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| General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. (Source: VNA) |
As we all know, the Communist Party of Vietnam was founded on February 3, 1930; which means that on February 3, 2025, our Party will be 95 years old and by 2030 it will be 100 years old; these are brilliant milestones of great historical significance for our Party, our Country and our people.
Currently, our entire Party, people and army are joining hands, taking advantage of every opportunity and advantage, overcoming every difficulty and challenge, determined to successfully implement many policies, goals and tasks set out in the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress; at the same time, starting the preparation process for Party congresses at all levels, towards the 14th National Party Congress.
The 14th Congress will review and evaluate the implementation of the Resolution of the 13th Congress, summarize 40 years of carrying out the country's renewal in the direction of socialism, thereby drawing important lessons; determine the directions, goals and tasks of the entire Party, people and army in the next 5 years (2026-2030); continue to successfully implement the 10-year Socio- Economic Development Strategy (2021-2030).
The 14th Congress will be another important milestone on the development path of our country and our people, with the meaning of orienting the future; encouraging, cheering, and motivating the entire Party, the entire people, and the entire army to continue to firmly follow the path to socialism, affirming that this is the right and wise choice, in line with Vietnam's reality and the development trend of the times; continuing to comprehensively and synchronously promote the renovation process, firmly defending the Fatherland; striving by 2030, the 100th anniversary of the Party's founding: Our country will be a developing country with modern industry and high average income.
To practically contribute to the celebration of the Party's Founding Day on February 3, 2024, to arouse pride in the glorious Party, great Uncle Ho, and the heroic Vietnamese people; to strengthen confidence in the Party's leadership and the bright future of our Country and our People; as well as to further enhance the responsibility of cadres and Party members in the entire political system, to continue to promote the patriotism and revolutionary spirit of the entire nation, and to be determined to build our country increasingly rich, civilized, cultured and heroic, we need to look back and objectively and comprehensively evaluate the main results, achievements and lessons that our Party, our Country and our People have achieved through historical stages: (1) The Party's birth, leading the revolution, seizing power (from 1930 to 1945); (2) National resistance war, restoring peace in the North (from 1946 to 1954); (3) Building socialism in the North; fighting to liberate the South and unify the country (from 1955 to 1975); (4) Overcoming the consequences of war, protecting the territorial integrity of the Fatherland, gradually moving towards socialism (from 1976 to 1985); (5) Carrying out the renovation process, building our country to be more and more dignified and beautiful; expanding foreign relations, proactively and actively integrating comprehensively and deeply into the international community; our country has never had such a foundation, potential, position and international prestige as it does today (from 1986 to present); (6) and from now until 2030, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Party's founding. From there, set out tasks and solutions to continue to improve the Party's leadership and governing capacity; promote the renovation process synchronously and comprehensively; Successfully implement the goals set by the 13th National Party Congress, which is to build our country to be increasingly rich, democratic, prosperous, civilized, and happy, following a socialist orientation, by 2025 and 2030.
This article is one of the ideas in the above spirit and is presented in the following 3 main parts:
Part One
Our Party was born, leading the fight for national independence, liberating the South, and unifying the country.
The thousands of years of history of our nation have proven that patriotism and national defense, resolutely fighting against foreign invaders, protecting independence, sovereignty and national unity are extremely precious traditions of our nation. Continuing that tradition, since the mid-19th century, when the French colonialists invaded our country, not accepting the status of slaves, our people have continuously risen up to fight through patriotic movements that have taken place continuously and strongly in many ways with many different tendencies.
From the path of national salvation of the scholars to the peasant uprisings and the bourgeois revolution... despite the very resilient and passionate struggles and the great sacrifices, due to historical limitations, especially the lack of a correct direction, those movements were not successful. History requires us to find a new path.
In 1911, the patriotic young man Nguyen Tat Thanh (our beloved Uncle Ho) left to find a new path for the cause of national salvation and the struggle for national independence. With a great and burning desire, he came to Marxism-Leninism, finding in this revolutionary doctrine the correct path to national salvation - the path of proletarian revolution . After many years of working abroad, he persistently researched, studied, creatively applied and gradually spread Marxism-Leninism to Vietnam, painstakingly preparing the necessary conditions for the establishment of a genuine revolutionary party.
On February 3, 1930, the conference to unify communist organizations held in Kowloon Peninsula, Hong Kong (China), under the chairmanship of leader Nguyen Ai Quoc, decided to unify communist organizations in our country into a single Party, named the Communist Party of Vietnam.
This was a major historical turning point, ending the long-standing crisis in the organization and direction of the Vietnamese revolution. The birth of the Communist Party of Vietnam was the result of the combination of Marxism-Leninism with the workers' movement and the patriotic movement; proving that the Vietnamese working class had matured and was capable of shouldering the historical mission of leading the revolution. The Party's first political platform adopted at the Party's founding conference determined the basic path of the Vietnamese revolution, meeting the urgent needs of the Nation and the earnest aspirations of the people.
After its birth, closely connected with the people, receiving the people's sympathy, support and absolute trust; within just 15 years, our Party led the struggle for national liberation, carrying out three revolutionary climaxes: the 1930-1931 revolutionary climax , with the peak being the Nghe Tinh Soviet movement; the 1936-1939 revolutionary climax and the 1939-1945 national liberation climax , so that in 1945, when the revolutionary opportunity was ripe, the Communist Party of Vietnam led the entire Vietnamese people to achieve the "earth-shaking, heaven-shaking" victory of the August Revolution in 1945, establishing the Democratic Republic of Vietnam on September 2, 1945 (in 2025 we will celebrate the 80th anniversary).
Immediately after the Democratic Republic of Vietnam was born, the revolution had to face many difficulties and challenges; at the same time, it had to confront "famine, ignorance and foreign invaders". In that dangerous situation, the Party led our people to overcome the "life-threatening" situation, steadfastly protect and build the young government, and at the same time actively prepare in all aspects to enter the resistance war against the invading French colonialists. On the basis of the "all-people", "comprehensive", "long-term" resistance line, "mainly relying on one's own strength", promoting the tradition of solidarity and patriotism of the entire nation, our Party led our people to successively defeat all plots and plans of invasion of the enemy, especially the victory in the 1953-1954 Winter-Spring Campaign, culminating in the historic Dien Bien Phu Victory "resounding throughout the five continents, shaking the earth", forcing the French colonialists to sign the Geneva Agreement (in 1954), ending the war of aggression against Vietnam.
From 1955 to 1975, our country was divided into two parts. Under the leadership of the Party, the North both made efforts to build socialism and fight against the destructive war of American imperialism, while also doing its utmost to fulfill its duty as the great rear base to the great front line in the South. The people of the South continued their steadfast struggle to gain national independence and unify the country.
With the spirit of "rather sacrifice everything than lose the country, never become slaves", "nothing is more precious than independence and freedom" ; on the basis of the correct and creative line of the Party, with the combined strength of the entire nation, our army and people have successively defeated the war strategies of the US imperialists, completely liberated the South, unified the country, and brought the country together on April 30, 1975. That victory "will forever be recorded in our national history as one of the most brilliant pages, a shining symbol of the complete victory of revolutionary heroism and the intelligence of the Vietnamese people, and will go down in world history as a great feat of the 20th century, an event of great international importance and profound contemporary significance" (in 2025 we will celebrate the 50th anniversary).
While urgently overcoming the extremely serious consequences of the war, the Vietnamese people continued to face new wars. Under the leadership of the Party, our army and people focused on restoring the socio-economy, fighting to protect the border, maintaining the independence, sovereignty, and sacred territorial integrity of the Fatherland; at the same time, fulfilling the international obligation to help the Cambodian people escape the genocide and carry out the work of reviving the country.
Looking back on the journey from 1930 to 1975, we are extremely proud, confident and deeply grateful to the glorious Party and great Uncle Ho who have always wisely led the Vietnamese revolution from one resounding victory to another, continuing to write brilliant golden pages in the history of the heroic and civilized Vietnamese nation, admired and highly appreciated by the world: Successfully carrying out the earth-shaking August Revolution, seizing power for the people, bringing our country out of the slavery of colonialism and imperialism in 1945; Long-term resistance war against the invading French colonialists, ending with the Geneva Agreement and the victory of the Dien Bien Phu campaign that resounded throughout the five continents and shook the world; Building socialism and fighting against the destructive war of the American imperialists in the North, while fighting against the Americans to save the country, liberate the South, and unify the country, ending with the historic Dien Bien Phu in the air campaign and the Ho Chi Minh campaign.
Part Two
The Party leads the way in overcoming the consequences of war; carrying out the renovation and international integration process; building our country to be more and more decent and beautiful.
After the country was reunified, our country had to face many very serious consequences of 30 years of war. To overcome the consequences of war and continue to build socialism nationwide, our Party focused on leading the development and implementation of the 5-year socio-economic development plan 1976-1980 and 1981-1985. Thereby, the socio-economic infrastructure, especially industrial, agricultural, health, education-training, transportation, and irrigation facilities, was gradually restored. The state economy and collective economy were cared for and developed, making many contributions to the development of the country.
However, in response to the new requirements of the cause of national construction and defense in a country at peace, to overcome the shortcomings of the centralized bureaucratic and subsidized planning mechanism, leading to the socio-economic crisis in the post-war years, on the basis of summarizing the people's practical initiatives and creativity, our Party has carried out the renovation process, first of all, the renovation of theoretical thinking about socialism, in part in agriculture and industry, and gradually formed the National Renovation Policy .
The 6th National Congress of the Party (December 1986), based on a profound analysis of the country's situation and through the process of research and practical testing, with the spirit of "looking straight at the truth, correctly assessing the truth, clearly stating the truth", "renewing thinking" proposed the Comprehensive National Renovation Policy , marking an important turning point on the path of transition to socialism in Vietnam. The birth of the Renovation Policy met the demands of historical reality, demonstrated the steadfastness and creative thinking of the Communist Party of Vietnam and opened a new era for the country's development.
After the 6th Congress, the Party has gradually perfected and concretized the renovation policy, the basic and core content of which is reflected in the Platform for national construction in the transitional period to socialism (the 1991 Platform and the 2011 supplemented and developed Platform) and important documents of the Party through the Congresses. In the 1990s of the 20th century, overcoming the challenge of the collapse of the model of realism in the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries, the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Vietnamese people were steadfast, continued to step firmly and creatively on the path to socialism in accordance with the specific conditions and characteristics of Vietnam. The Party Central Committee from the 6th to the 13th tenure issued many resolutions on fundamental and important issues of the Party and the development of the country.
Up to now, although there are still some issues that need further in-depth research, we have formed a general awareness: The socialist society that the Vietnamese people are striving to build is a society of rich people, strong country, democracy, fairness, and civilization; owned by the people; with a highly developed economy, based on modern productive forces and appropriate progressive production relations; with an advanced culture, imbued with national identity; people have a prosperous, free, happy life, with conditions for comprehensive development; ethnic groups in the Vietnamese community are equal, united, respect and help each other to develop together; there is a socialist rule-of-law state of the people, by the people, for the people led by the Communist Party; there are friendly and cooperative relations with countries around the world.
To achieve that goal, we have determined the need to: Promote industrialization and modernization of the country in conjunction with the development of a knowledge-based economy; Develop a socialist-oriented market economy; Build an advanced culture imbued with national identity, build people, improve the material and spiritual life of the people, implement social progress and justice; firmly ensure national defense and security, social order and safety; implement an independent, autonomous, multilateral, diversified foreign policy; peace, friendship, cooperation and development, proactively and actively integrate comprehensively and deeply into the international community; Build socialist democracy, promote the will and strength of great national unity, combined with the strength of the times; Build a socialist rule-of-law State of the people, by the people, for the people; Build a clean, strong and comprehensive Party and political system.
The more we go into practical guidance, the more our Party realizes that the transition to socialism is a long-term, extremely difficult and complicated undertaking, because it must create profound qualitative changes in all areas of social life. Vietnam moved to socialism from a backward agricultural country, bypassing the capitalist regime; the productive forces were very low, and it had to go through decades of war, with very serious consequences; hostile forces constantly sought to sabotage, so it was even more difficult and complicated, so it was necessary to go through a long transition period with many steps, many forms of economic and social organization intertwined, with a struggle between the old and the new. To say that bypassing the capitalist regime means bypassing the capitalist regime of oppression, injustice and exploitation; ignore bad habits, institutions, and political systems that are not suitable for the socialist regime, not to mention ignoring the achievements and civilized values that humanity has achieved during the period of capitalist development. Of course, the inheritance of these achievements must also be selective from a scientific and developmental perspective.
Putting forward the concept of developing a socialist-oriented market economy is a very fundamental and creative theoretical breakthrough of our Party, an important theoretical achievement after nearly 40 years of implementing the renovation policy, originating from Vietnam's reality and selectively absorbing world experience.
According to our perception, the socialist-oriented market economy is a modern market economy, internationally integrated, operating fully and synchronously according to the laws of the market economy, under the management of the socialist rule of law state, led by the Communist Party of Vietnam; ensuring socialist orientation, aiming at a rich people, a strong country, a fair, democratic and civilized society. It is a new type of market economy in the history of market economy development; a type of economic organization that both follows the laws of the market economy and is based on and guided and governed by the principles and nature of socialism, expressed in all three aspects: Ownership, management organization and distribution . This is not a capitalist market economy and is not yet a full socialist market economy (because our country is still in the transition period).
In a socialist-oriented market economy, there are many forms of ownership and many economic sectors. Economic sectors operating under the law are all important components of the economy, equal before the law, developing together in the long term, cooperating and competing healthily. In particular, the state economy plays a leading role; the collective economy and cooperative economy are constantly consolidated and developed; the private economy is an important driving force of the economy; the economy with foreign investment is encouraged to develop in accordance with the strategy and planning for socio-economic development.
Distribution relations ensure fairness and create motivation for development; implement a distribution regime mainly based on labor results, economic efficiency, and at the same time on the level of capital contribution and other resources and distribute through the social security and social welfare system. The State manages the economy by law, strategy, planning, plans, policies and material forces to orient, regulate and promote socio-economic development.
A basic characteristic, an important attribute of the socialist orientation in the market economy in Vietnam is to link the economy with society, unify economic policies with social policies, economic growth goes hand in hand with the implementation of social progress and equity in each step, each policy and throughout the development process. That means: Do not wait until the economy reaches a high level of development before implementing social progress and equity; and do not "sacrifice" social progress and equity to pursue pure economic growth. On the contrary, every economic policy must aim at the goal of social development; every social policy must aim to create a driving force to promote economic development; encouraging legal enrichment must go hand in hand with sustainable hunger eradication and poverty reduction, taking care of those with meritorious services and those in difficult circumstances. This is a principled requirement to ensure healthy, sustainable development in the direction of socialism.
We consider culture as the spiritual foundation of society, the endogenous strength, the driving force for national development and national defense; determining that synchronous and harmonious cultural development with economic growth and social progress and equity is a fundamental orientation of the process of building socialism in Vietnam. The culture we build is an advanced culture, imbued with national identity, a culture unified in diversity, based on progressive and humanistic values; Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought play a leading role in the spiritual life of society; inheriting and promoting the fine traditional values of all ethnic groups in the country, absorbing the achievements and quintessence of human culture, striving to build a civilized and healthy society for the true interests and dignity of people, with increasingly high levels of knowledge, morality, physical strength, lifestyle and aesthetics.
Our Party always determines: People hold the central position in the development strategy; cultural development and human development are both the goal and the driving force of the innovation process; education-training and science-technology development are the top national policies; environmental protection is one of the vital issues, the criterion for sustainable development; building happy and progressive families as healthy and solid cells of society, and achieving gender equality are the criteria for progress and civilization.
Socialism is a society that aims for progressive and humane values, based on the common interests of the whole society in harmony with the legitimate interests of people, which is qualitatively different from societies that compete for private interests between individuals and groups, so it is necessary and has the conditions to build social consensus instead of social opposition and antagonism. In the socialist political regime, the relationship between the Party, the State and the people is a relationship between subjects that are unified in goals and interests; all Party guidelines, policies, laws and activities of the State are for the benefit of the people, taking the happiness of the people as the goal to strive for . The general political model and operating mechanism is that the Party leads, the State manages and the people are the masters .
Democracy is the essence of the socialist regime, both the goal and the driving force of the socialist construction; building socialist democracy and ensuring that power truly belongs to the people is an important and long-term task of the Vietnamese revolution. Our Party advocates constantly promoting democracy and building a socialist rule-of-law state that is truly of the people, by the people and for the people, on the basis of the alliance between workers, farmers and intellectuals led by the Communist Party of Vietnam.
The State represents the people's mastery and is also the organizer of the implementation of the Party's guidelines; there is a mechanism for the people to exercise their direct mastery and representative democracy in all areas of social life and participate in social management. We recognize that the socialist rule of law state is essentially different from the bourgeois rule of law state in that: The rule of law under the capitalist regime is essentially a tool to protect and serve the interests of the bourgeoisie, while the rule of law under the socialist regime is a tool to express and exercise the people's mastery, to ensure and protect the interests of the vast majority of the people.
Through law enforcement, the State ensures the conditions for the people to be the subjects of political power, to exercise dictatorship over all actions that harm the interests of the Fatherland and the people; at the same time, our Party determines: Great national unity is the source of strength and a decisive factor in ensuring the sustainable victory of the revolutionary cause in Vietnam; constantly promotes equality and solidarity among ethnic groups and religions.
Deeply aware that the leadership of the Communist Party is the decisive factor in the success of the renovation process and ensuring the country's development in the right direction of socialism, we pay special attention to the work of Party building and rectification, considering this a key task of vital significance to the Party and the socialist regime . The Communist Party of Vietnam is the vanguard of the Vietnamese working class; the Party was born, exists and develops for the benefit of the working class, the working people and the entire nation.
When the Party is in power, leading the entire nation, it is recognized by the entire people as its leading vanguard, and therefore the Party is the vanguard of the working class, and at the same time the vanguard of the working people and of the entire Vietnamese nation. Saying so does not mean to downplay the class nature of the Party, but rather to demonstrate a deeper and more complete awareness of the class nature of the Party, because the working class is a class whose interests are unified with the interests of the working people and the entire nation. Our Party persistently takes Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought as the ideological foundation and compass for revolutionary action, and takes democratic centralism as the basic organizational principle.
The Party leads by its platform, strategy, policy orientations and major guidelines; by propaganda, persuasion, mobilization, organization, inspection, supervision and by exemplary actions of Party members; and by unified leadership of personnel work. Aware of the dangers to the ruling party of corruption, bureaucracy, degeneration... especially in the conditions of a market economy, the Communist Party of Vietnam has set the requirement of constant self-renewal, self-rectification, fighting against opportunism, individualism, corruption, bureaucracy, waste, degeneration... within the Party and in the entire political system.
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The renovation process, including the development of a socialist-oriented market economy, has achieved great achievements of historical significance, truly bringing about great and very positive changes to the country in the past nearly 40 years, contributing to making "Our country never before have had such a foundation, potential, position and international prestige as it does today" .
From a colonial, semi-feudal country, our country has become an independent, sovereign country; the 330,000 km2 of beautiful landscape from Huu Nghi Quan to Ca Mau Cape with more than 3,200 km of coastline and geopolitics and geo-economics of special importance have been unified. Before Doi Moi (1986), Vietnam was a poor country that was heavily devastated by war, leaving behind enormous consequences in terms of people, property and ecological environment. After the war, the US and the West imposed an economic blockade and embargo on Vietnam for nearly 20 years. The regional and international situation also became complicated, causing many disadvantages for us. Food and essential goods were extremely scarce, people's lives were extremely difficult, about 3/4 of the population lived below the poverty line.
Thanks to the implementation of the renovation policy, the economy began to develop and grow continuously at a relatively high rate over the past 40 years with an average growth rate of nearly 7% per year. The GDP scale has been continuously expanded, reaching about 430 billion USD in 2023, becoming the 5th largest economy in ASEAN and 35th among the 40 largest economies in the world. GDP per capita increased 58 times, to about 4,300 USD in 2023; Vietnam has left the group of low-income countries since 2008 and will become an upper-middle-income country by 2030 (about 7,500 USD).
From a country with chronic food shortages, Vietnam has not only ensured food security but also become a leading exporter of rice and many other agricultural products in the world. Industry and services have developed quite rapidly, continuously increasing and currently account for about 88% of GDP. Total import-export turnover has increased sharply, reaching nearly 700 billion USD in 2023, of which export turnover reached over 355 billion USD, trade surplus reached a record 28 billion USD; Vietnam has become the 22nd largest trading partner globally. Foreign exchange reserves have increased sharply, reaching 100 billion USD in 2023. Foreign investment has continuously grown, with registered capital increasing by 32%, realized capital increasing by 3%, reaching 23 billion USD in 2023, the highest ever, and Vietnam has become one of the leading countries in ASEAN in attracting FDI. Vietnam's Global Innovation Index (GII) in 2023 was ranked 46th out of 132 countries by international organizations.
Vietnam is still in the golden population period with a population of over 100 million people (in 1945, 1975, 1986, the population was over 20, 47 and 61 million people respectively), ranking 16th in the world, including about 53 million workers aged 15 and over and 54 ethnic groups; the great solidarity bloc of ethnic groups is constantly being consolidated and strengthened. The quality of the population has been gradually improved and enhanced, associated with the attention to investment in the development of the health, education, training, science and technology sectors in accordance with the spirit of prioritizing investment in the development of these fields as the top national policy; currently, there are 12.5 doctors and 32 hospital beds per 10,000 people; together with China, Vietnam is assessed by the World Bank (WB) as two pioneering countries in educational innovation and has achieved impressive development in this field.
Economic development has helped the country escape the socio-economic crisis of the 1980s and significantly improve people's lives. The average poverty rate has decreased by about 1.5% per year; from 58% according to the old 1993 Government standard to 2.93% according to the multidimensional poverty standard (higher criteria than before) in 2023.
To date, 78% of communes have met new rural standards; most rural communes have car roads to the center, national grid electricity, primary and secondary schools, medical stations and telephone networks. The urbanization process has been accelerated in conjunction with the industrialization and modernization of the country; the urbanization rate has reached about 43%; the socio-economic infrastructure system in both rural and urban areas, especially healthcare, education-training, transportation, post and telecommunications infrastructure, has all developed strongly; many modern airports and ports, more than 1,900km of highways and widespread coverage of 4G and 5G networks have been put into use.
While there are no conditions to ensure free education for everyone at all levels, Vietnam focused on completing illiteracy eradication and universal primary education by 2000 and universal lower secondary education by 2014; the number of university and college students increased nearly 20 times over the past 40 years.
Currently, nearly 99% of adults in Vietnam can read and write. While not yet ensuring free health care for all, Vietnam has expanded compulsory and voluntary health insurance coverage, reaching 93.35% (in 1993 it was only 5.4%); at the same time, focusing on strengthening preventive health care, preventing and fighting epidemics, and supporting people in difficult circumstances. Many previously common diseases have been successfully controlled. The poor, children under 6 years old and the elderly are provided with free health insurance.
The rate of child malnutrition and infant mortality decreased by nearly 3 times. The average life expectancy of the population increased from 62 years in 1990 to 73.7 years in 2023. Thanks to economic development, we have the conditions to take better care of those who have contributed to the country, support Vietnamese Heroic Mothers, and care for the graves of martyrs who sacrificed for the Fatherland. Cultural life has also improved significantly; cultural activities have developed richly and diversely.
Currently, Vietnam has nearly 80% of its population using the internet, making it one of the countries with the highest rate of information technology development in the world. The United Nations has recognized Vietnam as one of the leading countries in realizing the Millennium Goals . In 2022, Vietnam's human development index (HDI) will reach 0.737, belonging to the group of countries with high HDI in the world, especially compared to countries with higher levels of development. Vietnam's happiness index in 2023 is ranked 65th out of 137 countries by organizations.
In the conditions of building and developing the country in peace, our Party has always closely led the implementation of the task of protecting the Fatherland; issued and directed the successful implementation of many Fatherland Protection Strategies through the periods; most recently, the Resolution of the 8th Central Committee, Session XIII, on the Fatherland Protection Strategy in the new situation . In which, it was affirmed: It is always necessary to maintain and strengthen the absolute and direct leadership in all aspects of the Party; the centralized and unified management and administration of the State for the cause of building and protecting the Fatherland; relying on the people, taking "the people as the root", arousing and promoting the will of self-reliance, self-strengthening, cultural traditions, patriotism, the strength of the great national unity bloc, building a "people's heart position", taking "people's peace" as the decisive factor for all victories in the cause of building and protecting the Fatherland. Focus on ensuring the highest national interests on the basis of the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter, international law, equality, cooperation, and mutual benefit. Focus on prioritizing the successful and synchronous implementation of political tasks: Socio-economic development is the center; Party building is the key; cultural development is the spiritual foundation; ensuring national defense and security is essential and regular . Firmly adhere to the goals of national independence and socialism; resolutely, persistently, and proactively create opportunities, firmly protect independence, sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity; maintain a peaceful and stable environment and favorable conditions for national construction and development. Closely combine the two strategic tasks of building and defending the Fatherland . Increase appropriate investment in building all-people national defense, people's security, and people's armed forces, meeting the requirements of protecting the Fatherland early and from afar; defending the country when it is not yet in danger; Absolutely do not be passive or surprised in any situation. Combine national strength with the strength of the times; proactively and actively integrate and improve the effectiveness of international cooperation.
Thanks to that, the national defense and people's security are always consolidated, enhanced and improved in effectiveness; national sovereignty, a peaceful and stable environment are always maintained; social order and safety are always guaranteed; the people's army and people's police are invested in and built to be increasingly refined, compact and strong in terms of politics, ideology and weapons and equipment according to the motto: People first, guns later; gradually advancing towards modernization, with a number of armies, branches and forces advancing straight to modernization. Complicated situations at sea and on the border are handled flexibly, effectively and appropriately.
Measures to ensure political security, social order and safety have been strengthened; focusing on suppressing all types of crimes; ensuring security and safety for important political events of the country. Timely combating and refuting wrong and distorted views and ideologies of hostile forces and reactionary organizations; having frank dialogue with people with different political views. Vietnam's 2023 Global Peace Index ranked 41st out of 163 countries. Our country is considered by foreign investors and international tourists as the world's top attractive and safe destination.
Looking back on the past foreign affairs journey, we are happy and proud to see that: In nearly 40 years of renovation, our Party has inherited and promoted the national identity, origin and tradition, selectively absorbed the world's quintessence and progressive ideas of the times, developed on the theoretical foundation of Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh's thought, forming a very special and unique school of foreign affairs and diplomacy, imbued with the identity of the "Vietnamese bamboo tree" . That is, being both steadfast in principles and flexible in tactics; gentle and clever but also very resilient and determined; flexible and creative but very brave and steadfast in the face of all difficulties and challenges, for the independence and freedom of the nation, for the happiness of the people; united and benevolent but always determined and persistent in protecting the national interests.
As a result, from a country under siege and embargo, our country has now expanded and deepened diplomatic relations with 193 countries, including 3 special relations , 6 comprehensive strategic partners, 12 strategic partners and 12 comprehensive partners. In particular, our country has now established comprehensive strategic partnerships or strategic partnerships with all 5 permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, and expanded economic and trade relations with 230 countries and territories. Vietnam has been performing well as a friend and reliable partner of the international community; has many initiatives, proposals and proactively and actively participated effectively in the activities of ASEAN, the United Nations and many other international organizations. Foreign affairs activities took place very vibrantly and continuously and were a highlight of 2023 with many important and historic results and achievements .
Senior leaders of our Party and State have paid official visits to many countries, attended many major international forums, and achieved many important results. The very successful organization of welcoming General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping, US President Joe Biden, General Secretary and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith, President of the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen and many heads of state from other countries to visit Vietnam are considered to be events of historical significance, contributing to affirming that "our country has never had the international position and prestige it has today".
The great achievements of historical significance in the cause of renovation initiated and led by our Party are the crystallization of creativity, the result of a process of persistent and continuous efforts over many terms of the entire Party, people and army; continuing to affirm that our path to socialism is correct, in accordance with objective laws, with the reality of Vietnam and the development trend of the times; our Party's renovation policy is correct and creative; the Party's leadership is the leading factor deciding all victories of the Vietnamese revolution. The Party's political platform continues to be the ideological and theoretical flag leading our nation to firmly continue to comprehensively and synchronously promote the renovation process; is the foundation for our Party to perfect the policy of building and defending the socialist Vietnamese Fatherland in the new period.
The rich and vivid practice of the Vietnamese revolution since the Party was founded has proven that the correct and wise leadership of the Party is the leading factor determining all victories of the revolution, creating many miracles in Vietnam. On the other hand, through the process of leading the revolution, our Party has been tempered and increasingly matured, worthy of its role and mission of leading the revolution and the trust and expectations of the people.
That reality affirms a truth: In Vietnam, there is no other political force, other than the Communist Party of Vietnam, that has enough courage, intelligence, experience, prestige and ability to lead the country to overcome all difficulties and challenges, leading the revolutionary cause of our nation from one victory to another. And it is also in that process that our Party has accumulated and drawn many valuable lessons, forging glorious traditions that today we have the responsibility to strive to preserve and promote. That is the tradition of infinite loyalty to the interests of the nation and class, steadfast in the goal and ideal of national independence associated with socialism on the basis of Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought. That is the tradition of maintaining independence and autonomy in guidelines; firmly grasping, applying and creatively developing Marxism-Leninism, referring to international experience to set out the right guidelines and effectively organize the implementation of revolutionary tasks. That is the tradition of blood ties between the Party and the people, always taking serving the people as the reason for living and the goal to strive for. That is the tradition of solidarity, unity, organization and strict, strict discipline on the basis of the principles of democratic centralism, self-criticism, criticism and love for comrades. That is the tradition of loyal, pure international solidarity based on noble principles and goals. With all the modesty of a revolutionary, we can still say: "Our Party is truly great! Our people are truly heroic! Our country has never had such a foundation, potential, position and international prestige as it does today."
Part Three
Further promote the glorious tradition of patriotism and revolution, determined to successfully achieve the country's development goals by 2025 and 2030, building an increasingly rich, civilized, cultured and heroic Vietnam.
We are proud and confident to move forward under the glorious flag of the Party in the context of the world and domestic situation, in addition to opportunities and advantages, there will also be many great difficulties and challenges.
In the world, strategic competition, economic competition, and trade wars continue to be fierce; disputes over sovereignty of seas and islands are complicated; military conflicts in some regions of the world affect geopolitics, geo-economics, energy security and global supply chains; science and technology and the Fourth Industrial Revolution are developing strongly, creating both new opportunities and challenges for all countries and ethnic groups; climate change, natural disasters, epidemics and traditional and non-traditional security issues are increasingly having strong and multi-faceted impacts, which can seriously threaten the stability and sustainability of the world, the region and our country...
Domestically, we are still facing many difficulties and major challenges: To achieve the socio-economic development goals set by the 13th National Party Congress, the average growth rate for the 6 years from 2024 to 2030 must reach about 8%, the processing, manufacturing and service industries must develop more strongly, increasing by about 4.5 percentage points to contribute to economic growth; this is a very high level, requiring us to have high determination and great efforts to achieve.
The financial-monetary market, especially the real estate market, the stock market, and corporate bonds will develop very complicatedly, with many potential risks. The liquidity of some commercial banks is weak and large enterprises and projects will face many difficulties. Bank interest rates remain high, inflationary pressure remains high. Production and business activities in some industries and fields tend to decline; the number of enterprises withdrawing from the market is increasing; many enterprises have to reduce staff, reduce working hours, and lay off workers; workers' lives are facing many difficulties. Disbursement of public investment capital has not met requirements. Newly registered foreign investment capital, additional registration or capital contribution, and share purchase has decreased. The growth rate of state budget revenue shows signs of decline; bad debts at banks and state tax debts tend to increase; Ensuring economic security, cyber security, social order and safety, taking care of and protecting people's health... are still major problems with many difficulties and challenges that need to be overcome. The organization of law and policy implementation and public service implementation is still a weak link; discipline and order in many places are not strict, there is even a phenomenon of avoiding and shirking responsibility; whatever is beneficial is brought back to the agency, unit and individual; whatever is difficult is pushed out to society, to other agencies and other people. Meanwhile, bad, hostile and reactionary forces continue to take advantage of this situation to promote the implementation of the "peaceful evolution" strategy, promote "self-evolution" and "self-transformation" within us to sabotage our Party, State and regime.
The above situation requires us to absolutely not be subjective, complacent, too enamored with the results and achievements that have been achieved, and not to be too pessimistic or wavering in the face of difficulties and challenges; on the contrary, we need to be extremely calm, clear-headed, and make good use of the results and lessons learned, overcome the limitations and weaknesses that still exist, especially since the beginning of the 13th term until now, to continue to promote innovation, strive, seize every opportunity and advantage; overcome all difficulties and challenges, and successfully implement the programs, plans, goals and tasks set for the 13th term and until 2030. In particular, we need to continue to thoroughly grasp and creatively apply the lessons learned from the 13th Party Congress .
That is, (1) The work of building and rectifying the Party and the political system must be carried out resolutely, comprehensively, synchronously, regularly and effectively in terms of politics, ideology, ethics, organization and cadres. Firmly, creatively apply and develop Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought; improve the leadership, governing and fighting capacity of the Party; regularly consolidate and enhance solidarity within the Party and the political system; strictly implement the principles of Party building, regularly innovate the Party's leadership methods. Build a clean and strong State and political system in all aspects; perfect the mechanism for tightly controlling power: Resolutely and persistently fight against degradation, "self-evolution", "self-transformation" within the Party; step up the fight against corruption and negativity. Personnel work must truly be the "key of the keys", focusing on building a contingent of cadres at all levels, especially strategic-level cadres and leaders with sufficient qualities, capacity and prestige, equal to the task; promoting the responsibility of setting examples of cadres and party members according to the motto that the higher the position, the more exemplary one must be, especially members of the Politburo, members of the Secretariat, and members of the Party Central Committee.
(2) In all work of the Party and State, we must always thoroughly grasp the viewpoint that "people are the root" ; truly trust, respect and promote the people's right to mastery; persistently implement the motto "people know, people discuss, people do, people inspect, people supervise, people benefit" . The people are the center and the subject of the cause of innovation, building and defending the Fatherland; all guidelines and policies must truly originate from the lives, aspirations, rights and legitimate interests of the people, taking the happiness and prosperity of the people as the goal to strive for. Strengthen the close relationship between the Party and the people, rely on the people to build the Party; consolidate and strengthen the people's trust in the Party, the State and the socialist regime.
(3) In leadership, direction, administration, and implementation, there must be high determination, great effort, drastic, dynamic, creative, and proactive actions; appropriate steps, promoting all resources, motivations, and superiority of the socialist regime; promptly removing bottlenecks and obstacles; promoting the responsibility of leaders in conjunction with promoting the synchronous strength of the entire political system; promoting democracy along with maintaining discipline ; attaching importance to summarizing practices and researching theories; implementing good coordination in leadership, management, and administration; attaching importance to quality and practical effectiveness; creating breakthroughs for development.
(4) Focus on prioritizing the synchronous construction of development institutions, ensuring harmony between steadfastness and innovation; inheritance and development ; between economic innovation and political, cultural and social innovation; between complying with market rules and ensuring socialist orientation; between economic growth and cultural and human development, solving social problems, protecting resources and the environment; between economic and social development and ensuring national defense and security; between independence and autonomy and international integration; between Party leadership, State management and people's mastery; between practicing democracy and strengthening the rule of law, ensuring social discipline... Truly valuing and effectively promoting the driving role of people, culture, education and training, science and technology in national development.
(5) Proactively study, grasp and forecast the situation correctly, absolutely do not be subjective, do not be passive or surprised. Resolutely and persistently protect the independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of the Fatherland while maintaining a peaceful, stable, secure and safe environment for national development. Proactively and actively integrate comprehensively and deeply into the international community on the basis of maintaining independence, autonomy, self-reliance and self-strengthening. Correctly and effectively handle relations with major countries and neighboring countries in the spirit of being friends, reliable partners and responsible to all countries in the international community; correctly assess trends and seize opportunities. Effectively promote the country's combined strength in combination with the strength of the times. Effectively exploit and use all resources to meet the requirements of national construction, development and protection in the new situation. Identifying those lessons is an important basis for our Party to continue to apply, promote and develop creativity in leadership and direction, helping us to be steadfast, steady and confident in overcoming new difficulties, challenges and heavier tasks as the country enters a new stage of development.
At the same time, it is necessary to continue to thoroughly grasp and effectively apply a number of lessons learned on innovation in leadership methods and working styles and procedures drawn from the 13th Central Committee's mid-term conference:
First, we must always grasp and seriously implement the Party Platform , Party Statutes , Working Regulations , and Party guidelines and policies, and the State's laws and policies . We must strictly implement the Party's organizational and operational principles, especially the principles of democratic centralism; solidarity and unity; be steadfast, consistent, and uphold principles in the face of new difficulties and challenges. For major, difficult, complicated, important, urgent, sensitive, and unprecedented issues with many different opinions, we must bring them to meetings and discuss them democratically and frankly; consider them carefully and thoroughly to make timely, correct, and appropriate decisions for the situation.
Second, we must closely follow the entire working program of the Party Central Committee, the Politburo, and the Secretariat to develop and implement the annual, quarterly, monthly, and weekly working programs according to plan; at the same time, we must be sensitive, flexible, and promptly adjust and supplement the working program with important, complex, and newly arising tasks in various fields to promptly and effectively lead and direct all activities in social life. We need to continue to promote the new points in the 13th term, which are: the Politburo and the Secretariat have directed the organization of many national cadre conferences (in person and online) to quickly and synchronously deploy and disseminate the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress, the resolutions of the Central Committee and the Politburo comprehensively in all sectors, fields, and localities, both vertically and horizontally; unify from the Central to the local level and between localities in regions and areas. Periodically every month or when necessary, key leaders meet to grasp the comprehensive, specific, and real situation; exchange, discuss, and unify viewpoints, policies, and directions on major, important, and urgent issues of the Party and the Country; urge and promptly resolve difficulties and obstacles, in order to speed up the progress and effectiveness of the proposed work.
After each meeting, conclusions were issued, clearly assigning responsibilities for implementation on each issue; contributing significantly to consistent, unified, timely, tight, synchronous, and smooth leadership, direction, and administration, especially in the context of having to prevent and fight the Covid-19 pandemic and handle recent complicated situations; overcoming overlaps and duplications in leadership, direction, and administration; creating solidarity, unity of will and action among key leaders; spreading to the Politburo, the Secretariat, the Party Central Committee, and the entire political system.
Third, focus on prioritizing the synchronous and quality promulgation of the legal system, regulations, statutes, and working procedures for serious and unified implementation throughout the Party and the entire political system; innovate and improve the quality of the implementation of the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress; have close and smooth coordination, high determination, great efforts of the entire political system, and unanimity of the entire Party, people, and army in accordance with the spirit of "Proactively supporting and supporting", "One call, all respond", "Unanimity above and below", "Consistency across the board".
Fourth, the Politburo, the Secretariat and each member of the Politburo and the Secretariat must strictly comply with the regulations and working regimes; operate on the basis of the Working Regulations, the Work Program for the entire term and each year. Carefully prepare the content and agenda of meetings; arrange the content scientifically and methodically; the time is relatively reasonable; each meeting session solves many problems; promotes collective intelligence, enhances individual responsibility, discusses democratically, carefully and thoroughly; quickly and promptly documents the conclusions of the meeting.
The division of work and decentralization in handling work between the Politburo and the Secretariat, between the Politburo and the Secretariat and individual Politburo and Secretariat members in charge of each field, and the leadership relationship between the Politburo and the Secretariat and the Party delegations, Party executive committees, and Party committees directly under the Central Committee must also be clear and specific. The Politburo and the Secretariat handle work within their authority; promptly and fully report to the Party Central Committee on important issues before making decisions and on work the Politburo has handled between two Central Committee conferences.
Fifth, each member of the Politburo and the Secretariat needs to promote the spirit of setting an example, regularly cultivate, train, and improve revolutionary ethics; seriously self-examine, self-correct, self-criticize, and criticize; maintain discipline, order, and voluntarily assume political responsibility in the areas under his/her charge; resolutely fight against individualism and other negative manifestations; maintain internal solidarity; be steadfast in ideology and politics, and have correct viewpoints; be exemplary in ethics and lifestyle in work, in the lives of oneself, one's family, and relatives. Do your best to avoid the situation of "Your own feet are still covered in dirt; yet you hold a torch to rub other people's feet!"
On that basis, focus on prioritizing the implementation of the following key tasks:
First, on economic development: It is necessary to continue to thoroughly grasp and strictly and effectively implement the Party's guidelines and policies and the State's laws and policies on rapid and sustainable development. Focus on consolidating and strengthening the macroeconomic foundation, controlling inflation, improving the internal capacity and autonomy of the economy on the basis of improving and maintaining the stable and safe development of the system of credit institutions, the monetary market, the real estate market, the stock market, and corporate bonds. Focus on improving the investment and business environment; effectively resolving the immediate and long-term difficulties, limitations, and weaknesses of the economy to maintain the momentum of recovery, rapid and sustainable growth, and more substantial; create stronger changes in implementing strategic breakthroughs, restructuring the economy associated with renewing the growth model, improving productivity, quality, efficiency, and competitiveness of the economy. Promote national digital transformation, develop digital economy, digital society, green economy, circular economy... associated with strengthening resource management and environmental protection.
Second, on cultural and social development: It is necessary to pay more attention to the task of developing culture and society in harmony and on par with economic development; ensuring social security and welfare; constantly improving the material and spiritual life of the people. Effectively implement policies to support people, unemployed workers and businesses facing difficulties. Take care of the lives of people with revolutionary contributions and people in difficult circumstances; build new rural areas and civilized urban areas, associated with preserving and promoting rural and urban cultural values and identities, creating jobs and sustainable poverty reduction; prioritize allocating resources to implement programs, projects and policies for ethnic minorities and mountainous areas, remote areas, border areas and islands. Continue to do better in epidemic prevention and control; improve the quality of medical examination and treatment, care and protection of people's health; ensure food hygiene and safety. Improve the effectiveness of cultural institutions, especially in industrial zones and new urban areas; preserve and promote good heritage and cultural values. Build a healthy cultural lifestyle; prevent moral and lifestyle degradation and pay more attention to preventing domestic violence, child abuse and social evils.
Third, on national defense, security and foreign affairs: It is necessary to continue to consolidate and strengthen national defense and security potential; maintain political stability, social order and safety; improve the effectiveness of foreign affairs and international integration. Proactively prevent and resolutely fight to defeat all sabotage plots of hostile and reactionary forces; absolutely do not be passive or surprised in any situation. Synchronously implement solutions to ensure political security, social order and safety; actively fight against all types of crimes and social evils; implement solutions to ensure network security, traffic safety, fire and explosion prevention and control.
Organize foreign affairs activities well, especially high-level foreign affairs; proactively, actively, deepen and make more substantial relations with partners; promote multilateral foreign affairs; maintain a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, cooperation and development; multilateralize and diversify international relations; proactively and actively integrate deeply into the world, taking national and ethnic interests as the top priority. Effectively implement signed trade agreements, making the most of the benefits that these agreements can bring.
Fourth, on Party building and the political system: It is necessary to continue to promote and improve the work of building and rectifying the Party and the political system to be truly clean and strong, especially the system of legislative, executive and judicial agencies from the central to local levels. Build a truly clean, honest, strong, effective and efficient Government and local authorities. Specifically, there must be a program and plan to seriously, vigorously and with specific results implement the resolutions and conclusions of the Central Committee on this issue, especially the Resolution of the 4th Central Committee, Session XII and the Conclusion of the 4th Central Conference, Session XIII on promoting the building and rectification of the Party and the political system; resolutely prevent, repel and strictly handle cadres and Party members who have degraded in political ideology, ethics and lifestyle, showing signs of "self-evolution" and "self-transformation", associated with studying and following the ideology, ethics and lifestyle of Ho Chi Minh.
Do better in personnel work to select and arrange the right people who are truly virtuous, talented, honest, and dedicated; who truly serve the country and the people into leadership positions of the State apparatus. Resolutely fight to eliminate those who fall into corruption and depravity; oppose all manifestations of seeking positions, power, localism, preferential recruitment of unqualified relatives and family members. Promote democracy, raise the sense of responsibility, set an example; the spirit of serving the people of cadres, civil servants, and public employees. Have mechanisms and policies to encourage and protect those who are dynamic, creative, dare to think, dare to do, and dare to take responsibility. Tighten discipline and order; regularly inspect and urge, create strong changes in the performance of public duties; improve the ethics, culture, and professionalism of cadres, civil servants, and public employees. Persistently and resolutely fight against corruption and negativity, associated with promoting the building and improvement of laws, mechanisms and policies so that "corruption cannot, does not dare, does not want".
Fifth, regarding preparations for Party congresses at all levels, towards the 14th National Congress of the Party: The Sub-committees preparing for the 14th National Congress of the Party need to urgently and seriously preside over and coordinate with the Central Committees, ministries, branches and local Party committees and authorities to summarize theoretical and practical issues over 40 years of renovation, focusing on the last 10 years; build quality draft documents to be submitted to Party congresses at all levels and participate in giving comments to complete the draft documents to be submitted to the 14th National Congress of the Party; do better in planning and personnel work at all levels, especially the planning and personnel work of the Central Executive Committee of the Party, the Politburo, and the Secretariat of the 14th tenure, 2026-2031; prepare and conduct well the Party congresses at all levels for the 2025-2030 tenure, towards the 14th National Congress of the Party.
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Proud and confident in the glorious Party over the past 30 years since its founding, our famous revolutionary poet To Huu wrote the immortal work "30 years of our life with the Party" , in which he wrote:
"Our party has a hundred hands and a thousand eyes.
Our party is here, with bones of iron and skin of bronze.
Our party, millions of workers and farmers
Our party, with one heart and one belief"
That pride and belief of our people in the Party has been gradually cultivated, enhanced, and increasingly strengthened throughout the glorious revolutionary journey of the Party from 1930 to the present with the results and achievements that our entire Party, people, and army, under the wise leadership of the Party, have strived to achieve in the revolutionary struggle to gain power; resistance war and national construction; building socialism in the North; fighting to liberate the South, unify the country; overcoming the consequences of war, protecting the territorial integrity of the Fatherland, gradually moving towards socialism and in carrying out the renovation and construction of our country to become more and more dignified and beautiful; expanding foreign relations, proactively and actively integrating comprehensively and deeply into the international community; contributing to making our country have the foundation, potential, position and international prestige as it is today.
Continuing on the glorious path under the glorious flag of the Party, building and protecting our beloved socialist Vietnam to become more and more dignified and beautiful, our Party, our Country and our People will continue to look forward to 2030, the 100th anniversary of the Party's founding, our country becoming a modern industrialized country with high average income and by 2045, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam: striving to make our country a developed country with high income; building our Vietnam to be increasingly "prosperous, rich, civilized, happy", steadily moving towards socialism.
Proud of the glorious Party, great Uncle Ho and the heroic Vietnamese people; believing in the wise leadership of the true revolutionary Party and the strength of great unity of the entire civilized and heroic Vietnamese people, our entire Party, people and army are determined to build an increasingly rich, civilized, cultured and heroic Vietnam in the direction of socialism.
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