Vietnam’s early completion of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and its active pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) demonstrate strong governance, inclusive policies, and effective global cooperation, said Ludwig Graf Westarp, Vice President of the Vietnam – Germany Association.
In an interview with the Vietnam News Agency's correspondent in Berlin on the occasion of the 80th National Day (September 2, 1945 – 2025), Westarp, who is a lecturer at Dortmund University of Technology and once served as Chief Representative of the German Association of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Vietnam, said these achievements have improved living standards, reduced inequality, and promoted sustainable growth, laying the foundation for a happier and more prosperous Vietnam.
Westarp, who first visited Vietnam in 2012, said the Southeast Asian country and its people have greatly enriched his life. Since then, both his career and family have developed strong ties with Vietnam.
According to the German scholar, after nearly 40 years of the Doi moi (Renewal) process, Vietnam has transformed from a poor, agriculture-based country into a fast-growing, globally integrated middle-income economy. Rising GDP, industrialisation, and trade expansion have reduced poverty and improved infrastructure, while enhancing social welfare, expanding healthcare and education, and raising living standards.
Westarp highlighted Vietnam’s emergence as a “middle power” with increasing international influence. The country has twice served as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, held ASEAN Chairmanship in 1998, 2010 and 2020, hosted APEC Years in 2006 and 2017, and is currently a member of the UN Human Rights Council. It has also joined major trade agreements such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the EU–Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), while upgrading ties with the US, Japan, and Australia. These steps place Vietnam at the centre of regional discussions on supply chains, digital trade, climate, and security.
Vietnam’s contributions to UN peacekeeping have grown from its first deployment in 2014 to regular troop rotations. As ASEAN Chair in 2020 under the theme “Cohesive and Responsive,” the country helped establish mechanisms to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hosting APEC in 2017, it led the adoption of the Da Nang Declaration on inclusive, rules-based growth.
The country has also pursued an independent foreign policy, combined with the “Four No's” defence policy, and maintained a maritime position based on international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). This approach allows Vietnam to expand partnerships while safeguarding autonomy and minimising the risk of overdependence, Westarp noted.
From a war-torn nation to a country that helps shape international rules, engages actively in trade, and participates in peacekeeping operations, Vietnam today serves as a flexible “bridge” between major powers and the Southern Hemisphere, which is trustworthy enough to assume important diplomatic roles while maintaining an independent and self-reliant foreign policy, he emphasised.
However, the scholar cautioned that Vietnam still faces challenges, including the risk of the “middle-income trap,” productivity gaps, uneven regional development, and environmental pressures. Climate change, resource constraints, and global geopolitical tensions require agile policy responses, while domestic reforms in law, governance, and technology are needed to sustain growth.
Vietnam’s 80-year journey has created unity, economic strength, and international standing for a new era of development. To seize opportunities in digital growth, green transition, and high-value industries, the country must overcome structural weaknesses, environmental pressures, and global uncertainties through reforms, innovation, and sustainable strategies, Westarp added./.
