In just the first year of his term as general secretary, Tô Lâm made official visits to 16 countries, surpassing all of his predecessors. Unlike previous general secretaries who typically focused on domestic governance and delegated most diplomatic activities to the prime minister and the president, Tô Lâm has been directly and deeply involved in both domestic and foreign affairs from the beginning. [1]

Because of this direct involvement, the diplomatic strategies unfolding today had already begun to shape the previous term. Now that Tô Lâm has concluded his formal visit to China—which took place from April 14 to 17—in his dual capacity as both general secretary and president, the question arises whether a more dynamic phase of diplomacy can be expected.