Poland–Vietnam relations
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Poland–Vietnam relations are the current and historical relations between Poland and Vietnam. Poland has an embassy in Hanoi and Vietnam has an embassy in Warsaw. The relationship between these two nations can be described as special because they both share historical parallels, although they are very culturally different from one another and they are geographically very far apart. Both Poland and Vietnam have had a long history of struggles against powerful foreign invaders such as Russia and Germany for the Polish,
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
and
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
for Vietnamese. These shared historical struggles are mentioned in the Vietnamese poem ''My dear, Poland'' by the Vietnamese poet
Tố Hữu Tố Hữu (4 October 1920 – 9 December 2002) was a Vietnamese revolutionary poet and politician. He published seven collections of poems, the first of which was the 1946 collection entitled ''Từ ấy'' (Thenceforth), which included many of his ...
.


History

While the two nations have little in common due to their geographical positions, they undeniably share historical parallels. Both Poland and Vietnam were given credit for having repelled the invasions from two of the most powerful empires in history; Poland repelled the invasion from the Ottoman Empire and Vietnam repelled the invasion from the
Mongol Empire The Mongol Empire of the 13th and 14th centuries was the largest contiguous land empire in history. Originating in present-day Mongolia in East Asia, the Mongol Empire at its height stretched from the Sea of Japan to parts of Eastern Europe, ...
. Also, both nations have contributed to producing some of the most popular, charismatic and revered national heroes in their respective histories. Poland produced such national heroes as
John III Sobieski John III Sobieski ( pl, Jan III Sobieski; lt, Jonas III Sobieskis; la, Ioannes III Sobiscius; 17 August 1629 – 17 June 1696) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1674 until his death in 1696. Born into Polish nobility, Sobie ...
, Józef Piłsudski, Józef Poniatowski, Witold Pilecki, Tadeusz Kościuszko, Casimir Pulaski, Witold Urbanowicz and Pope John Paul II; whereas Vietnam has Ngô Quyền,
Trần Hưng Đạo Trần Hưng Đạo (; 1228–1300), real name Trần Quốc Tuấn (陳國峻), also known as Grand Prince Hưng Đạo (''Hưng Đạo Đại Vương'' - 興道大王), was a Vietnamese royal prince, statesman and military commander of Đạ ...
, Võ Nguyên Giáp, Phan Bội Châu, Trưng Sisters, Nguyễn An and
Lý Long Tường Lý Long Tường (; 1174–?) was a prince of the Lý dynasty of Đại Việt (in modern-day Vietnam) and later became Lee Yong-sang (이용상) of Hwasan, a general of Korea. He is an ancestor of one branch of the Lee (or Yi) family today in bo ...
. Some of these figures are also revered outside their nations. For example, Urbanowicz is popular in Britain. Pulaski and Kościuszko are revered in the U.S.
Lý Long Tường Lý Long Tường (; 1174–?) was a prince of the Lý dynasty of Đại Việt (in modern-day Vietnam) and later became Lee Yong-sang (이용상) of Hwasan, a general of Korea. He is an ancestor of one branch of the Lee (or Yi) family today in bo ...
is a well-known figure in Korea and Nguyễn An is well known in China. Both nations also share some commonalities in how brutally they were treated by the foreign powers. In their long historical struggles for independence, the Poles and the Vietnamese both had to fight many powerful invaders. Usually, Poland and Vietnam had to fight Russia/German states and China respectively, and they both very often had to suffer destruction and devastation. In the recent history both nations were also occupied by powerful nations. Poland was
occupied ' (Norwegian: ') is a Norwegian political thriller TV series that premiered on TV2 on 5 October 2015. Based on an original idea by Jo Nesbø, the series is co-created with Karianne Lund and Erik Skjoldbjærg. Season 2 premiered on 10 October 2 ...
by Nazi Germany and Soviet Union, whereas Vietnam was occupied by Vichy France and
Japanese Empire The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent forma ...
during the World War II. They were the brutal victims of massacres launched by these imperial forces. Both nations also resisted very bravely. Poland launched the Warsaw Uprising to resist against German occupation and the Vietnamese started the August Revolution to fight against the colonial rule of the French and the Japanese. As such, Vietnam received much sympathy from Polish co-workers when they arrived in North Vietnam in the 1960s and the Vietnamese immigrants in Poland also perceived Poland in a similar manner because of their historical parallels. When Vietnam were subject to global condemnations and embargoes that were raised by the United States and China, both the Polish government and the Solidarity movement expressed solidarity with Vietnam's fight against the
Khmer Rouge The Khmer Rouge (; ; km, ខ្មែរក្រហម, ; ) is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK) and by extension to the regime through which the CPK ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. ...
in Cambodia. It was an act that led to the deployment of Polish troops in Cambodia under the UN mission to help stabilize the political situation in Cambodia. In 1946, the future founder of Israel, a Polish Jew, David Ben-Gurion, met Hồ Chí Minh in Paris. His desire of establishing Israel and the historical impression from Ho to Poland was considered as the first unofficial tie between Vietnam and Poland. Official diplomatic relations were established in 1950. Janusz Lewandowski, representative of Polish delegation during the Geneva Accords at 1954, had protested the idea of separating Vietnam into two parts that proposed by the Government of newly established People's Republic of China. To monitor the Geneva Accords, the International Control Commission (ICC) consisting of diplomats and soldiers from Poland, India and Canada was set up. The chairman of the ICC was always Indian while the Canadians were expected to support South Vietnam while the Poles were expected to support North Vietnam. In practice, the ICC did not work as expected with the Indian delegation often taking a more pro-North position than the Polish delegation who contrary to expectations proved to be more neutral. Poland–Vietnam relations grew from the 1950s and 1980s student exchange programs, during which time both Poland and Vietnam were socialist
republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...
s under the grasp of the Soviet Union.Nowicka, p.216-217 Both states were members of Comecon. During the Vietnam War, Polish diplomats in North Vietnam collaborated with Italian diplomats in
South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...
in order to seek peace and end the Vietnam War. The first effort was the "Maneli Affair" of 1963 named after the Polish commissioner on the ICC,
Mieczysław Maneli Mieczysław Maneli (born Moshe Meir Manela; 22 January 1922 – 9 April 1994) was a Polish lawyer, diplomat and academic best remembered for his work with the International Control Commission (ICC) during the Vietnam War, especially the "Maneli A ...
. The "Maneli Affair" involved a proposal to end the war and ultimately set up a federation of North Vietnam and South Vietnam. The second effort of 1966 was known as
Operation Marigold Marigold was an American codename for a failed secret attempt to reach a compromise solution to the Vietnam War that was carried out by the Polish diplomat Janusz Lewandowski, a member of the International Control Commission, and the Italian ambass ...
. In Marigold, Janusz Lewandowski of the ICC met with the American ambassador to South Vietnam,
Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. (July 5, 1902 – February 27, 1985) was an American diplomat and Republican United States senator from Massachusetts in both Senate seats in non-consecutive terms of service and a United States ambassador. He was considered ...
, presenting an offer on behalf of North Vietnam to open peace talks provided the American stopped bombing North Vietnam first. After returning to Vietnam, Vietnamese graduates of Polish universities often were leading specialists in key areas of the country's developing economy, including mining and shipbuilding. In the 1980s, the Vietnamese-Polish Friendship Hospital was built in Vinh, Vietnam with Poland's help. The hospital continues to be supported by Poland as it donates medical equipment and provides professional courses for the hospital's Vietnamese doctors. Thanks to Vietnamese graduates of Polish universities, the works of the most renown Polish writers, such as
Henryk Sienkiewicz Henryk Adam Aleksander Pius Sienkiewicz ( , ; 5 May 1846 – 15 November 1916), also known by the pseudonym Litwos (), was a Polish writer, novelist, journalist and Nobel Prize laureate. He is best remembered for his historical novels, especi ...
, Adam Mickiewicz and Bolesław Prus, were translated into Vietnamese. In 2017, an office of the
Polish Investment and Trade Agency The Polish Investment and Trade Agency ( pl, Polska Agencja Inwestycji i Handlu, abbreviated to PAIH) is a Polish government agency which promotes Poland as an attractive destination for foreign investment. History In 1992, the Polish Agency f ...
was opened in
Ho Chi Minh City , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...
in the presence of Polish President Andrzej Duda. Vietnam is Poland's largest trading partner among the ASEAN countries (as of 2020). On August 1, 2020, the
European Union–Vietnam Free Trade Agreement The EU–Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) is a free trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The ''EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA)'' was also agreed which is a bilateral invest ...
came into force, which eliminated 99% of tariffs in trade between Vietnam and EU countries, including Poland. Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland, in March 2020, Vietnam aided Poland by sending 4,000
COVID-19 testing COVID-19 testing involves analyzing samples to assess the current or past presence of SARS-CoV-2. The two main types of tests detect either the presence of the virus or antibodies produced in response to infection. Molecular tests for viral ...
kits, as well as medical gowns and gloves for Polish medics. The aid was organized by the Vietnamese community in Poland. In August 2021, Poland donated over 500,000
COVID-19 vaccine A COVID19 vaccine is a vaccine intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID19). Prior to the COVID19 pandemic, an e ...
s to Vietnam. In September 2021, over 8 tons of medical equipment arrived from Poland to Vietnam, and in October 2021, Poland donated another over 880,000 vaccines. During a meeting with Poland's ambassador to Vietnam
Wojciech Gerwel Wojciech Piotr Gerwel (born 1 April 1978 in Gdynia) is a Polish diplomat who served as an Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2022–2023) and ambassador of Poland to Vietnam (2018–2022). Life Wojciech Gerwel has bee ...
, Vietnamese Foreign Minister
Bùi Thanh Sơn Bùi Thanh Sơn (born 16 October 1962) is a Vietnamese politician who is currently the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam since 2021. Early life and education Bùi was born on 1962 in Hanoi. He graduated from Ngo Qu ...
expressed gratitude for the donation, also stressing the long-standing traditional friendship between the nations. Vietnam is the first Southeast Asian country to receive such aid from Poland.


Polish Catholic influence in Vietnam

Throughout history of their relations, Poland had played, both unofficial and official role, on the growth and buildup of
Roman Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
in Vietnam; since Roman Catholicism is the major religion in Poland. In 17th century, Polish Catholic Jesuit,
Wojciech Męciński Wojciech Męciński, nicknamed Alberto Polacco (born 1598 in Osmolice – died 23 March 1643 in Nagasaki) was a Polish Catholic Jesuit missionary from Kraków, widely believed to be the first Pole to visit south-eastern Asia. In 17th century, h ...
, visited Vietnam in a tour through Asia, and had documented about Vietnam as the first Polish official record of the country. Pope John Paul II, who was of Polish descent, had canonized all Vietnamese Catholics who died from 1533 to protect Christianity as
Vietnamese Martyrs The Vietnamese Martyrs (Vietnamese language, Vietnamese: ''Các Thánh Tử đạo Việt Nam''; French language, French: ''Martyrs du Viêt Nam''), also known as the Martyrs of Annam, Martyrs of Tonkin and Cochinchina, Martyrs of Indochina, or An ...
in 1988. The Polish Pope opted an open opportunity to establish relations with Vietnam; and had recognized the importance of
Our Lady of La Vang Our Lady of La Vang ( vi, Đức Mẹ La Vang) refers to a reported Marian apparition at a time when Catholics were persecuted and killed in Vietnam. The Shrine of our Lady of La Vang (Basilica of Our Lady of La Vang) is situated in what is t ...
, a Marian apparition in
La Vang La Vang or Lavang is a location in Quảng Trị Province, Vietnam. It is the site of the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of La Vang (Đức Mẹ La Vang), a Roman Catholic sanctuary, commemorating a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary that was seen t ...
. He had also expressed desire to rebuild the La Vang Basilica in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the first vision. His message was instrumental, leading to the Government of Vietnam to acknowledge the importance of La Vang in Christian history of Vietnam. The Polish Pope remained a revered figure among Vietnamese, both Catholics and non-Catholics, even when he died in 2005. The Polish Pope was also seen as having laid the framework to normalization of relations between the Holy See and Vietnam Archbishop Marek Zalewski, who is the second Vatican non-residential representative to Vietnam, is from Poland. He played a minor role, yet facilitated an unofficial link on the ongoing normalization between
Holy See–Vietnam relations Holy See–Vietnam relations are foreign relations between the Holy See and Vietnam. History The two countries only maintain unofficial relations and dialogue, but the historical presence of Christianity in Vietnam has a relatively long history. ...
, which was seen with the direct result of Vatican's decision to establish a permanent representative in Vietnam and accepted by the Vietnamese regime, moving further to possible future establishment of official tie between two entities and lax of suppression on Catholicism in Vietnam by the Vietnamese regime.


Cultural relations

The 10th-Anniversary Stadium has been called the center of the Vietnamese-Polish community. The Vietnamese community is also served by a number of non-governmental organizations, run by the community itself. The Vietnamese-Polish Friendship High School in Hanoi was named in honor of relationship between Vietnam and Poland, and Poland donated equipment to the school several times. Also in Hanoi, the Marie Curie High School was named in honor of the famous Polish woman scientist. There is also a statue of
Kazimierz Kwiatkowski Kazimierz Kwiatkowski (2 July 1944 - 19 March 1997) was a Polish architect and conservationist. He is well known for his efforts to preserve historical and archaeological sites in Vietnam such as the Imperial City of Huế, Hội An and Mỹ Sơn, ...
, who helped revive the city of Hội An, in the same city.


State visits

From Poland *President of Poland Aleksander Kwaśniewski in 1999 *Prime Minister of Poland Marek Belka in 2005 *President Andrzej Duda's visit to Vietnam in 2017 From Vietnam *Prime Minister of Vietnam in 1997 *President of Vietnam in 2003 * Prime Minister in 2007


Contributions and Development Assistance

Kazimierz Kwiatkowski Kazimierz Kwiatkowski (2 July 1944 - 19 March 1997) was a Polish architect and conservationist. He is well known for his efforts to preserve historical and archaeological sites in Vietnam such as the Imperial City of Huế, Hội An and Mỹ Sơn, ...
contributed immensely to the restoration of the historic city of Hoi An, the Mỹ Sơn Sanctuary and the
Complex of Huế Monuments Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with eac ...
. His contributions led to all three sites being recognized as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO, also making Hoi An one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world. His statue can be found in the city of Hoi An. In 2015, Poland offered to loan Vietnam EUR 250 million as a form of official development assistance. The financial co-operation framework agreement was eventually signed between the two countries in 2017. In the same year, Adamed Group made the largest direct Polish investment in Vietnam by acquiring a controlling stake in Davipharm Co.


Migration

There has been significant migration of Vietnamese people to Poland estimated to be between 30,000 and 40,000 forming the largest non European migrant community in Poland. Following the Polish transition to a capitalist economy in 1990, and the reforms of Vietnam at 1986, Poland became a more attractive immigration destination for the Vietnamese people, in particular, small entrepreneurs; this triggered a second, larger wave of Vietnamese immigrants to Poland. Many began as vendors in the open air market bazaar at the
10th-Anniversary Stadium 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1 ...
selling clothes or cheap food; , there were between 1,100 and 1,200 Vietnamese-owned stands in the area. (in Polish) in Warsaw there were an estimated 500 Vietnamese restaurants, mostly serving fast food.


Books and articles

*Karnow, Stanley ''Vietnam: A History'', New York: Viking, 1983, *Gnoinska, Margaret "Poland and Vietnam, 1963: New Evidence on Secret Communist Diplomacy and the "Maneli Affair"" pages 2-83 from ''Cold War International History Project'' Working Paper 45 March 2005 *Thakur, Ramesh "Peacekeeping and Foreign Policy: Canada, India and the International Commission in Vietnam, 1954-1965" pages 125-153 from ''British Journal of International Studies'' Volume 6, Issue 2, July 1980 File:Embassy of Poland, Hanoi.jpg, Embassy of Poland in Hanoi File:Ambasada Wietnamu w Warszawie.jpg, Embassy of Vietnam in Warsaw


See also

* Foreign relations of Poland *
Foreign relations of Vietnam As of April 2022, Vietnam (officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam) maintains diplomatic relationships with 190 nations throughout the world and the State of Palestine, including all UN member states and UN observer states other than ( ...


References


External links


Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Hanoi, Vietnam

Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in Warsaw, Poland
{{DEFAULTSORT:Poland-Vietnam relations Vietnam Poland