The 11th Party Central Committee’s report on the documents of the 12th National Party Congress has highlighted the determination to redouble efforts to build the Party clean and strong, push forward the renewal comprehensively and harmoniously, and firmly defend the homeland, among others.

The following is the full text of the report, delivered to the 12th ational Party Congress by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

“REDOUBLE EFFORTS TO BUILD OUR PARTY CLEAN AND STRONG; PROMOTE THE ENTIRE NATION’S STRENGTH AND SOCIALIST DEMOCRACY; PUSH FORWARD COMPREHENSIVELY AND HARMONIOUSLY THE RENEWAL PROCESS; DEFEND FIRMLY THE HOMELAND AND MAINTAIN STURDILY A PEACEFUL AND STABLE ENVIRONMENT; AND STRIVE FOR OURS TO SOON BECOME BASICALLY AN INDUSTRIALIZED COUNTRY TOWARD MODERNITY

Report of the Party’s 11th-tenure Central Committee presented by General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong on the Party’s 12th Congress Documents

Members of the Presidium,

Distinguished guests,

Congress delegates,

The Party 12th National Congress is tasked with taking stock of the implementation of the Party’s 11th Congress Resolution; looking at the last 30 years of renewal; determining orientations, objectives and tasks in the 2016 – 2021 five-year period; reviewing the leadership of the Party’s 11th-tenure Central Committee; assessing the observance of the Party’s 11th-tenure Statutes; and electing the Party’s 12th-tenure Central Committee. All the draft documents have been circulated to the Congress delegates. The draft Political Report and the Socio Economic Report have been put to serious discussion and comment by Party congresses at various levels and publicized widely for comments from National Assembly deputies, the Fatherland Front, people’s organizations, revolutionary veterans, scholars, intellectuals and the armed forces as well as all strata of the Vietnamese population living both inside and outside the country. All the collected comments are very rich in substance, precious in value and heartfelt in character, demonstrating a high sense of responsibility toward the Party, the people and the country. The Central Committee has been maximally receptive to reasonable and well-grounded comments, taking them as inputs to amend and further improve the draft documents to be submitted to the Congress so that the latter could be true crystallization of the willpower and wisdom of the entire Party, people and armed forces; and facilitation for the 12th-tenure Central Committee’s study, leadership and guidance after the Congress is concluded. From this solemn rostrum, let’s extend to our comrades and compatriots our high valuation, warm appreciation and sincere gratitude for their wholehearted and precious comments.

The reports submitted to the Congress have covered all the issues in a comprehensive, sufficient and concrete manner. On behalf of the 11th-tenure Central Committee, I would like to present the core ideas and contents of the documents submitted to the Congress.

I. STEADFASTLY MARCHING ON THE ROAD OF RENEWAL

Over the past five years, apart from opportunities and advantages, the world and region have seen highly complicated developments; the world economy has recovered slowly; political crises have broken out in many areas and countries; multi-dimensional competition has become increasingly intense among major powers in the region; the situation in the East Sea has evolved intricately, etc. All has exerted an adverse influence on our country. Inside the country, right at the beginning of this tenure, impacts of the global financial crisis and economic slowdown combined with inherent unresolved limitations and flaws of our economy, shortcomings and weaknesses in leadership and management, as well as newly emerging problems have driven up high inflations, seriously affected the macro-economic stability, growth rates and the population’s living standards. Natural disasters, diseases and climate change have inflicted heavy losses. The needs to ensure social security and social welfare have kept growing. Meanwhile, considerable resources have had to be spared to secure national defense and security and safeguard national sovereignty given the emerging dynamics in the regional and international situation. Against such a backdrop, our entire Party, people and armed forces have made all-out endeavors to implement the 11th Party Congress Resolution, recording important achievements.

The economy has overcome numerous difficulties and challenges, its scale and potentials improved; its macro-level stability has basically been sustained, inflation kept under control; its growth maintained at reasonable rates and gradually recovered since 2013, becoming higher one year after another. Efforts have been focused on innovating growth models, restructuring the economy and putting in place the 3 strategic breakthroughs, thus yielding initial positive outcomes. Education and training, science and technology, culture, social affairs and healthcare have enjoyed a measure of development. Social security has been better attended to and fundamentally ensured whereas the people’s living standards have witnessed continued improvement. Social and political stability has been maintained; national defense and security have been enhanced; the struggle to safeguard firmly national independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity and to preserve peace and stability has been conducted resolutely and persistently. Foreign relations and international integration have been increasingly intensive, extensive and efficient. Our country’s international status and prestige have kept heightening. Socialist democracy and great all-nation unity strength have continued to be promoted. Party building and building of the political system have been attended to and in return produced important outcomes.

However, renewal remains to be unharmonious and incomprehensive. Certain socio-economic targets have failed; many targets and criteria constituting the goal for ours to become basically an industrialized country toward modernity by 2020 have not been fulfilled. Many limitations and weaknesses in education and training, science and technology, culture, social affairs and healthcare have been slow to be surmounted. Considerable difficulties have remained in the livelihood of a segment of the population, especially those in remote and hinterland areas. The four dangers pinpointed by the Party have remained in existence, with complicated developments visible in certain respects. Deterioration in political ideology, morality and lifestyle among a not-small portion of public cadre and Party members, as well as red tape, corruption and wastefulness have yet to be rolled back. Certain aspects in Party building and building of the political system have been marked by retarded progress.

Comrades,

The 30 years of renewal represent an important historical stage in the cause of building and defending our country, marking the all-sided maturity of our Party, State and people. Bearing the posture and significance of a revolution, renewal is a profound, comprehensive and radical transformational process, and a great revolutionary cause of our entire Party, people and armed forces for the goal of “a prosperous people, a strong, democratic, equitable and advanced country”.

In a panoramic view, in the course of 30 years of renewal, our country has attained great achievements of historic significance on the road of building socialism and defending the socialist Homeland. At the same time, there have remained measurable, complicated problems and many limitations and weaknesses that need focused efforts to resolve and overcome in order for the country to develop rapidly and sustainably.

The great and historic achievements recorded in the 30 years of renewal have affirmed the Party’s renewal policy as being judicious and creative; and our country’s path to socialism as being suitable to Vietnam’s realities and history’s development trend. The achievements recorded and the lessons of experience drawn from reality have created an important premise and cornerstone for our country to continue with its renewal and vigorous development in the years to come.

The new period requires that national development be more comprehensive and concerted politically, economically, culturally and socially as well as in defense, security and external relations, with socio-economic development as the centerpiece; Party building as the key; cultural and human development as the spiritual foundation; and enhanced national defense and security as a vital and constant task.

It is imperative to continue innovating vigorously ways of thinking, creatively applying and developing Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought, remaining steadfast in the goal of national independence and socialism; enhancing reality sums-up and theoretical studies, making accurate forecasts, and providing timely guidelines and policies to effectively resolve newly emerging problems posed by reality; tactfully tackle major relations that reflect the law of renewal and development in our country: relations between renewal, stability and development; between economic renewal and political renewal; between complying with market laws and ensuring the socialist orientation; between developing production forces on the one hand and building and gradually completing the production relations on the other; between the State and the market; between economic growth on the one hand and cultural development, execution of social progress and equity on the other; between building socialism and defending the socialist Homeland; between independence, autonomy and international integration; between the Party’s leadership, the State’s governance and the people’s ownership; etc.

Comrades,

In the next five years, the world and regional situation will witness many extremely complicated developments, exerting a direct impact on our country, and generating both opportunities and challenges. Yet peace, national independence, democracy, cooperation and development will remain the major trend. Globalization, international integration, the scientific-technological revolution and a knowledge-based economy will continue to be boosted. The Asia-Pacific, in which the Southeast Asian region has become a community, will continue to represent a center of dynamic development with an increasingly important strategic geo-economic and geo-political location; at the same time, this region will also represent one of strategic competition among certain major powers and one with many factors of uncertainty; disputes relating to territories and sovereignty over seas and islands in the region and the East Sea continue to occur in an acute manner.

Domestically, the country’s posture, strength and aggregate power will be augmented, its international prestige increasingly heightened. Our country is to fulfil all commitments as a member of the ASEAN Community and WTO, accede to new-generation free trade agreements, and integrate into the international community much more intensively and extensively than before. Development opportunities and chances for will widely unfold.

However, many difficulties and challenges will remain. The four dangers pinpointed by our Party will still exist, especially the danger of economically lagging farther behind other countries in the region and the world and the danger of “peaceful evolution” staged by hostile forces to sabotage our country; degeneration in political ideology, morality and lifestyles, and manifestations of “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” among a portion of cadre, Party members, public employees and Government-contracted employees, as well as the existence and complicated developments of red-tape, corruption and wastefulness, etc.

To make the best of and bring into full play the opportunities and advantages while overcoming difficulties and challenges, our entire Party, population and armed forces must be united and determined to redouble efforts to build our Party clean and strong, enhance the Party’s leadership capacity and combativeness, and build a strong political system. To promote the entire nation’s strength and socialist democracy. To push forward the renewal process in a comprehensive and synchronous manner; develop the economy fast and sustainably, and strive for ours to soon become basically an industrialized country toward modernity. To improve the people’s material and spiritual living standards. To resolutely and persistently struggle for the firm defense of our Homeland’s independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity as well as the safeguarding of the Party, State, people and socialist system. To preserve peace and stability, proactively and actively integrate into the international community, and to elevate Vietnam’s status and prestige in the region and the world.

While striving for key economic, social and environmental targets as stated in the Socio-Economic Report, we should continue to be innovative and creative in leadership and governance. To focus on further improving the institution of a socialist-oriented market economy, which operates fully, synchronously and effectively by market laws. The State is to use institutions, laws, resources, regulating tools, and distribution and redistribution policies to develop culture, practice democracy, social progress and equity. To ensure rapid and sustainable development on the basis of macro-economic stabilization, ever increasing productivity, quality, effectiveness and competitiveness; closely link economic development with cultural and social development and environmental protection. To further improve the socialist law-governed State, increase effectiveness and efficiency of the State’s governance and development orientation; and to create an enabling environment for creativeness, democracy promotion, and human and civic rights protection. To maximize domestic resources while effectuating proactive international integration as well as efficient mobilization and utilization of external resources.

II. DEVELOP FAST AND SUSTAINABLY, AND STRIVING FOR OURS TO SOON BECOME BASICALLY AN INDUSTRIALIZED COUNTRY TOWARD MODERNITY

Comrades,

The goal of turning ours into basically an industrialized country toward modernity in 2020 was determined as early as at the 8th Party Congress and in fact, over the past 20 years, our entire Party, population and armed forces have tried their best to this end. However, due to various objective and subjective reasons ly, a number of targets and criteria as part of this goal have failed. In the next 5 years, more forceful endeavors are to be made and fast and sustainable economic development recorded with a view to soon achieving this goal. Especially the following major orientations are to be aware of and implemented effectively:

To continue innovating growth models and restructuring the economy; to push forward industrialization and modernization attached with promotion of a knowledge-based economy; to further improve the institution and develop a socialist-oriented market economy

This is a major and important policy decision, which was raised right at the 11th Party Congress. In the coming time, this process will need a continued push along the line of combining efficiently extensive development with intensive development, with importance attached to intensive development, improved growth quality and competitiveness on the basis of increased productivity, application of scientific and technological advances, innovation and creation, improvement of workforce quality, promotion of comparative advantages and proactive international integration; ensured harmony between immediate objectives and long-term goals, between economic development and ensured national defense and security; between economic growth on the one hand and cultural development, implementation of social progress and equity, environmental protection, and improvement of the population’s material and spiritual living standards on the other. The most important driving force which is at the same time the condition for innovating growth models is to intensify research, application of science and technology, innovation and creation.

To continue pushing forward the concerted and holistic restructuring of the economy as well as different sectors and fields in association with growth model innovation, concentrating on essential fields: restructuring investments with focus placed on public investment; restructuring the financial market with focus being the system of commercial banks and financial institutions, step by step restructuring the State budget; restructuring and properly addressing the bad debt issue, ensuring public debt safety; restructuring State-owned enterprises with focus put on State groups and corporations; restructuring agriculture along the line of raising added value and linking with rural economic development and building of a new-type countryside. To further implement the three strategic breakthroughs, particularly the one on the institution of a socialist-oriented market economy, with a view to vigorously liberating production forces, mobilizing, distributing and using efficiently available resources.

To focus on building a national industry and industrial brand name with medium- and long-term visions, and with a roadmap for each stage of development; to develop on a selective basis a number of manufacturing and processing industries, high-tech industries, clean industry, energy, mechanical, electronic and chemical industries, construction and installation industries, defense and security industries. To develop agriculture and rural economy linked to the building of a new-type countryside; to build agriculture toward large-scale commodity production, hi-tech application, improved product quality, and ensured food hygiene and safety; higher added value and export promotion; to adopt appropriate policies to accumulate and concentrate lands. To further develop the services sector toward modernity with a growth rate higher than that in various production sectors and higher than the growth rate of the economy as a whole. To focus on developing certain services subsectors with an advantage and with a knowledge and hi-tech content. To vigorously develop marine economy in order to enhance the national economic potential and safeguard our sea and island sovereignty. To promote each region’s potentials and advantages, at the same time give priority to the development of economic engine regions; to adopt policies aimed at supporting the development of regions fraught with difficulties, especially hinterland and remote regions, and ethnic minority, mountain and island regions; to build a number of special economic zones. To step by step set up an urban system with synchronized, modernized and environment-friendly infrastructures. To further mobilize and effectively utilize social resources with a view to continuing to focus investments on establishing a relatively synchronized socio-economic infrastructure system with some modern public works.

To continue achieving unified perception of a socialist-oriented market economy in Vietnam as an economy operating in full conformity and in tandem with market economy laws, while ensuring the socialist orientation in accordance with each stage of national development. That is a market economy which is modern and integrated internationally; under the administration of a socialist law-governed State and the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, aiming at the goal of ” a prosperous people, and a strong, democratic, equitable and advanced nation “; having progressive relations of production that match the development level of forces of production, with multiple forms of ownership, various economic sectors, of which the State sector plays the leading role and the private sector is an important engine of the economy; where all economic actors are on an equal footing, cooperate and compete with each other in compliance with laws; the market plays the main role in mobilizing and allocating development resources in an efficient manner, and is the principal driving force to liberate forces of production; State resources are to be allocated according to strategies, schemes and plans in conformity with market mechanisms. The State’s role is to provide guidance, formulate and complete the economic institution, create a fair, transparent and healthy competitive environment; use tools, policies and resources at the State’s disposal to guide and regulate the economy, push up production and business and protect the environment; and to achieve social progress and equity in each step and through every single development policy. To bring into play the role as owners of the people in socio-economic development.

The above-mentioned perceptions need to be further specified and institutionalized in accordance with each stage of development in the transition to socialism.

To fundamentally and comprehensively reform education and training; to develop human resources and improve their quality; to enhance potentials and boost science and technology application.

Education is a national policy of prime importance. To continue reforming in a vigorous and systematic manner the fundamental elements of education and training, with importance attached to the development of qualifications and capacity of learners. To vigorously shift from an education that focuses on knowledge transfer to fostering full development of skills and qualifications of learners: to nurture in them the love of their families, the Homeland and their compatriots, to lead a meaningful life and work efficiently. To gradually improve the national education system toward an open education that fosters life-time learning and builds a learning society. To remodel the network of education and training establishments which is to be linked with socio-economic development schemes, and human resource and labor market development requirements. To fundamentally reform governance over education and training, to ensure democracy, uniformity and quality; and to increase the autonomy and social responsibility of education and training institutions. To develop the contingent of teachers and education administrators; to reform financial policy and mechanisms, to effectively mobilize and use every investment resource for education and training development. Efforts are to be made so that by 2030 Vietnam’s education will have attained the advanced level of the region.

To vigorously develop science and technology, making science and technology a really prime national policy and the most important engine for the development of modern production force, knowledge-based economy, for the enhancement of productivity, quality, efficiency and competitiveness of the economy; for environmental protection and ensured national defense and security. Development and application of science and technology require prioritized and concentrated investment one step ahead of other areas in all sectors and at all levels. To continue reforming energetically and synchronously mechanisms of governance, organization and operation of science and technology, in particular governance mechanisms, investment modes and financing mechanisms to liberate creativity and accelerate application of science and technology advances in practice. To strengthen linkages between science and technology institutions and businesses; to multiply forms of linkages between the State, the scientist, the businessman and the farmer. To promote cooperation in the field of science and technology, especially high-technology, as a priority in the course of international integration. Efforts are to be made so that by 2020, Vietnam’s science and technology will have attained the level of ASEAN’s leading group; and by 2030, some areas of Vietnam’s science and technology achieved the world’s advanced level.

Cultural and human formation and development

It is imperative that authorities at all levels and in all sectors be fully and deeply aware of the particular importance of culture and humanity; effectively achieve the goal of developing a comprehensive Vietnamese culture and Vietnamese human person toward “the True, the Good and the Beautiful” imbued with the national spirit, humanism, democracy and science; developing culture to really become the solid spiritual foundation of the society; and cultivating the comprehensive Vietnamese human person.

To accumulate and establish a set of cultural values and a set of standard values of the Vietnamese in the period of industrialization, modernization and international integration. To make every field, every activity and every social relation imbued with cultural values, thus becoming an important endogenous power for sustainable development. To create a healthy cultural environment, enabling the cultivation of the Vietnamese human person who is beautiful in personality, morality and soul; high in wisdom, capacity and creativity; and strong in physical health; to enhance social responsibility, civic obligations and sense of law respect and compliance; to well promote the key actor’s creative role in the course of national construction and defense. Significant attention needs to be attached to the element of culture and human. All activities, from the preservation and promotion of historical and cultural heritage; development of literature, art, press and publication, to the conservation and promotion of ethnic minorities’ cultures, religious culture and the formation of culture institutions are to aimed at rendering practical service for cultural and human formation and development.

Social development management; exercise of social progress and equity

To nurture deep awareness of the position and importance of sustainable social development and social development management for national construction and defense. To formulate and execute policies suitable to various social strata; settle effectively resentment-arousing social issues; to gradually eliminate development imbalances among domains, geographical areas and regions; to ensure harmony in interests and social relations; to give adequate attention to disadvantaged sections of people, ethnic minority people in mountain, hinterland and remote areas, and keep in check the widening of the rich-poor gap. To timely control and handle social risks, contradictions and conflicts. To increase effective implementation of solutions in fighting crimes and social vices, and to minimize traffic accidents.

To link closely economic policies with social policies and economic development with improvement of the people’s life quality, ensure that the people enjoy ever better fruits of the renewal process, national construction and development. Every individual can enjoy opportunities and conditions to fully develop his/her self. To well execute policies toward persons with meritorious service; to properly solve issues relating to labor, employment and income for working people; to ensure social security and enhance social welfare; to attach importance to the people’s healthcare, population and family planning, protection and care for maternal and child health; to advance gender equality; to build happy family. To mobilize resources for healthcare development; to innovate financing mechanisms in association with improvement of healthcare service quality.

Management of natural resources, environmental protection, proactive response to climate change

Natural resources being national assets and important resource of the country are to be fully evaluated with proper cost-benefit analysis in the whole economy, managed, protected, exploited and utilized economically, appropriately, efficiently and sustainably, and linked with the objectives of socio-economic development, national defense and security. Attention is to be given to the utilization of new energies, renewable energies and new materials.

To check and gradually end man-made natural environment deterioration, particularly due to economic development projects. To curb and gradually terminate the by and large devastation and depletion of natural resources, and the environmental pollution by manufacturing enterprises, industrial parks and urban centers. To complete the legal framework and enact sufficiently stringent sanctions to protect the environment, to prevent environmental pollution and sanction polluters in accordance with the law with a view to its end, to enhance preventive and control measures against environmental pollution sources.

To proactively formulate and execute programs and plans in response to climate change and natural disaster control for every stage, and to inspect and monitor their implementation. For the time being, to focus on effectively handling flood, drought, landslide at river banks and coastal areas, saltwater intrusion, high tides, etc. which directly impact the people’s life and production.

Firmly safeguarding the Homeland; maintaining an environment of peace and stability; improving foreign activity efficiency; being proactive and active in international integration

Dear Comrades,

Firmly safeguarding the independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of the Homeland and safeguarding the Party, State, people and socialist system are always closely and organically interlinked; maintaining an environment of peace, stability for national development is a vital and constant task of utmost importance of the Party, State, the whole political system and entire people, with the People’s Army and Public Security Forces as the core.

The vital objective of national defense and security is: To bring into full play the aggregate strength of the whole nation and the entire political system, to maximize the sympathy and support of the international community, to struggle resolutely and persistently in order to firmly safeguard the independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of the Homeland, and to defend the Party, State, people and socialist system; to protect the renewal, industrialization and modernization process, and to defend the national interests; to preserve national culture; and to maintain an environment of peace, political stability, national security, and social order and safety.

To reinforce national defense and security potentials; to solidify the all-people defense disposition and the people’s security disposition. To proactively foil all plots and activities of sabotage by hostile forces; to prevent and rebut fallacious information and allegations, to repel crimes and social vices of all kinds; to stay prepared against traditional and non-traditional security threats; and to ensure information security and safety and cyber security. To closely link the economic, cultural and social factors with the national defense and security factors, and vice versa, in every socio-economic development strategy, scheme and plan with attention given to hinterland, remote, border, sea and island regions. To closely link national defense and security with external relations; and to promote international cooperation in defense and security. To build a “people’s heart defense disposition”, laying solid foundations for an all-people defense and a people’s security, etc. To forge the People’s Army and People’s Public Security Forces revolutionary, standardized, elite and gradually modernized, with priority given step by step to modernizing a number of arms, services and forces; to ensure their political steadfastness, their enhanced aggregate fighting capacity, and their absolute loyalty to the Homeland, the Party, the State and the people.

To ensure successful implementation of foreign policy and international integration. To ensure the supreme national interests on the basis of fundamental principles of international law, equality and mutual benefit, to consistently carry out the foreign policy of independence, autonomy, peace, cooperation and development; to diversify and multi-lateralize external relations; to be proactive and active in international integration; to be a friend, a reliable partner, and a responsible member of the international community, etc. aiming at preserving the environment of peace and stability, maximizing external resources for national development and improvement of the people’s livelihood; to heighten our country’s status and prestige and contribute to peace, national independence, democracy and social progress the world over.

To further improve the efficiency of foreign activities, continue deepening our cooperative relations. To enhance the efficiency of international economic integration, fulfill all international commitments and new-generation free trade agreements as part of an overall plan with a rational roadmap in accordance with our national interests. To strengthen and deepen our relations with partners, particularly the strategic partners and major powers that play important roles toward our country’s development and security, and substantiate the established framework of relations. To proactively participate in multilateral mechanisms, particularly ASEAN and the United Nations and bring into play our role therein. To participate proactively and energetically in multi-lateral defense and security mechanisms, including in cooperation operations at higher levels, such as U.N. peacekeeping operations, non-traditional security exercises, and other activities. To push ahead international integration in the cultural, social, scientific-technological, education-training and other fields.

IV- PROMOTION OF GREAT NATIONAL UNITY STRENGTH AND SOCIALIST DEMOCRACY; BUILDING AND IMPROVEMENT OF A LAW-GOVERNED SOCIALST STATE

Comrades,

The great national unity represents a strategic policy of the Vietnamese revolution, and a great driving force and resource for national construction and defense. To strengthen the bloc of great national unity on the basis of the alliance of the working class with the peasantry and the intelligentsia under the Party’s leadership. To promote vigorously all resources and creative potentials of the people for national construction and defense; to take as the common denominator the goal of making Vietnam a land of peace, independence, unity and territorial integrity, one with ” a prosperous people and a strong, democratic, equitable and advanced country “; to respect divergences that are not contrary to the nation’s common interests; to uphold the national spirit and the traditions of patriotism, humanity and tolerance to rally and unite all Vietnamese at home and overseas, to tighten the close-knit relations between the people and the Party and State, and to forge a new vitality for the great national unity bloc.

The great national unity is to be based on harmonious handling of interest-related relationships among members of the society; protection of the people’s lawful and legitimate rights and interests; constant improvement of the people’s material and spiritual life. All Party guidelines and stances and State policies and laws are to be in the interest of the people. Intra-Party unity is to constitute the nucleus and firm foundation of the great national unity. Party committees and State authorities at all levels are to frequently dialogue with the people, listen to them, learn from them, be receptive to their comments, and address their difficulties, problems and legitimate requests; enact concrete and appropriate forms, mechanisms and measures for the people to express their ideas and aspirations and exercise their right to ownership.

To pay attention to the building of the working class, peasantry, intelligentsia and a contingent of business, and the promotion of their role in meeting requirements of national development at the new stage. To attend to forging the younger generation, women, war veterans and the elderly, and bringing into play their role of. To properly implement laws and policies on ethnic groups and religion, and policies toward compatriots residing overseas.

To innovate the operational substance and modes of the Fatherland Front and people’s organizations in rallying and promoting the nation’s great unity strength, properly exercising democracy, oversight and social counter-argumentation, enhancing social consensus, and participating in Party and State building and people-to-people external relations, thus contributing to national construction and defense.

Continue promoting socialist democracy, ensuring that all State powers belong to the people. Democracy is to be practiced fully and seriously in all aspects of social life. To ensure the people’s participation in each and every step of the process that makes decisions concerning the people’s interests and livelihood.

To institutionalize and improve quality of forms of direct democracy and representative democracy. To further improve the legal system, to to respect, guarantee and protect human rights and citizens’ rights and obligations in the spirit of the 2013 Constitution. To continue practicing properly democracy at the grassroots; to institutionalize and implement properly the motto “The people know, the people discuss, the people do, the people inspect.” Promotion of democracy is to go along with enhancement of legislation, upholding of citizens’ responsibility, observance of discipline and order, and heightening of social ethics. To criticize manifestations of extremist or formalistic democracy. To deal strictly with abuses of democracy to the detriment of political security and social order and safety as well as infringements upon democracy and the people’s right to ownership.

Building and improvement of a socialist law-governed State is to conducted harmoniously in legislative, executive and judiciary bodies alike, synchronized with innovation of the political system toward compactness, effectiveness and efficiency; and in association with economic, cultural and social renewal. To improve the institutions, functions, duties and operational modes and mechanisms of a socialist law-governed State, and raise their effectiveness and efficiency. To continue pushing forward completion of the State apparatus and increase of its operational quality and efficacy.

To define clearly mechanisms for division of responsibilities and coordination in the performance of State power, especially mechanisms for power control among State bodies in the exercise of legislative, executive and judiciary powers on the basis of a unified State power; to further clarify their respective authority and responsibility.

To continue innovating the organization and operation of the National Assembly, to ensure that the National Assembly is really the highest representative body of the people and the body of highest State power. The National Assembly is to exercise properly its legislative function, take decisions on important issues of the country, and conduct supreme oversight, notably over the management and utilization of the country’s resources. To improve the organizational structure of the Government, define more clearly the functions, duties and authority of the Government as the highest State administrative body exercising executive power, and the implementary body of the National Assembly. To continue pressing ahead with implementation of the Strategy on Judicial Reform, to build a clean, strong, democratic and scrupulous judicial system that protects the law, protects human rights and citizens’ rights, protects State interests, and protects the socialist system. On the basis of ensuring a unified, smooth, effective and efficient national administration, to define clearly the State governance competence and responsibility of the local government at different levels in accordance with the Constitution and laws. To further improve the structural model of local government in conformity with characteristics of rural areas, urban centers, islands, and special administrative-economic units as stipulated by the law.

V- BUILDING OF A CLEAN AND STRONG PARTY, IMPROVEMENT OF ITS LEADERSHIP CAPACITY AND COMBATIVENESS

Dear Comrades,

During the past five years, in implementation of the XI th Party Congress Resolution, our Party has persistently and seriously put in place key tasks of Party building in three dimensions of politics, ideology and organization, hence important achievements.

In general, Party committees and organizations from the central to grassroots levels have focused on leading, guiding and organizing the implementation of the 4 th Central Committee Plenum Resolution on “Certain urgent issues in Party building at present” in a methodical and forceful manner and have achieved important initial results, creating positive changes in the political system, helping raise an alarm, a warning and a deterrent, while gradually checking and repelling negative practices and degradation in the Party. The process of self-criticism and criticism in the spirit of the 4 th Central Committee Plenum Resolution and efforts to overcome and redress the limitations and shortcomings have contributed to tightening intra-Party discipline and order, generated positive and initial changes in checking in certain respects degradation in political ideology, ethics and lifestyle in the Party, in overcoming certain limitations and shortcomings in personnel work and in the implementation of principles on Party life organization, especially those on democratic centralism, collective leadership and individual accountability. Many leading and managerial cadre at different levels have attached importance to raising their sense of accountability, improving their leadership and practical guidance capacity, and innovating their working patterns; they have become more stern with themselves, taken care of ethics and lifestyles; made initial steps in overcoming their own shortcomings, and readjusting their working and living behavior and activity as well as those of their families and relatives. Initial progress has been recorded in containing and checking corruption and wastefulness. Many particularly serious and complicated cases of corruption have been uncovered, and investigated and tried scrupulously under focused guidance in conformity with law stipulations, subsequently enjoying appreciation, sympathy and support from public officials, Party members and the people. Many guidelines, principles, viewpoints and major solutions related to personnel work have been institutionalized and concretized into regulations, rules and processes that ensure democracy and greater strictness. The scheming, training, fostering and rotation of cadre have been pushed further ahead. The process of implementation of the 4 th Central Committee Plenum Resolution has helped the country overcome difficulties, maintain political stability, ensure socio-economic development, and consolidate confidence in the Party and among the people.

In the implementation of the 4th Central Committee Plenum Resolution, certain things have fallen short of the objectives set by the Resolution. In the practice of self-criticism and criticism, cases of over-considerateness, evasiveness and clash-reluctance have been quite widespread, a number of cadre and Party members have not by themselves recognized adequately their shortcomings as well as their responsibilities toward limitations and shortcomings in their assigned work. As regards certain problems, reviews by Party committees and organizations from the central to the grassroots levels have failed to expose the true nature and gravity of the situations, their whereabouts and who to be blame. Party and State regulations have not been amended, complemented or newly promulgated in the direction of further upholding the responsibility and authority of chiefs of entities in the relations between the collective and individuals. Corruption and wastefulness have remained grave with increasingly sophisticated and complicated manifestations, causing resentments in the public opinion and affecting the people’s confidence in the Party and the State. Degradation in political ideology, ethics and lifestyle among a portion of public officials and Party members has not been repelled; in certain aspects and segments, developments have been even more complicated.

In overall evaluation, the work in Party building over the past 5 years has yielded important results. Our Party has firmly retained its political prowess, revolutionary and scientific nature, and has persisted in the objectives and ideals of national independence and socialism and in the line of renewal; therefore been the worthy leader of the State and society. Those results originate from the fact that our Party has always defined Party building as the key task; that the majority of cadre and Party members have been steadfast in ideological position and stance, in moral qualifications and ethics, and in playing a vanguard and exemplary role in the discharge of their responsibilities and duties; and that the political system and the people have involved in rectifying and building a clean and strong Party.

However, Party building has also revealed many limitations and shortcomings, being shown in various facets, substance and part s of work, of which, most notably are: the forecasting, planning and leading the organization for implementation of Party and State resolutions and policies have not been timely, coordinated and efficient; the leadership capacity and combativeness of not few Party organizations have remained low, and in certain places, not even any combativeness is left; the administration, education and forging of Party members in certain places have not been given regular attention; the quality of Party life has remained poor, and combativeness in self-criticism and criticism weak; the apparatuses of the Party and the entire political system have been cumbersome and multi-tiered, the operational effectiveness have been still low. The above-mentioned limitations and shortcomings have diminished the confidence of cadre, Party members and the people in the Party, the State and the system.

In the upcoming years, heavy requirements and tasks of the new development period call for a stronger push in Party building, with focus being determined and persistent continued implementation of the 4 th Central Committee Plenum Resolution. Party committees and organizations, collective leaderships of agencies and units, and individual leaders and managers from the central to the grassroots levels are to overcome and redress weaknesses and shortcomings seriously, self-consciously and with appropriate plans and measures.

Firstly, to attach importance to building the Party politically. To persist in Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought, to apply creatively and develop them in conformity with Vietnamese reality; to persist in the goals of national independence and socialism; and to persist in the renewal policy. To raise the political prowess, intellectual level and combativeness of the entire Party and individual cadre and Party members, first and foremost key leaders and managers at different levels; and not to waver in any eventuality.

To retain firmly the working class nature of the Party, and the vanguard and exemplary role of cadre and Party members.

To innovate ideological and theoretical work and raise further its combativeness, persuasiveness and efficiency to meet requirements in the implementation of political tasks at different stages, generating a high level of unanimity within the Party and consensus in the society; to push forth dissemination and education of Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh Thought, Party viewpoints and guidelines, and State policies and laws in accordance with different target groups along the line of concreteness, practicality and efficiency. To continue innovating theoretical thinking; to push ahead reality sums-up and theoretical studies, provide scientific and theoretical argumentations for the elaboration and development of Party guidelines and stances and State policies and laws.

To enhance the cultivation of revolutionary qualifications, to combat individualism, opportunism and vulgar pragmatism. To focus on realizing the objective “To build the Party clean and strong politically, ideologically, organizationally and morally.” To continue pushing further ahead the movement of learning and practicing after Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, ethics and style in association with efforts to counter deterioration in political ideology, ethics and lifestyles as well as manifestations of ” self-evolution ” and ” self-transformation “, red-tape, corruption, wastefulness, factionalism, ” interest groups “, and failure to match words with deeds.

To continue innovating and completing apparatuses of the Party and the political system toward compactness and greater effectiveness and efficiency in leadership, guidance and execution; to complete functions and duties of cadre and public employees, as well as improvement of their quality; to clearly determine relations between collective leadership and individual accountability; authority is to couple with accountability and upholding of the accountability of chiefs of entities. To improve and implement strictly power control mechanisms, to prevent abuse of power and violation of discipline and order.

To improve the structure, quality and operational efficiency of Party grassroots organizations, and to raise the quality of Party members. To focus on consolidating Party grassroots organizations of different types and raise their leadership capacity and combativeness, and innovate the substance, forms and methods and generate qualitative changes in their operations , notably those organizations in agencies, public service delivery units, and enterprises of different economic sectors. To complete structures, to ensure the Party’s overall leadership at the grassroots. To cultivate a pool of Party members who are truly vanguard and exemplary, respectful and close to the people, who understand them and learn from them, and who are steadfast in the face of any difficulties and challenges, and prepared to strive for the Party’s lofty goals and ideals.

To vehemently reform the personnel work while attaching importance to the work in internal political protection. To continue pushing ahead implementation of the “Strategy on personnel in the period of stepped-up national industrialization and modernization.” To institutionalize and concretize principles of Party building. To continue with the promulgation and implementation of regulations, rules and mechanisms related to personnel work, ensuring unity, harmony and strictness between different stages and interconnection between different levels; including regulations on judicious and objective evaluation of cadre as the basis for their use and posting, to prevent and repel backhanders for hierarchical positions, age eligibility or education degrees, etc. To innovate intra-Party elections and modes of cadre selection and appointment, etc. with a view to picking those with truly good moral qualifications and ethics for leadership positions, especially as chiefs of entities. To focus on cultivating a pool of cadre, particularly those at the strategic level, with adequate capacity and qualifications, and up to duty requirements. To enact mechanisms and policies to identify, attract and utilize talents. To enhance the accountability of Party committees, especially at the grassroots level, in internal political protection.

To innovate Party inspection, oversight and discipline work, and raise their effectiveness and efficiency. To deal timely and scrupulously with Party organizations and members violating the Party’s Political Platform, Statutes, resolutions, instructives and regulations and the State’s policies and laws, as well as those attempting to connive at or shield shortcomings and violations committed by Party organizations and members, and make the results public.

To continue innovating and raising the efficiency of mass mobilization work in conditions of development of a socialist-oriented market economy and international integration. To solidify the people’s confidence in the Party, to strengthen the great national unity bloc and the close-knit relationship between the Party and the people. To rally and mobilize the people for proper implementation of Party guidelines and State policies and laws; and to timely and effectively address the people’s pressing demands and legitimate recommendations as well as citizens’ complaints and accusations. To promote the great strength of the people and forge a widespread revolutionary movement for national construction and defense.

To determine that the struggle against corruption and wastefulness is a day-to-day, important and at the same time difficult, complicated and protracted task. It is the responsibility of Party committees, especially heads of Party committees, State authorities and the entire political system to combat resolutely corruption and wastefulness; targeting proactive prevention of their occurrence; to deal timely and severely with cases of corruption and wastefulness, of attempts to shield, connive at, or abet such cases, or to interfere with and impede the struggle against corruption and wastefulness.

To forcefully innovate the modes of the Party’s leadership vis-a-vis the political system, especially the State. To continue concretizing at all levels the modes of the Party’s leadership as determined in the Political Platform (amended and developed in 2011) into specific regulations, rules and processes. To attach importance to cultivating culture in Party organizations, State bodies and the political system. To innovate the working methods, styles and patterns of the Party’s leading bodies from the central to the grassroots levels, to cultivate a scientific, collective and democratic working style that includes closeness to the people, respect for the people, dedication to the people, attachment to practice, and association between words and deeds.

VI- KEY TASKS DURING THE XII TH TENURE CONGRESS

Dear Comrades,

During the 12th Tenure Congress, while the Congress Resolution is to be implemented comprehensively and synchronously in all fields, efforts are to be concentrated on the following key tasks:

Firstly, to enhance Party building and rectification; to prevent and repel deterioration in political ideology, ethics and lifestyles, as well as manifestations “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” from within. To focus on cultivating the pool of cadre, especially cadre at the strategic level, who are efficiently capable, qualified and credible, and commensurate to duties.

Secondly, to establish organizational apparatuses of the entire political system which are streamlined and operational effectively and efficiently; to step up the struggle against corruption, wastefulness and red-tape.

Thirdly, to focus on raising growth quality, labor productivity and competitiveness of the economy. To continue implementing efficiently the three strategic breakthroughs; to restructure holistically and harmoniously the economy in tandem with innovation of growth models; to push ahead national industrialization and modernization, with attention given to agricultural and rural industrialization and modernization in association with building of a new-type countryside. To attach importance to solving properly issues related to restructuring State-owned enterprises, restructuring the State budget, handling bad debts, and ensuring public debt safety.

Fourthly, to remain determined and persistent in the struggle to defend firmly the independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of our Homeland; to preserve a peaceful and stable environment for national development. To expand and deepen external relations; to practice efficient international integration in new conditions, and to continue raising our country’s status and prestige in the international arena.

Fifthly, to attract and promote vigorously all resources and the people’s creativeness. To care for material and spiritual life betterment, to solve properly pressing problems; to intensify management of social development, to ensure social and human security; and to ensure social security, improve social welfare and secure sustainable poverty reduction. To promote the people’s right to ownership, and to bring into play the strength of the great national unity.

Sixthly, to promote the human factor in all aspects of social life; to focus on building the human person in ethics, personality, lifestyle, wisdom and working capacity; to cultivate a healthy cultural environment.

Dear Comrades,

The 12th Party Congress being one of unity – democracy – discipline – renewal affirms the determination to push ahead comprehensively and harmoniously the renewal process, ensure speedy and sustainable national development. The vivid and abundant reality and tremendous achievements together with profound lessons learnt from 30 years of renewal and 5 years of implementing the 11th Party Congress Resolution constitute the solid foundation for our Party to formulate judicious and correct decisions, and usher in a new, fine and glorious period of development of our country and nation. The singleness of mind and unanimity as well as the wholeheartedness and brainpower of our whole Party, people and armed forces represent an unlimited source of strength. We will definitely succeed on our path to socialism and building ours into a prosperous and happy country.”

Source: VNA