Nguyễn Cơ Thạch (15 May 1921 – 10 April 1998; born ''Phạm Văn Cương'') was a Vietnamese revolutionary,

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

, and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

. He was Foreign Minister of Vietnam from February 1980 to July 1991.Seth Mydans (12 April 1998
"Nguyen Co Thach, Hanoi Foreign Minister, 75"
''New York Times'' Thạch was seen as pragmatic and influential (given his representation in the Politburo).Palmujoki, Eero (1999): "Ideology and Foreign Policy: Vietnam's Marxist-Leninist Doctrine and Global Challenge, 1986–96". Thayer, Carlyle A. & Amer, Ramses (ed.): ''Vietnamese Foreign Policy in Transition''. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore His time in office coincided with part of Vietnam’s transition from an ideology-based alignment to the Soviet bloc towards a pragmatic approach to foreign policy, including the primacy of economic over ideological considerations, integration into

ASEAN ASEAN ( , ), officially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is a political and economic union of 10 member states in Southeast Asia, which promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, militar ...

and closer relations with non-socialist countries. However, Mr Thạch’s efforts to normalize relations with the United States were not successful. His son

Phạm Bình Minh Phạm Bình Minh (born 26 March 1959) is a Vietnamese politician who is currently a Deputy Prime Minister since 2013. He was the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam from 2011 to 2021. Phạm is also a member of P ...

had occupied the same positions held by Thạch, serving as

Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam The Deputy Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Phó Thủ tướng Cộng hòa xã hội chủ nghĩa Việt Nam), known as Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers ( vi, Phó Chủ tịch Hội đồng Bộ trưởng) f ...

(2013–2023) and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam (2011–2021).Ngoại giao không đơn độc trong sứ mệnh bảo vệ chủ quyền
vietnamnet.vn

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nguyen, Co Thach 1921 births 1998 deaths People from Nam Định province Cold War diplomats Alternates of the 5th Politburo of the Communist Party of Vietnam Members of the 6th Politburo of the Communist Party of Vietnam Members of the 4th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam Members of the 5th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam Members of the 6th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam Government ministers of Vietnam Deputy Prime Ministers of Vietnam Foreign ministers of Vietnam