At a seminar on soft power in international relations hosted by the Foreign Ministry on Jan. 13, Professor Joseph Nye suggested Vietnam make up its own story to draw attention from international community and to build up confidence in regional and world’s countries.

According to the professor, Vietnam’s taking over ASEAN Chairmanship in 2010 is an opportunity for the country to affirm itself as a country having policies on sustainable development and paying due attention to climate change.

The Southeast Asian country can also take the lead in service supply for rural areas, using Internet for development, paying due attention to education and applying advanced technology for development, he said.

Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son said the seminar is an opportunity for Vietnamese scholars and diplomats to exchange ideas with the father of the soft power theory, who placed 6 th among the most influence scholars in 2008 in the world./.