The 10th National Congress of the Party: A Congress of intellect, innovation, unity, and sustainable development.

Since its founding, the Communist Party of Vietnam has held 13 congresses. Each Party congress is an important historical milestone, recording and marking the victories, achievements, and lessons learned of the Vietnamese revolution under the leadership of the Party.

The 10th National Congress of the Party officially took place from April 18-25, 2006, after a day of preparatory meetings attended by 1,176 delegates representing more than 3.1 million Party members nationwide.

The Congress was attended by distinguished guests: Comrade Do Muoi and Comrade Le Kha Phieu, former General Secretaries of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam; Comrade Le Duc Anh, former Politburo member and former President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam; Comrade General Vo Nguyen Giap, former Politburo member, former Minister of National Defense, and Commander-in-Chief of the Vietnam People's Army; and other former Politburo members and Central Committee Secretaries; former Vice Presidents, Vice Chairmen of the National Assembly, and Deputy Prime Ministers of various terms; former Central Committee members of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th terms; members of the 9th term Central Inspection Committee ; representatives of Vietnamese Heroic Mothers; intellectuals; representatives of religious organizations; and representatives of outstanding young people representing the younger generation of Vietnam.

After nearly 20 years of reform, our country has undergone tremendous changes. Adhering to the reform line of the Sixth Party Congress, supplemented and developed through subsequent congresses and Central Committee meetings, under the leadership of the Party Central Committee, our people have achieved extremely important accomplishments in all areas of social life.

Expanding international cooperation, proactively and actively integrating into the international economy , and maintaining a peaceful environment create more favorable conditions for the cause of innovation and socio-economic development at a faster pace, contributing to raising the country's position in the international arena, strengthening national power, and creating momentum and strength for the country to continue developing and moving forward.

However, alongside these advantages, our country is also facing enormous challenges. The domestic and international situations continue to undergo significant changes, profoundly affecting the reform process of our people.

Economic globalization is an objective trend that creates opportunities for development but also contains many elements of inequality, causing difficulties and challenges for countries, especially developing countries.

Science and technology continue to make new breakthroughs, impacting all countries around the world in many ways. Regional wars, armed conflicts, ethnic and religious conflicts, arms races, interventionist activities, subversion, terrorism... are occurring in many places with increasingly complex characteristics.

The Ba Ria - Vung Tau power plant serves the country's industrialization and modernization efforts (Photo: VNA).

The country's economy remains underdeveloped, the risk of falling further behind other countries in the region and the world still exists, and the pace of economic development is not commensurate with the country's potential.

The national level of science and technology remains backward in many aspects. The decline in politics, ideology, morality, and lifestyle among a segment of cadres and party members is closely linked to serious bureaucracy, corruption, and waste.

The fields of defense, security, and foreign affairs still have some limitations... The urgent demand of our entire nation at this time is to seize opportunities, overcome challenges, continue to innovate strongly, comprehensively, and synchronously, develop at a rapid and sustainable pace, and soon lift our country out of its underdeveloped state.

Against this backdrop, the 10th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam solemnly opened with the theme "Enhancing the leadership capacity and fighting strength of the Party, unleashing the strength of the entire nation, comprehensively accelerating the national renewal process, and quickly lifting our country out of underdevelopment."

Installation of the rotor for unit number 1, Se San 3 Hydropower Plant (Gia Lai), 2009. Throughout the years of reform, the electricity sector has continuously strived, innovated, and achieved new feats, fulfilling its mission as one of the major pillars of the economy, meeting the electricity needs to serve the cause of industrialization and modernization (Photo: Sy Huynh/TTXVN).

Comrade Tran Duc Luong, member of the Political Bureau of the 9th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, delivered the opening speech of the Congress on behalf of the Presidium.

The speech emphasized: The 10th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam is taking place at a historically significant moment. The cause of reform in our country has spanned 20 years. The entire Party, the entire people, and the entire army have just completed 5 years of implementing the Resolution of the 9th Party Congress, which is also the first 5 years of the 21st century.

The Congress featured many innovations in both form and content, dedicating significant time to discussing and analyzing the documents presented to the Congress, as well as issues on which there were differing opinions. For the first time since the Party's founding, the Congress did not invite international guests. Some sessions were broadcast live, and daily press releases were issued for the entire population to follow.

The Congress focused on discussing and summarizing the five-year implementation of the Resolution of the Ninth Party Congress, the 20-year implementation of the reform policy, reviewing the leadership of the Ninth Central Committee, drawing key lessons from the reform process, deciding on the direction and tasks for socio-economic development for the five years from 2006 to 2010, setting forth the direction and tasks for Party building, supplementing and amending the Party Charter, and electing the Tenth Central Committee.

The Congress adopted the Political Report, the Report on the direction and tasks for socio-economic development for the five years 2006-2010, the Report on Party building work, and the Party Charter (amended and supplemented).

The auction of shares of Vietnam Construction and Import-Export Corporation (Vinaconex) on November 1, 2006, at the Hanoi Stock Exchange (Photo: Pham Hau/VNA).

The theme of the Congress, and also the title of the Political Report, is: Enhancing the leadership capacity and fighting strength of the Party, unleashing the strength of the entire nation, comprehensively accelerating the reform process, and quickly lifting our country out of underdevelopment.

In summary, evaluating 20 years of reform, the Congress affirmed that with the efforts of the entire Party and the entire people, the country's reform process has achieved great and historically significant achievements.

Despite many limitations, the country has undergone fundamental and comprehensive changes. Our economy has emerged from the crisis and is experiencing relatively rapid growth; the process of industrialization, modernization, and the development of a socialist-oriented market economy has been accelerated. The people's living standards have improved significantly.

The political system and national unity have been strengthened and consolidated. Political and social stability has been maintained. National defense and security have been ensured. The country's position in the international arena has been continuously enhanced.

The nation's overall strength has been enhanced, creating the conditions and momentum for the country to continue its strong and stable development. "Understanding of socialism and the path to socialism is becoming clearer; the system of theoretical viewpoints on the reform process, on socialist society, and on the path to socialism in Vietnam has been formed in its basic aspects."

The Bai Chay Bridge, spanning the Cua Luc River (Ha Long City, Quang Ninh Province), was completed and opened to traffic on December 2, 2006 (Photo: Nguyen Dan/VNA).

These achievements demonstrate that the national reform policies outlined by our Party are entirely correct and innovative, in line with the country's realities and the development trends of the times.

From the experience of reform, the Congress drew the following main lessons:

Firstly, during the process of reform, we must steadfastly adhere to the goal of national independence and socialism on the foundation of Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought.

Secondly, comprehensive and synchronized innovation is necessary, building upon past achievements, and employing appropriate steps, forms, and methods.

Thirdly, innovation must be for the benefit of the people, based on the people, promoting the proactive and creative role of the people, stemming from reality, and sensitive to new things.

Fourth, we must maximize our internal strengths while simultaneously striving to exploit external resources, combining national strength with the strength of the times in the new circumstances.

Fifth, enhance the leadership capacity and fighting strength of the Party, continuously innovate the political system, build and gradually perfect socialist democracy, and ensure that power belongs to the people.

The Congress adopted many important decisions, paving the way for the continued progress of the reform process. The Congress affirmed: "Every citizen has the right to participate in investment and business activities with the right to property ownership and the right to freedom of business protected by law."

Party members engaged in private business must set an example in adhering to the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's laws and regulations, the Party Charter, and the regulations of the Central Committee.

"Removing all barriers and creating a favorable social and business environment for private enterprises to develop without scale restrictions in all industries and sectors, including important production and business sectors of the economy that are not prohibited by law." This is a correct policy, consistent with the country's reality, thoroughly discussed at many Party Congresses and Central Committee meetings, and reflects the Party's determination to innovate.

National Conference summarizing anti-corruption work during the 10th Party Congress term (November 30, 2010) (Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA).

The Congress further clarified the nature of the Party. The Party Charter (amended and supplemented), adopted by the Congress, clearly states: "The Communist Party of Vietnam is the vanguard of the working class, and at the same time the vanguard of the working people and of the Vietnamese nation; it faithfully represents the interests of the working class, the working people, and the nation."

Enhancing the Party's leadership capacity and fighting strength, and combating corruption, waste, and bureaucracy were given special attention by the Congress, identified as key tasks for the Party in the short and long term. The Congress defined the overall direction and objectives of Party building work in the next term as: “Continuing to renew and rectify the Party, strengthening its working-class nature and pioneering spirit, enhancing the Party's leadership capacity and fighting strength; building a truly clean and strong Party in terms of politics, ideology, and organization, with firm political resolve, pure revolutionary ethics, high intellectual capacity, scientific leadership methods, and always closely connected with the people.”

The Congress emphasized that in the coming period, it is necessary to resolutely and comprehensively implement the work of preventing and combating corruption and waste. It stressed the need for decisive, timely, and public handling of corrupt individuals, regardless of their position, whether currently in office or retired, and the confiscation of assets derived from corruption.

The Congress set the overall goals and directions for the five years from 2006 to 2010 as follows: To enhance the leadership capacity and fighting strength of the Party, to unleash the strength of the entire nation, to comprehensively accelerate the reform process, to mobilize and effectively utilize all resources for the industrialization and modernization of the country; to develop culture; to achieve social progress and equity; to strengthen national defense and security, to expand foreign relations; to proactively and actively integrate into the international economy; to maintain political and social stability; to quickly lift our country out of underdevelopment; and to create a foundation so that by 2020 our country will basically become a modern industrialized nation.

Delegates cast their votes to elect the Central Executive Committee of the 10th Party Congress (Photo: The Thuan/VNA).

The Congress elected a Central Committee consisting of 160 full members and 21 alternate members. The Central Committee held its first meeting and elected a Politburo of 14 members. Comrade Nong Duc Manh was elected General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party.

The 10th National Congress of the Party was of great significance; the documents adopted at the Congress "are the crystallization of the wisdom and will of the entire Party and the entire people, a profound summation of the practical and theoretical experience of 20 years of reform."

The success of the Congress marks a milestone in the Party's more than 76-year journey of revolutionary leadership, opening a new era of development in the reform process.

Comrade Nong Duc Manh, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the 10th Party Congress, in his closing speech at the Congress, emphasized: The success of the 10th Party Congress strongly encourages the entire Party, the entire people, and the entire army to move forward, seize opportunities, overcome challenges, continue to innovate more strongly, comprehensively, and synchronously, and develop at a faster and more sustainable pace.