Vietnam will build on success, pursue progress: Leader

JAKARTA, Indonesia

Vietnam’s ability to overcome hardships has been critical to its success over the past five years, and we must utilize these skills to tackle the challenges that lie ahead, the country’s president said on Tuesday.

A spirit of patriotism, solidarity, determination, and creativeness helped us work relentlessly to achieve several important goals, Nguyen Phu Trong said at the opening ceremony of the 13th National Congress of the ruling Communist Party.

“Thanks to such efforts, the country has witnessed robust and sustainable growth with heightened trust among the people in the party, state, and the socialist regime,” state-run Vietnam News Agency quoted Trong as saying.

The president highlighted the country’s economic growth, which has averaged 5.9% annually, along with its success in controlling inflation and strengthening fiscal discipline, as an indicator of Vietnam’s progress.

“Despite the socioeconomic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam still recorded significant achievements in 2020 that were even more special than in the previous years, thanks to its outstanding efforts,” said Trong, who is also the ruling party’s general secretary.

While the global economy saw a fall of nearly 4%, Vietnam still posted positive growth of 2.91%, making it one of the world’s best performing economies, he added.

Trong also praised the country’s progress in the fight against corruption, saying it has achieved “important breakthroughs and real outcomes.”

He said legal proceedings and trials have started in a large number of corruption cases, which are being vigorously pursued as a warning to others.

“These moves have received broad support and appreciation from officials, party members, and the people,” he stated.

Challenges ahead

The president, however, warned that despite all its successes, Vietnam still faces some challenges and has to overcome certain shortcomings in the next five years.

“The economy is not yet highly resilient and self-reliant, the efficiency of many state-owned enterprises is low, and the growth of the private and foreign-invested sectors is not yet sustainable,” he said.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc also spoke about the tests ahead for Vietnam due to global developments.

“The Congress is taking place in the context that the country is facing both challenges and opportunities, with various new strategic issues needed to be solved; from complicatedly developing regional and international situations to global challenges on climate change, natural disasters and diseases, and the impact of scientific and technological advances,” he said.

The ruling party’s meeting, which will run from Jan. 25 to Feb. 2 in Hanoi, is being attended by 1,587 delegates, representing more than 5.1 million members of the party nationwide.

Among other things, it will “define the socioeconomic development orientations and tasks for 2021-2025, as well as the goals and orientations for 2030 and the national development vision to 2045,” according to a party statement.

It will also review the leadership of the 12th Party Central Committee term and elect a new committee for the next term, the statement said.

* Writing by Rhany Chairunissa Rufinaldo from Anadolu Agency's Indonesian-language service in Jakarta.