Former Secretary of the Party Central Committee and former Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Khoan delivers a speech in September 2019. VNA/VNS Photo Phương Hoa

HÀ NỘI – Former Secretary of the Party Central Committee and former Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Khoan was a pioneer in Việt Nam's reform, innovation, and international integration process, says Dr. Vũ Dương Huân, director of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam.

Vũ Khoan made significant contributions to ending the economic embargo in the 1990s, as well as revamping the nation's foreign policy and accelerating its international economic integration.

He passed away on June 21, 2023, aged 86, at the Military Central Hospital after a period of illness. This is a great loss for the Party, State, and people.

A prominent diplomat

Huấn recalled that the former Deputy Prime Minister was a professional diplomat who held various positions in the government. He had studied and worked in the former Soviet Union and served as an interpreter for the late President Hồ Chí Minh, the late Party General Secretary Lê Duẩn, and the late Prime Minister Phạm Văn Đồng.

During his tenure at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Trade, Vũ Khoan demonstrated exceptional diplomatic skills, profound research ability, and theoretical expertise.

His diplomatic career witnessed many notable achievements, including Việt Nam's accession to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1995 and the establishment of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) in 1996. Additionally, the Việt Nam-US Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) and the long journey towards negotiating member status of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) were significant milestones.

The signing ceremony of the Việt Nam-US Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) took place in Washington D.C, United States, between Vũ Khoan, the Minister of Trade of Việt Nam, and Charlene Barshefsky, the US Trade Representative on July 13, 2000. VNA/VNS Photo Lê Chi

Throughout the terms of late Prime Ministers Võ Văn Kiệt and Phan Văn Khải, Vũ Khoan made important contributions to lifting the economic embargo and introducing a new foreign policy.

"During his tenure as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vũ Khoan made significant contributions to opening up and integrating the country with the international community. During late Prime Minister Võ Văn Kiệt's era, when Vũ Khoan served as Deputy Prime Minister, he had a well-planned strategy for opening up the nation. The roadmap started from Southeast Asia, then expanded to the United States, and later extended to Europe," Huân said.

As Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1990 and Minister of Trade in 2000, Vũ Khoan successfully negotiated the normalisation of relations with the United States, the BTA, Việt Nam's accession to ASEAN, and membership in the WTO.

Sharing impressions of the former Deputy PM, Huân said: "He was a visionary person with a mindset for innovation and intelligence. He was always reading books, learning, and had many concerns about how to promote the strong development of Việt Nam's diplomacy."

“He was a role model for innovative thinking, dynamism, and creativity. He consistently emphasised the importance of continuous learning for the officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, especially for young diplomats,” he recalled.

Having worked in diplomacy and participated in various diplomatic research activities, Huân said Vũ Khoan continued working until the very last moments of his life.

“Even before his passing, he actively participated in conferences and scientific research workshops organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was a lifelong learner," he said.

Vũ Khoan (standing) worked as an interpreter for the late President Hồ Chí Minh. VNA/VNS File photo

For Nguyễn Vinh Quang, former head of the China and Northeast Asia Department under the Party Central Committee's Commission for External Relations, memories of Khoan during his tenure as a member of the Party Central Committee's Secretariat in 2001 remained intact.

"This was a time when I worked closely with former Deputy PM Vũ Khoan, accompanying him on many important activities and handling various issues related to Việt Nam's relations with other countries," Quang shared.

During a trip accompanying Vũ Khoan as the head of the Vietnamese delegation to the conference of Asian political parties, Quang witnessed Vũ Khoan's sensitivity, caution, and meticulousness in his speeches and interactions.

In 2014, Quang was assigned to direct a documentary commemorating the 65th anniversary of the establishment of the Party Central Committee's Commission for External Relations. He consulted with the former Deputy PM and engaged in a long conversation, discussing both general and personal matters.

"Despite being colleagues in the Foreign Ministry and leaders, he was like a mentor to me. Whether it was the books he authored or the conversations he had with diplomats, I learned a lot," Quang said emotionally.

Quang affirmed that few retired leaders at the age of 80 still attended and shared their thoughts at conferences, workshops, and roundtable discussions like Vũ Khoan did.

“Every time there was a roundtable discussion with Vũ Khoan's participation, we were delighted and eagerly anticipated his speeches. We held him in high regard," he said.

Construction of Resolution 36 on overseas Vietnamese

Recalling the time working with Vũ Khoan, former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Ambassador Nguyễn Phú Bình affirmed that Vũ Khoan made significant contributions to the country's diplomatic sector.

Starting as a Russian interpreter for leaders, he absorbed a great deal of knowledge, experience, and wisdom from his superiors, which he later applied in his professional work and leadership career.

"Personally, he was very intelligent, sensitive, a quick learner, and had a clear understanding of complex issues. The lower-ranking officials of the diplomatic sector were lucky to work under his guidance," he shared.

Referring to a lesser-known aspect of Khoan's career, namely the process of building the Politburo's Resolution No 36-NQ/TW on overseas Vietnamese affairs, Bình revealed that this was a recommendation of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs.

At that time, Bình was the committee’s deputy chairman, and later the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the committee. Former Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Khoan, who was the Party Central Committee’s Secretary and in charge of foreign affairs, made a significant impact on the formation of this resolution.

"When we submitted the resolution, he was very meticulous, examining every word, making detailed corrections, and refining the language of the resolution right from the initial stage,” he recalled.

“This document was approved on March 26, 2004. It will be 20 years old in 2024, yet still holds its value and continues to serve as a guideline for overseas Vietnamese affairs,” he said.

Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính awarded the Party's 60-year membership badge to former Secretary of the Party Central Committee and former Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Khoan on November 17, 2021. VNA/VNS Photo Dương Văn Giang

Bình noted that the former Deputy Prime Minister was a diligent reader. After finishing a good book or studying a particular issue, he always synthesised the information clearly and conveyed it to young officials to improve their knowledge.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Khoan diligently fulfilled any task assigned to him by the Party and the State. Even after his retirement, he continued to show great concern for the country's situation and provided suggestions to the Party and the State to improve conditions in Việt Nam. – VNS