- by A Carruthers
- The Guardian
- Issue #2177
General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, To Lam.
“Over the week of 19-25 January, the Communist Party of Vietnam convened its 14th National Congress. Against the backdrop of the current tumult in global affairs, the Congress made key authoritative decisions about the direction of the country in the next five years.” The Congress is one of the most important dates in the democratic life of Vietnamese socialism. Under the guidance of the Central Committee and General Secretary To Lam, the Congress took place with an atmosphere of innovation and consensus.
Here are some takeaways from the Congress central tasks:
1. Self-reliance, strategic autonomy: multilateral diversification of foreign policy is a priority in the changing world system. Peaceful and stable diplomacy matters now more than ever. Safeguarding the Fatherland is both an external and internal challenge – people’s incomes and living standards must increase if Vietnam is to maintain national self-reliance under these evolving conditions.
2. Party-building, Party rectification and eliminating corruption: in the previous period there were weak projects, waste and inefficiency both in industry and services. Since that period the Party, people and political system have come together to build a clean and strong Communist Party of Vietnam and a socialist rule-of-law state that is crucial to winning support from the people. The wider public is gaining trust in the system and the Party.
3. Scientific development of green, new, advanced and quality productive forces: the emphasis is shifting towards high-quality development based firmly upon scientific socialist principles. These new, modern productive forces are not built at the expense of social relations – Vietnam will continue to pay attention to how these productive forces will make way for advanced culture and new, socialist social relationships of harmony, democracy and happiness.
Also on the agenda is the building of a revolutionary and modern People’s Army and People’s Public Security that can safeguard sovereignty and build unity.
As with all Marxist-Leninist parties, the important outcome is instituting and implementing the new Resolution of the Congress. This is a tradition shared by Communist parties including ours.
So what are we going to see in the next five years? More socialist democracy, socialist-oriented development, more happiness and prosperity, more advanced culture and civilisational expression, more unity around the Central Committee, more decisive action on climate, higher incomes and better living standards for the majority Vietnamese working class.
Core commitments will remain: an unwavering commitment to the founding morality of Ho Chi Minh Thought, socialism, communism, Marxism-Leninism and the Leninist principles of Party-building and strict Party governance.
A bright new era dawns for Vietnam under the glorious flag of the Party. The steadfast path towards socialism will continue unabated until the 100th Anniversary of the CPV in 2030 and onwards. The historic victory of the Vietnamese revolution will continue.
Vietnamese media reports that the Party Central Committee unanimously elected To Lam, General Secretary of the 13th Party Central Committee, to continue serving as General Secretary of the 14th Party Central Committee.
For more on the Vietnam Communist Party’s Congress, see vietnamnews.vn/topic/14th-National-party-congress/34 and
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