This Decree applies to agencies of the Communist Party and State, units of armed forces, and related organizations and individuals when performing diplomatic ceremonies prescribed in Article 1 of this Decree.
This Decree provides for diplomatic ceremonies, including: Receiving of high-ranking foreign delegations on state visits, official visits, working visits, unannounced visits, private visits, or in transit; receiving of Ministers, Directors of Agencies of the Congress or equivalences and other foreign guest delegations; Receiving and seeing off Leaders of the Communist Party and State attending international conferences abroad; drafting congratulatory letters and telegrams, condolences, enquiries of High-ranking Leaders; Organizing ceremonies for heads of foreign representative missions, including heads of diplomatic representative missions; heads of consular missions, and heads of representative missions of international organizations in Vietnam.
Principles of organizing diplomatic ceremonies are:
- The presiding agency organizing diplomatic ceremonies shall comply with regulations of the Constitution and the law of Vietnam as well as the international laws and practices.
- The organization of diplomatic ceremonies shall be uniformly performed in the entire political system including agencies of the Communist Party and the State, serving political and diplomatic requirements of the Communist Party and the State and affirming the leading position and role of the Vietnam Communist Party regarding the political system of Vietnam.
- The presiding agency shall propose measures of diplomatic ceremonies on the basis of equality and reciprocity; focus on handling differences between the political system, practice, and culture of Vietnam with the political system, practice, and culture of the guest nation.
- Special cases shall have their separate plans; competent authorities shall decide the approval of such plans.
According to the Decree, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will take responsibility for unifying the state management on the implementation of diplomatic ceremonies and receptions of foreign guests; Propose the extent of receptions of high-ranking foreign guest delegations, international organizations, and organizations in other regions not included in this Decree.
The Ministry of Finance will take charge and cooperate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and related ministries and central authorities in reviewing, amending, and supplementing regulations on policies on the reception of foreign guests coming to work in Vietnam in an appropriate manner.
The Ministry of National Defense will arrange military bands and honour guards in accordance with regulations of welcome ceremonies at the airport; state-level or official welcome ceremonies; ceremonies of visiting Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum; wreath-laying ceremonies at the Monument to Heroic Martyrs; Arrange honour guards in accordance with regulations of state-level small meetings or meetings, official meetings regarding a Head of State or Head of State who is also the Head of the Government on a state visit or official visit and other cases at the request of competent authorities.
The Ministry of Public Security will take responsibility for arranging honour guards in accordance with regulations of the following events: small meetings; official meetings regarding visits of high-ranking foreign guests except for cases prescribed in Clause 3 of this Article; high-ranking receptions within the framework of visits; banquets; social meetings, audiences, and works between Leaders of the Vietnam Communist Party and State and foreign guests; Presentation Ceremonies of Credentials and Letters of Authorizations, and other cases at the request of competent authorities; Take responsibility for implementing escorting motorcycles and leading police vehicles as per regulation.
This Decree comes into force as of April 10, 2022. This Decree replaces some content of the Diplomatic Ceremony and Reception of Foreign Guests (from Chapter 8 to Chapter 13) of Decree No. 145/2013/ND-CP dated October 29, 2013 of the Government on organization of anniversaries; protocol of awarding and receiving commendations and emulation titles; diplomatic ceremonies and receptions of foreign guests.