Deputy Foreign Minister Ngo Le Van and Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Nguyen Manh Quyen co-chaired the session. Representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam and departments and agencies of Hanoi attended.

Overview of the meeting. 

Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ngo Le Van said Hanoi holds a special national role as the capital and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs fully recognizes this responsibility and places great importance on close cooperation with the city. 

He thanked Hanoi for its strong support in national-level foreign affairs and emphasized that this session forms an important step toward an upcoming meeting between the Party Committees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Hanoi Party Committee.

He expected that Hanoi and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would cooperate to build the capital's external relations strategy for 2026 to 2030. Deputy Foreign Minister Ngo Le Van reaffirmed the ministry's readiness to work closely with the city and encouraged both sides to share detailed views on future orientations.

Vice Chairman Nguyen Manh Quyen expressed appreciation for the ministry's support and noted that although Hanoi no longer has a Department of External Relations, the city continues to carry out external affairs effectively. He asked the ministry to keep serving as a bridge for Hanoi to access knowledge, experience, and opportunities, especially in high technology and innovation.

He agreed that both sides should strengthen coordination to clarify priorities in external relations with a focus on economic, social, and public-interest outcomes. He proposed developing a memorandum of cooperation for the period 2026 to 2030.

The two sides reviewed achievements, challenges, and recommendations in recent cooperation. 

Reports showed that from 2021 to 2025, Hanoi established a unified leadership and management mechanism for external affairs, ensuring alignment across Party diplomacy, state diplomacy, and people-to-people diplomacy. Cooperation between Hanoi and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been close and effective, contributing to the success of national and local diplomacy and reinforcing Hanoi's status as a city of peace and friendship.

Overview of the meeting. 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has consistently provided strong support through strategic coordination and guidance that enhances both national foreign policy implementation and Hanoi's international position.

The two sides are now finalizing a draft coordination regulation focused on several areas. These include unified direction in external affairs, joint research, long-term foreign policy planning for the capital, and cooperation to develop Hanoi's first external relations strategy for 2026 to 2030.

 Other areas include diplomacy for development, external communications, and training for human resources. Both sides agreed to complete a practical and outcome-oriented cooperation plan.

Deputy Foreign Minister Ngo Le Van emphasized that future cooperation should center on five key areas: strategic guidance for the capital's external relations, including policy design and implementation aligned with Hanoi's development goals; diplomacy for economic growth, science and technology, innovation, green transition, and digital transformation; cultural diplomacy and cultural development; strengthening Hanoi's role in multilateral diplomacy and global city networks; and ensuring foreign affairs security and social stability as the capital frequently hosts high-level international events.

He encouraged both sides to clarify specific tasks for inclusion in the cooperation agreement, focusing on two-way coordination and annual priority-setting to ensure effective implementation. Vice Chairman Nguyen Manh Quyen agreed with the ministry's proposals and said both sides should specify cooperation items in detail, follow central-level directives, and establish clear action plans. He also proposed designating focal units to accelerate implementation.

Representatives from both sides discussed several shared concerns, including overseas Vietnamese affairs, building an international network of experts to support development, foreign worker management, and strengthening external communications and press outreach. They also raised suggestions to improve coordination effectiveness in upcoming external relations tasks.

Both sides agreed to continue close collaboration to finalize necessary documents and prepare for the upcoming meeting between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Party Committee and the Hanoi Party Committee.