of migrants were further amplified in 2021 by the unprecedented social and economic losses left behind by COVID-19 as it swept across the country and recent economic uncertainties because of disruption of global supply chains. As such, there is a critical need to identify and explore gaps in access to good governance and quality public services between migrants and permanent residents in receiving provinces as well as drivers of migration within Vietnam in 2021, which result in wide-ranging social and economic impacts in need of agile and inclusive policy responses.

New Zealand Ambassador to Vietnam Tredene Dobson has highlighted the significance of the visit by National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue from December 3-7, saying that she believes it will further demonstrate the mutually beneficial nature of the bilateral relationship and of course further advance the relationship in key areas.

Recently, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom has published one-sided and subjective information on the religious situation in Vietnam. They alleged that violations of religious freedom “continued in Vietnam”; that “the Government’s suppression” was a harsh reality facing unregistered independent religious groups; and that provisions on the right to religious freedom in Vietnam’s law were “in essence restrictions on religious freedom”, which “contravened international human rights standards”.