HÀ NỘI – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched Việt Nam’s Diplomatic Bluebook 2015, the first of its kind, at a ceremony in Hà Nội yesterday.

The six-chapter book provides an overview of the international and regional situation, the foreign policy of the Vietnamese Party and State, multilateral diplomatic activities, diplomacy for national development and defence, and the Party, National Assembly and people’s external relations.

It not only recounts Việt Nam’s diplomatic activities in 2015, but also looks back at the last five-year journey and highlights the new features in the country’s foreign policy set by the 12th Party Congress held earlier this year.

Additionally, the book analyses seven new features in the foreign policy of the Congress, including relations with major powers and partners essential to national development and security, major guidelines for international integration and national defence, and the new approach to people’s diplomacy.

“The event is of significance as it also aims to publicise the 12th National Party Congress’s orientations. The full attendance of diplomatic corps to Việt Nam and the media clearly demonstrates the deep interest of the public in the country’s diplomatic policies and works,” Deputy Foreign Minister Lê Hoài Trung said.

“I’m convinced that the information disseminated through the book will help the public better understand Việt Nam’s diplomatic activities, including many actions undertaken by the country’s top leaders for the cause of national development and for peace and development in the region and the world.”

Ngô Hướng Nam, head of the ministry’s Department of Emulation and Reward, gives some introduction about the Diplomatic Bluebook 2015.

Ngô Hướng Nam, head of the ministry’s Department of Emulation and Reward, said, “As the book aims to enable the public internally and externally understand the diplomatic works, its content is concise and simple to read, in addition to being easy to remember and carry, making it user-friendly for the public.”

“Not many countries in the world have published a diplomatic bluebook. Therefore, it can be said that Việt Nam is among the countries that takes the lead in using the bluebook to disseminate Việt Nam’s diplomatic policies,” Nam told Việt Nam News.

“The book will be printed once every year, but is expected earlier in the year from next time," he added.

Besides hard copies in Vietnamese and English, which will be distributed nationwide through municipal and provincial departments of foreign affairs, PDF and e-book versions are also available for readers on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. — VNS