During my time in the Party, I always obeyed the instruction of the organization, even though the duties might be difficult or dangerous. We did not … - Nguyễn Tấn Dũng

Environmental protection is both the objective and the basic content of sustainable development. Nowadays, climate change, environmental pollution, energy security, water security... have become global problems, but no one country can deal with them alone.

Vietnam is a nation of 4000-year history. That nation was dominated by foreign forces for as long as most of the first millennium AD, yet lived on without having been assimilated. After regaining independence for the first time in 939, the nation had to fight 16 other wars of resistance against foreign invaders. In the 20th century, she was forced to take up arms to fight against foreign invasions for her independence, freedom, national unification, survival and development. We hope that those were the last wars in our history to safeguard our national independence, unity and territorial integrity.

Competition and engagement are by themselves normal facts in the course of cooperation and development. Yet if such competition and engagement embrace calculations only in one’s own interest, without equality, respect of international law and transparency, then strategic trust could in no way be reinforced, and there could be a chance for the rise of division, suspicion and the risk of mutual containment, thus adversely affecting peace, cooperation and development.