在全球化趋势下，许多国际组织、非政府组织、跨国公司、大城市等非国家行为体在国际社会中越来越成为国际交往的重要主体，这种趋势鼓励了地方政府的跨国界交往活动的更多展开。由于地方政府具有“非国家行为体”身份并拥有自己的地方特色，地方政府公共外交做起来很多场合下比中央的要顺利、且效果高。作为越南一个有国家边界的地方之一，坚江省长期以来对公共外交工作一直很重视，在对外宣传、拓展与各国的友好关系与合作机会、争取更多的国际援助项目、配合开展战后二恶英污染问题的索赔、推进公共外交工作部门的发展建设等任务上取得了重要成果。然而，从公共外交的目标、实施者、途径和对象来看，坚江省政府在这项工作上还需要做些调整。比如，在目标上，要明确外国公众对自己的存在感、认同、理解和支持才是公共外交所向往的目标，而不要满足于一些眼前的经济和社会利益。或者在途经上，开展公共外交途径多种多样，文化艺术交流途径被坚江省利用得比较成功，另外一些有效途径，如作为传统政府外交的补充工作来开展、增强国际语言交换教学、利用公共外交的双向性，也应予以重视和尝试。公共外交是一种具有公众性的外交类型，无论是中央政府还是地方政府，无论通过何种途径，谁在塑造国家美好形象、提升外国公众对自己国家的存在感、好感度、理解和支持，谁就在做公共外交。

In the wave of globalization, many non-governmental or non-national entities such as international organizations, non-governmental organizations, multinational corporations, big local cities themselves, etc. are becoming important subjects in cross-border communication and dialogue. This trend encourages the international exchanges at the level of local government which public diplomacy has play a key role among others. In many instances, public diplomacy activities organized by the local government are even more effective and successful than those by the central government due to its non-nationalistic characteristics. Being one of Vietnam provinces sharing borders with neighboring countries, Kien Giang has strongly emphasised public diplomacy, and thus has received positive results in activities such as building and expanding relationships with other countries, applying for programs from NGOs, developing a compensation program for post-war victims of dioxin agent, etc. However, in terms of the goals and missions, the implementers and the recipients of public diplomacy, Kien Giang shows a need for adjustment and improvement on this work. For example, the awareness, understanding and support from the foreign countries are supposed to be the long-term goals of public diplomacy, not the economic or social interests of the current authorities. In terms of the forms of the activities, Kien Giang is quite successful in cultural and artistic exchanges, for example, but other potential activities such as international cooperation in teaching foreign languages, coordinating public diplomatic and local official diplomatic activities, or using the bilateral characteristics of public diplomacy, are not paid enough attention nor piloted.Public diplomacy is a form of foreign diplomacy with a focus on the people. Whether it is at the local or central levels, in this form or another form, whoever is creating positive images about one’s own country, or enhancing the awareness, understanding and support from people in other countries, is doing public diplomacy.