Also attending were delegates who were leaders and officials working in people's foreign affairs of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, central mass organizations and people's organizations, and representatives of central departments, ministries and branches.

According to the summary report on people's foreign affairs work in 2023, people's foreign affairs work has been innovated, increased in depth, and enriched in form and content, achieving many important results.

Relations with people's organizations in neighboring countries have been promoted, contributing to the concretization of high-level agreements; cooperation activities with important partners and traditional friends have taken place actively, effectively and practically; multilateral activities have been actively and effectively implemented, demonstrating the role and responsibility of people's organizations in multilateral mechanisms.

The work of mobilizing and fighting to protect national interests on the people's foreign relations channel is specific and effective. People's organizations continue to pay attention to promoting mobilization and effectively exploiting external resources to serve socio-economic development. The work of information, foreign propaganda, mobilization and solidarity of overseas Vietnamese people has achieved many positive results.

With the above results, people's diplomacy has promoted its flexible and supple characteristics, actively coordinating and supporting party diplomacy and state diplomacy.

The increase in quantity and effectiveness of people-to-people diplomacy activities has contributed specifically to strengthening the friendship between our people and people of other countries, consolidating a favorable social foundation for Vietnam's foreign relations with other countries.

Along with Party diplomacy and state diplomacy, people's diplomacy participates in implementing foreign policies imbued with the identity of "Vietnamese bamboo", creating profound marks for foreign affairs work in 2023.

Speaking at the Conference, Head of the Central External Relations Commission Le Hoai Trung highly appreciated and commended the people's foreign affairs force for its achievements in the past year. Discussing the opportunities, challenges and requirements for foreign affairs in the coming time, the Head of the Central External Relations Commission affirmed the viewpoint of our Party and State on the important role of people's foreign affairs as one of the three pillars of Vietnam's diplomacy.

The Head of the Central External Relations Commission requested that departments, ministries and branches continue to ensure the Party's leadership and state management of people's foreign affairs activities; continue to pay attention to promoting the pivotal role of people's foreign affairs, support and create favorable conditions for people's foreign affairs forces; and institutionalize Party documents on people's foreign affairs work.

At the Conference, the Central External Relations Commission awarded 5 Emulation Flags and 39 Certificates of Merit to collectives and individuals with outstanding achievements in people's foreign affairs in 2023; awarded the "For the Cause of People's Foreign Affairs" Medal to 7 individuals with active contributions to people's foreign affairs in the past time.

Among them, many collectives and individuals of the Central Specialized Literature and Arts Associations were honored to receive certificates of merit from the Central External Relations Committee.

The Vietnam Writers Association was awarded a certificate of merit for its outstanding achievements in people's foreign affairs in the field of Peace, Solidarity and Friendship .

The Vietnam Musicians Association and the Vietnam Dance Artists Association are two of the collectives with outstanding achievements in People's Foreign Affairs in the field of Foreign Information and Propaganda .

The Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists is a collective with outstanding achievements in People's Foreign Affairs in the field of Struggle and advocacy to protect national and ethnic interests .

Also at the conference, Ms. Tran Thi Thu Dong, Vice President of the Vietnam Union of Literature and Arts Associations, President of the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists and Mr. Le Quy Duong, Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Vietnam Association of Stage Artists were 2 of 13 individuals with outstanding achievements in People's Foreign Affairs in 2023 to be awarded certificates of merit by the Central Foreign Affairs Committee.