My dear Indian friends, close and loyal friends of Viet Nam,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am very happy to visit India, and on this occasion meet and speak with my Indian friends, who have ever been standing by Viet Nam throughout our history of nation-building, defense and development.
Our two countries are organizing many events to welcome 2022, the year Viet Nam and India celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations and the 5th anniversary of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. But in truth, our two countries may well celebrate such people-to-people ties every single year. This is the unique distinction to the Viet Nam - India relationship, and lends strength to our bilateral ties.
India brings to mind one of the four cradles of the ancient civilizations, a culture continually nurtured and cultivated, a culture that always flourishes, a culture united in diversity, that rises to majestic height like the grand Himalaya, or the sacred Mount Meru - around which “the Sun and all the planets circle,” and whose shine illuminates the Eastern sky. It is this civilization that lends mystique to the land of India.
Your country and nation are well-known as a land of myths and epics, a land of folklore and legends, a land of thousands of deities and demigods, a land of various religions coexisting in peace and tolerance and striving for goodness beneath the common roof that is India. It is as such that the Oriental path of spiritualism came into being. Yours is one of the most religious and philosophical peoples in the world. Yours is a culture of heroism that passes from one generation to the next without interruption, that spreads the value of peace and benevolence. Thanks to this character, India today is the fastest-growing economy in the world, built on a young, robust, dynamic and innovative workforce. Thanks to this character, India shall become a model for the combination between economic development and one of the largest democracies in the world.
Viet Nam is a special nation, with a multilingual culture and a rich identity, the 34th among the first civilizations of mankind. Viet Nam is a heroic nation. Throughout our history of nation-building and defense, we have triumphed over every invader, and today we stand united in the process of international integration and strive to build a strong, mighty country.
The relationship between Viet Nam and India is unique. It stems from the people-to-people ties that dates back 2000 years through four waves of interaction and convergence throughout history: (1) The wave of Buddhism influence into Viet Nam in the years BC, that is still preserved and expanded upon by the Vietnamese people to this day (2) The wave of Hinduism influence into Viet Nam in the early AD, whose relics and imprints are still alive and well reflected in the art, architecture and sculptures of the Cham culture in the My Son Sanctuary and Quang Nam, Da Nang, (3) The wave of Brahmanism influence and cultural convergence entering the Southwest of Viet Nam from India, creating the Phu Nam cultural sphere, that can be clearly witnessed today, and (4) The wave of modern convergence, empowered by modern philosophies, initiated and cultivated by our respective great leaders: Ho Chi Minh, Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, inherited and built upon by generations of leadership and peoples of our two countries, from formal diplomatic relations in 1972 to Strategic Partnership in 2007, and to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2016. Throughout this journey of building the Viet Nam - India bond of friendship and cooperation, people-to-people diplomacy always plays a vital role.
Viet Nam always keeps in our heart and takes pride in our Indian friends, our faithful, sympathetic friends, who took to the road in the struggle for justice for Viet Nam in our war against the invasion of foreign aggressors. I should recount the demonstrations of the Indian people, the march of Indian students with anti-war slogans on their lips standing against the war in Viet Nam, the brave and righteous who risked their lives, fearing neither gaol nor cuffs, who hoisted high the banner in support of Viet Nam. Your contributions helped form the global popular front of the peoples of the world against the unjust war in our country, bringing about the defeat of the French colonialism and American imperialism in Viet Nam. It is as if we today can still hear the motto “My name Viet Nam, your name Viet Nam, our name Viet Nam. Ho Chi Minh - Dien Bien Phu” that once shook the streets of India, echoing today and forevermore. This loyal friendship has linked our two peoples together, and is a solid foundation upon which we may forge a closer and stronger tie between Viet Nam and India, truly a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership endowed with deep trust and expansive cooperation across various areas.
The exchanges, cooperation and mutual aid between our two peoples are also evident in the care and gestures of altruism given to each other in times of need. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the people of Viet Nam provided India with medical equipment and supplies worth more than 2 billion VND, especially in May, through the donation of friendship associations, religious and social organizations, and private citizens. We will also always keep in our heart the assistance given by the Government of India and Indian philanthropists to Viet Nam during the peak of the pandemic in July and August.
It is the cultural proximity, amity and mutual aid between our two peoples that gave rise to a great many friendship and cooperative associations. I have learnt that there are many local friendship associations with Viet Nam, for example in Kolkata, Odisha and Kerala. In Viet Nam, there are also many friendship associations with India. I am very pleased to introduce to you, joining us on this visit to India, we have Mr. Nguyen Manh Hung, Minister of Information and Communications, and President of the Viet Nam – India Friendship Association. This is truly a precious friendship to us, and as such the Presidency of the Viet Nam – India Friendship Association is always given to a Cabinet Minister, in order to create synergy between people-to-people and state diplomacy.
Indeed, the affection between our two peoples is not merely a relic of the past, nor is it only evident in the war for independence, nor is it just profound in the time of national development. But rather, it is alive and robust, no matter the circumstance, no matter the crisis, and no matter the challenge. This sentiment is a pure, loyal, and faithful bond between human beings across our two nations.
India is a vast, multi-ethnic and multi-religious country. Viet Nam is also a country where many ethnic groups and religions coexist in harmony. We understand the value of diversity and unity in diversity. Therefore, it is my hope that all organizations, communities, associations and friends of Viet Nam in India would stand together as one, and come up with many more measures to promote people-to-people ties between the two countries.
Viet Nam is pursuing a comprehensive foreign policy, consisting of Party foreign relations, State diplomacy, and people-to-people exchanges. People-to-people diplomacy is becoming an important pillar of the Vietnamese diplomacy today. We have witnessed how much investment and attention India has given to people-to-people diplomacy as a channel of soft power to spread the shared values of culture and humanity. Indian cultural values always enjoy popular support in Viet Nam.
The philosophy of humanitarianism, benevolence and peace that Buddhism espouses is also pursued by all Vietnamese people. Many of our people practice Yoga diligently every day, under the guidance of Indian instructors. On 21 June every year, thousands of Vietnamese people would gather in various places to practice Yoga in support of the International Yoga Day. The Vietnamese people have also made use of various herbs in accordance with the Indian Ayurveda tradition. There is a growing number of marriages between Vietnamese and Indians, forging close ties of matrimony and family to stand the test of time.
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is with the deepest love for India and sincere gratitude for everything India has done to help Viet Nam that I do hope that the relationship between our two countries as a whole, and especially our people-to-people ties, shall continue to flourish and grow in breadth and depth to truly be one of the five pillars of our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Thank you for your kind attention.
I wish you all good health, peace and happiness!
