Fourth Party Congress: Independence and National Unification

FOURTH PARTY CONGRESS

Time:from December 14th to 20th, 1976

Location:Hanoi

Number of delegates attending the Congress:1,008

Number of party members in the country:over 1.55 million

There were 29 international delegations attending the Congress.

The congress elected:

- General Secretary:ComradeLe Duan

- Central Executive Committee:101 full members and 32 alternate members

- Politburo:14 full members and 3 alternate members

GENERAL CONTEXT

From the late 1970s onwards, the socio-economic situation in the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries faced numerous difficulties, and the ability to maintain support and material aid from outside countries became increasingly limited. Soviet leaders sought to negotiate with the United States to gradually reduce the arms race.

In the mid-1970s, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN, established in August 1967) engaged in numerous activities to strengthen cooperation among its members, building influence and prestige in the region.

The Khmer Rouge, who came to power in Cambodia after their victory in the resistance war against the US (April 1974), betrayed the revolution, received support from some external forces, carried out massacres of the people in their own country, and implemented a hostile foreign policy against the Vietnamese revolution.

The great victory of Spring 1975, culminating in the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign, completely liberated the South, ushering in a new era of the Vietnamese revolution: the era of national independence, unity, and progress towards socialism.

The General Election (April 1976) elected the National Assembly of unified Vietnam. The National Assembly made historic decisions regarding the national name, national flag, national anthem, and established the state apparatus.

COMPLETING THE CAUSE OF NATIONAL UNIFICATION AND LEADING THE ENTIRE COUNTRY TOWARDS SOCIALISM

The Congress heard the Political Report of the Central Committee of the Party; the Report on the main directions, tasks and objectives of the five-year plan (1976-1980); and the Report summarizing the work of Party building and amending the Party Charter.

The Congress decided

- The path of socialist revolution in Vietnam in the new stage.

The documents of the Fourth Party Congress assessed that the victory of the resistance war against the US, for national salvation, will forever go down in the history of the nation as the most glorious milestone and in world history as a great achievement of the 20th century.

The Congress defined the general line of the socialist revolution in the new stage in our country as follows: Firmly upholding the dictatorship of the proletariat, promoting the collective ownership rights of the working people; simultaneously carrying out three revolutions: the revolution in production relations, the scientific and technological revolution, and the ideological and cultural revolution, with the scientific and technological revolution being the key; accelerating socialist industrialization as the central task of the entire transitional period to socialism; building a socialist collective ownership system, building a large-scale socialist production system, building a new culture, and building a new socialist man; abolishing the system of exploitation of man by man, eliminating poverty and backwardness; constantly raising vigilance, regularly strengthening national defense, maintaining political security and social order; successfully building a peaceful, independent, unified, and socialist Vietnam. Actively contributing to the struggle of the world's people for peace, national independence, democracy, and socialism.

- Main directions, tasks, and objectives of the five-year plan (1976-1980):

Economic development and reform; scientific and technological development; promoting ideological and cultural revolution, building and developing a new culture; strengthening the socialist state, promoting the role of mass organizations, doing a good job of mass work; international tasks and the Party's foreign policy; enhancing the Party's leadership role and fighting capacity.

The Congress approved:

+ Resolution to rename the Vietnam Labor Party to the Communist Party of Vietnam.

+ Amend the Party Charter, reinstate the position of General Secretary instead of First Secretary, and stipulate that the term of the Central Committee is 5 years.

The Congress elected a new Central Committee, consisting of 101 full members and 32 alternate members. Comrade Le Duan was elected General Secretary of the Party.

DOMESTIC EVENTS

- March 24, 1975: The Central Highlands Campaign achieved complete victory.

- March 25, 1975: The Politburo reinforced its resolve to liberate South Vietnam before the 1975 rainy season.

- March 26, 1975: Hue was liberated.

- March 29, 1975: Da Nang was liberated.

- April 30, 1975: The complete liberation of South Vietnam, the reunification of the country, and the victorious conclusion of the 21-year resistance war against the US (1954-1975).

- April 25, 1976: General elections to elect the 6th National Assembly were held nationwide.

- From June 24 to July 3, 1976: The first session of the Sixth National Assembly adopted important decisions:

+ Country name: Socialist Republic of Vietnam

+ National flag: red background, with a five-pointed yellow star in the center.

+ National emblem: circular shape, red background, with a five-pointed gold star in the center, a cogwheel at the bottom, and the inscription: Socialist Republic of Vietnam

+ Capital city: Hanoi

National anthem: the "Marching Song"

The city of Saigon-Gia Dinh was officially renamed Ho Chi Minh City.

In 1976, Vietnam established diplomatic relations with many countries, including Jamaica, Ethiopia, Kuwait, Costa Rica, Nigeria, the Philippines, and Thailand.

- August 1976: Vietnam was elected to the Coordinating Committee of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).

- December 31, 1976: The Reunification Railway, over 1,700km long, connecting Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, was inaugurated.

INTERNATIONAL EVENT

- April 17, 1975: The Khmer Rouge entered Phnom Penh, seized power, and began implementing a genocidal policy in Cambodia that lasted until early 1979.

- April 19, 1975: India launched its first artificial satellite from the Soviet Union's spaceport.

- December 2, 1975: The Lao People's Democratic Republic was established. Prince Suphanuvong was the President.

- February 1976: The ASEAN Heads of State Conference in Bali signed the treaty (Bali Treaty) on the principles of respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity, non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries, and cooperation among countries for mutual development.

- In 1976, Chairman of the Communist Party of China Mao Zedong (September 9, 1976) and Prime Minister of China Zhou Enlai (January 8, 1976) passed away. The "Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution," which lasted for 10 years in China (1966-1976), came to an end.

- April 1, 1976: Apple was founded as Apple Computer, Inc. with three founding members: Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne.

- July 28, 1976: The Tangshan earthquake (China) - one of the most devastating natural disasters - claimed the lives of approximately 255,000 people.

- August 17, 1976: A 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck near the Philippine islands of Mindanao and Sulu, causing tsunamis up to 5 meters high (at their highest point), resulting in approximately 5,000-8,000 deaths.

- July 1976: The 1976 Summer Olympics took place in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. More than 6,000 athletes from 92 countries participated.

- August 22, 1976: The Soviet Union's Lunar 24 automated space station collected several soil samples from the Moon and brought them back to Earth.