Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Lê Thị Thu Hằng. Photo courtesy of the MoFA

HÀ NỘI — Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Lê Thị Thu Hằng has praised substantial contributions by Việt Nam's honorary consuls over the years, particularly in protecting the rights and interests of Vietnamese citizens and legal entities overseas, and promoting Việt Nam’s international economic, trade and investment cooperation.

Speaking to the media ahead of the second Conference of Honorary Consuls of Việt Nam in Quảng Ninh Province, Hằng highlighted the growing role of the honorary consular network in advancing Việt Nam’s diplomacy.

She noted that Việt Nam formalised the honorary consul system in 1994, following the framework of the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. Today, the country has 48 honorary consuls in 35 countries across all continents.

Unlike career consular officers, honorary consuls are mainly respected business leaders who voluntarily support consular affairs and citizen protection using their own resources. Many have served continuously for up to 12 years.

Stationed mainly in locations without Vietnamese diplomatic missions, honorary consuls act as an extension of Việt Nam’s overseas presence, helping protect citizens and businesses while promoting cooperation between Việt Nam and the host countries.

During crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic and conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, honorary consuls worked closely with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Vietnamese representative offices to provide timely assistance and safeguard Vietnamese nationals abroad.

Leveraging their extensive local networks and influence, they have also acted as key economic facilitators, helping Vietnamese businesses explore new markets, connecting global corporations with Vietnamese localities and enterprises, and attracting high-quality investment in priority sectors including high technology, green transition, renewable energy and high-tech agriculture.

They have also helped promote Việt Nam’s image as a country with a rich cultural heritage that is modernising, integrating internationally and making greater contributions to the global community.

Hằng said the second Conference of Việt Nam’s Honorary Consuls, to be held in Quảng Ninh in July 2026, will be the first in-person gathering of the network in Việt Nam. It comes shortly after the successful 14th National Party Congress, which charted a new development vision for the country, and immediately before the 33rd Diplomatic Conference.

She described the event as more than a routine meeting, saying it will recognise the practical contributions of honorary consuls while defining expectations and tasks aimed at driving more effective action and strengthening the performance of the honorary consular network.

Holding the conference in Quảng Ninh also underscores the close link between foreign affairs and local development, with diplomacy serving the interests of people, businesses and sustainable growth.

Over the four-day programme in Hà Nội, Hải Phòng and Quảng Ninh, the honorary consuls will not only attend the conference's official sessions but also conduct site visits and hold meetings and exchanges with representatives of government agencies, local authorities and businesses.

Hằng expressed three expectations for the conference - strengthening honorary consuls’ sense of partnership with Việt Nam’s development, generating practical initiatives to enhance consular work, citizen protection and economic cooperation, and establishing a more effective coordination mechanism linking the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, overseas missions, government agencies, local authorities, businesses and the honorary consular network.

She voiced her confidence that the conference will open a new chapter of cooperation, enabling Việt Nam’s honorary consular network to make even greater contributions to the country’s diplomacy and development in the years ahead. — VNA/VNS