Residents of the former Hoang Thanh commune voted to give their opinion on the termination of the district-level administrative unit and the merger of commune-level administrative units.
The people's right to self-governance is guaranteed.
According to Marxist theory, the people are the decisive basis and the reason for the existence of a democratic state. A democratic regime is a state of the people. This ideological core was adopted, developed, and realized by President Ho Chi Minh and the Communist Party of Vietnam in the context of our country. The Party's viewpoint and guidelines on promoting the people's role as masters and promoting socialist democracy are expressed in many documents: from Directive No. 30-CT/TW of the Politburo of the 8th Party Congress and Conclusion No. 20-KL/TW 2016 on building and implementing the Regulations on grassroots democracy; to Decision No. 217-QĐ/TW and Decision No. 218-QĐ/TW of the Politburo of the 11th Party Congress on the Regulations on social supervision, criticism, and participation in contributing opinions to Party and government building. The people's right to self-governance is institutionalized in the Constitution and many legal documents on grassroots democracy.
All Vietnamese constitutions from 1946 to 2013 have affirmed the people's right to self-governance in the Vietnamese state system, in which all state power belongs to the people and the state is governed by the people. The 2013 Constitution stipulates: "The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a socialist rule-of-law state of the people, by the people, and for the people." The principle of people's self-governance is consistently affirmed in the fundamental guidelines of the Communist Party of Vietnam. The Platform for Building the Country during the Transition Period to Socialism (Supplemented and developed in 2011) clearly defines our state as a socialist rule-of-law state of the people, by the people, and for the people. All state power belongs to the people, whose foundation is the alliance between the working class, the peasantry, and the intelligentsia, led by the Communist Party of Vietnam. The principle of democracy is ensured through the mechanism of: Party leadership, State management, and People's ownership.
In fact, over the past 80 years, since the first general election, the Vietnamese State has been elected by the people through their representatives. The people have enjoyed and been respected in terms of freedom, democracy, human rights, and equality before the law, and these rights have been protected and ensured by the legal system. The people have been given favorable conditions to continuously improve their living conditions, both materially and spiritually. During those 80 years, there were times of food shortages, scarcity, and constant hardship; today, the people have enough to eat and live comfortably; our country has become one of the leading agricultural exporting nations; the people's living standards have gradually improved, progressively moving beyond the low-to-middle income bracket, towards prosperity and wealth in the future. Furthermore, the people's status and capacity for self-governance through their participation in national management have been clearly demonstrated. Activities such as lawmaking, policy planning, and decision-making on national and social issues have shown the people's leading role. The State creates conditions and gradually legalizes forms and requirements to ensure that the people exercise their right to directly participate in state activities through measures such as: participating in discussions and providing feedback on draft laws; contributing opinions and suggestions in the development of socio-economic policies; and exercising their right to decide in referendums. The people are guaranteed freedom and democracy in both their economic rights and interests, and in their production and business activities. Freedoms and democratic rights in the socio-cultural field are increasingly better meeting the diverse needs of the people. The State and all power in society are subject to the people's scrutiny and supervision according to the principle of "the people know, the people discuss, the people act, the people inspect."
Furthermore, the people exercise their right to self-governance through the Fatherland Front and various mass organizations, including socio -political and professional organizations. These serve as channels for monitoring power and providing social critique, clearly demonstrating the people's power. The Fatherland Front system at all levels and mass organizations not only organize and facilitate the people's exercise of their right to monitor the state and social powers, but also represent and protect the legitimate rights and interests of the people.
Continue to improve democratic institutions within the socialist rule of law state.
During his lifetime, President Ho Chi Minh affirmed that the people can only exercise their right to self-governance when there is a mechanism to guarantee that right. However, he also emphasized and noted that democracy is a precious asset of the people, while dictatorship is the lock, the door to prevent those who would destroy it... Democracy must also be protected by dictatorship. Therefore, building a socialist rule of law state will ensure the long-term and fundamental power of the people and the inherent goodness of our State.
Reflecting on the words of the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in his article "Some Theoretical and Practical Issues on Socialism and the Path to Socialism in Vietnam," there is a passage that reads: "We need a society where development is truly for the people, not for profit that exploits and tramples on human dignity... And we need a political system where power truly belongs to the people, is exercised by the people, and serves the interests of the people, not just a wealthy minority." That goal is precisely the true value to be achieved on the journey to socialism – the values that President Ho Chi Minh, our Party, and the people have chosen and steadfastly pursued.
Resolution No. 27-NQ/TW dated November 9, 2022, of the 6th Conference of the Central Committee of the 13th Party Congress on continuing to build and perfect the socialist rule of law state of Vietnam in the new period states: The construction of the socialist rule of law state of Vietnam still has limitations and shortcomings, and in some aspects has not met the requirements of development, management, and protection of the country in the new situation. Among the many reasons cited, one reason is that the work of summarizing practical experience, researching, and perfecting theory has not received adequate attention.
To offer some initial suggestions, here are a few key points to consider. Clearly, in the current context, continuing to build and perfect democratic institutions is paramount as a foundation for a socialist rule of law state. The legal basis for implementing this strategic viewpoint is the constitutional provision of the 2013 Constitution regarding forms of democratic exercise. According to Article 6 of the 2013 Constitution, "The people exercise state power through direct democracy and representative democracy via the National Assembly, People's Councils, and other state agencies." Strongly reforming the electoral system and implementing various forms and levels of referendums are two strategic solutions related to direct democracy. Strengthening the representative function, capacity, and responsibility of National Assembly and People's Council deputies is the crucial solution for representative democracy. With a proactive approach, we will gradually build the elements of the rule of law, persistently building upon socio-economic development, political awareness and capacity, and focusing on promoting the implementation of laws by the people and their right to self-governance. Furthermore, we will continue to innovate the working methods of the Fatherland Front at all levels; aiming to further enhance its role in building and strengthening national unity, broadly gathering all strata of the people, ensuring high consensus and unity in thought and action in implementing grassroots democracy; especially its role in social supervision and criticism.
The 80-year journey of "People's Governance" has left many valuable lessons on building and practicing socialist democracy in our country. Ultimately, the extent to which democracy develops healthily, broadly, and progressively depends on the level of socio-economic development, the leadership role of the Party, the management of the State, and the active coordination of the entire political system unified under the Party's leadership.
Text and photos: Nguyen Huong
Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/80-nam-hanh-trinh-dan-lam-chu-258677.htm
![[Image] National Conference on studying, understanding, and implementing Resolutions No. 79 and No. 80 of the Politburo](https://vphoto.vietnam.vn/thumb/402x226/vietnam/resource/IMAGE/2026/02/25/1771990845625_anh-man-hinh-2026-02-25-luc-10-40-34.png)
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