The Communist Party of Vietnam creatively applies and develops Marxism-Leninism.
The creative application and development of Marxism-Leninism to solve the tasks of the Vietnamese revolution has been the main and consistent viewpoint of the Communist Party of Vietnam since its founding.
Le Van Cuong• January 17, 2025
VThe 13th National Congress of the Party affirmed:“Firmly and constantly apply and creatively develop Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh thought in accordance with Vietnam's reality in each period”(1). The creative application and development of Marxism-Leninism to solve the tasks of the Vietnamese revolution has been the main and consistent viewpoint of the Communist Party of Vietnam since its establishment. This is a very big and difficult problem. This article only has the modest goal of providing some initial understanding of two problems:1. Why must we creatively apply Marxism-Leninism?and2. How has the Communist Party of Vietnam creatively applied and developed Marxism-Leninism?
C. Marx and F. Engels announced "Communist Manifesto” in 1848. This is the political platform of communists all over the world. The Communist Manifesto scientifically demonstrated the objective necessity of the transition from capitalism to communism.
The Communist Party of Vietnam must apply and creatively develop Marxism-Leninism in accordance with Vietnamese reality for the following reasons:
- One is,The Communist Manifesto in particular, Marxism-Leninism in general, on the basis of correct understanding of the law of development of human society from primitive communist society to capitalism, have put forward the most general principles of the objectively inevitable transformation process from capitalism to communism. These are the most general issues, the "compass", Marx and Engels, Lenin never pointed out specific issues that communists of all countries must solve. C. Marx has repeatedly affirmed: Our doctrine is not a dogma, it only proves the objective inevitability from capitalism to communism, on the basis of this orientation (compass), communists of all countries must build their own guidelines, strategies, and tactics to solve the revolutionary tasks of their countries in each historical period.
- Second,The basic scientific theses in the Communist Manifesto were drawn by Marx and Engels on the basis of a profound and comprehensive study of the movement of the developed capitalist economy in England (mainly), France, Germany, and the United States. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Lenin applied, creatively developed, and supplemented Marxism to suit the reality of Russia, a medium-developed capitalist country in Europe (lower than England, France, and Germany).
In terms of development level, England, France, Germany, and Russia are developed capitalist countries, moreover, they are empires. On the contrary, before September 2, 1945, Vietnam was a French colony (not yet on the world map) with backward agriculture being common and undeveloped industry.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, in England, France, Germany, and Russia, the working class became a large industrial labor force, a great political force at the forefront of the struggle against the brutal oppression and exploitation of the capitalist class. In Vietnam, the industrial labor force was still very small.
In the country's economic, social and political conditions, which are very different from those of England, France, Germany and Russia, the creative application and development of Marxism-Leninism to the specific conditions of Vietnam is an objective necessity and the only unique path that the Communist Party of Vietnam must take.
- Third,Today's economy, science, technology and international relations are very different from those of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, globalization had not yet developed, there were no international economic and political institutions (WB, IMF, WTO, United Nations, etc.), there were no social networks, and geopolitical, geo-economic, and geo-strategic issues had not yet become major issues for the whole world and had not yet been related to the security and development of countries. In other words, the international relations of countries carrying out the socialist revolution (developing in the direction of socialism) were very different from the period when K. Marx, F. Engels, and VI Lenin built their doctrines. Therefore, the ruling communist parties, including the Communist Party of Vietnam, had to apply and creatively develop Marxism-Leninism to the specific conditions of Vietnam in the new period.
It requires the cooperation of hundreds of scientists over many years to be able to objectively and convincingly argue this issue. This article has a very modest goal: to initially identify the general application and creative development of Marxism-Leninism by the Communist Party of Vietnam in the following areas: 1. In Party building; 2. In building revolutionary guidelines, strategies and tactics; 3. In building revolutionary forces; 4. In revolutionary warfare and building armed forces; 5. In building economic development guidelines, strategies and policies; 6. In combining national strength with the strength of the times.
- One is, The creative application and development of Marxism-Leninism by the Communist Party of Vietnam in Party building.
Best to start with the Communist Party Constitution.
The Russian Communist Party (the predecessor of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union) was founded by Lenin in 1903. The Charter of the Russian Communist Party (1903) defined: The Russian Communist Party is the vanguard of the Russian proletariat. The basic content of this - the class nature of the party - was retained in all amendments to the Charter of the Russian Communist Party (USSR) from 1903 to December 1991.
The Charter of the Communist Party of Vietnam states: “The Communist Party of Vietnam is the vanguard of the working class and at the same time the"vanguard of the working people and of the Vietnamese nation, faithful representative of the interests of the working class, working people and of the nation"(2), and“A member of the Communist Party of Vietnam is a revolutionary soldier in the vanguard of the working class, working people and Vietnamese nation, striving all his life for the Party's goals and ideals, putting the interests of the Fatherland, the working class and working people above personal interests...”(3).
“The Communist Party of Vietnam is the ruling party, respects and promotes the people's right to mastery, is subject to the people's supervision, relies on the people to build the Party...”(4).
To concretize the Party Charter, the Party Congress Resolution demonstrated high political determination:“Developing regulations and measures to implement people's supervision of the activities of the Party, State and cadres and party members”.and“The activities of the Party and the State must be subject to the supervision of the people. The trust, support and assistance of the people are the source of strength, the root of victory, and the precious asset of the Party.”(5).
The above issues are not included in the Charter of the Communist Party of Russia (Soviet Union) and are not included in the important documents of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The Communist Party of Russia founded by Lenin in 1903 (lasting until December 1991) and the Communist Party of Vietnam founded by Ho Chi Minh in 1930 have the same revolutionary and scientific nature but are expressed differently in the Party Charter and important documents of the Party - that is, the creative application and development of Marxism-Leninism by the Communist Party of Vietnam in the conditions of Vietnam.
- Second,The Communist Party of Vietnam has creatively applied and developed Marxism-Leninism in building revolutionary guidelines, strategies and tactics.
“Creatively applying and developing Marxism-Leninism to the specific conditions of Vietnam, a semi-feudal colonial country, President Ho Chi Minh advocated that first of all, we must carry out the national liberation revolution, abolish the domination of imperialism and feudalism, gain national independence and implement democracy, then carry out the socialist revolution, liberate the working class, liberate society, liberate people... Linking national independence with socialism, linking national duties with international obligations”(6).
The core of the revolutionary line of the Communist Party of Vietnam over the past 95 years has been the unity between the interests of the nation and the interests of the working class, between national independence and socialism, between sovereignty and national interests and noble, pure international obligations.
That is the general line that has been consistent throughout the Vietnamese revolution since 1930 and will continue into the future. On the basis of that general line, in each historical period, the Communist Party of Vietnam has built strategies and tactics appropriate to the domestic and foreign situations in order to mobilize all forces for the central task of achieving victory. The creative application and development of Marxism-Leninism in building and directing the implementation of revolutionary guidelines, strategies and tactics is the main reason why the Vietnamese revolution has achieved victory in extremely difficult conditions.
- Third,The Communist Party of Vietnam has creatively applied and developed Marxism-Leninism in building revolutionary forces.
“The flag of national independence and socialism of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President Ho Chi Minh has created a new strength for all Vietnamese people who love their country, independence, and freedom, regardless of gender, age, rich or poor, occupation, religion, ethnicity... based on the solid foundation of the worker-peasant-intellectual alliance, promoting the people's mastery, of the new regime, the people's democratic regime and the socialist regime.”(7).
During the people's national democratic revolution (1945 - 1975) and the resistance against foreign invasion (February - March 1979), the Vietnamese people had to confront foreign forces dozens, even hundreds of times larger. In the difficult conditions of confronting the great enemy, President Ho Chi Minh once again“I earnestly call on all honest patriots, regardless of class, religion, political views, or who they followed in the past, to honestly cooperate, strive for the people and the country to achieve peace, unity, independence, and national independence in our beloved Vietnam.”(8),and He calls:Unity, unity, great unity, success, success, great success!
In the article"Should learn our history"(9), Ho Chi Minh pointed out:“History teaches us this lesson:
When our people unite as one, our country will be independent and free.
On the contrary, whenever our people are not united, we are invaded by foreign countries.
So now we must know how to unite, unite quickly, unite firmly and forever under the Viet Minh flag to drive out the French and Japanese, restore independence and freedom."(10).
President Ho Chi Minh confidently affirmed:
“Rivers may dry up, mountains may erode, but our solidarity will never diminish. We are determined to join forces to maintain our freedom and independence.”(11).
From the Viet Minh Front founded by Ho Chi Minh (May 19, 1941), the Lien Viet Front (March 7, 1951) to the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam (1960) and the current Vietnam Fatherland Front, it represents the pinnacle of the creative application and development of Marxism-Leninism by the Communist Party of Vietnam in building forces to successfully carry out the two strategic tasks of building and defending the socialist Vietnamese Fatherland.
- Fourth,The Communist Party of Vietnam creatively applied and developed Marxism-Leninism in revolutionary war and armed force building.
The War Summary Steering Committee under the Politburo affirmed:“To overthrow the colonial rule and defeat the imperialist war of aggression, our people cannot conduct a conventional war with regular troops, but must conduct a comprehensive, all-people's war, increasingly developed, promoting the tradition of the whole country fighting the enemy, the whole people being soldiers of our nation to a new quality - the Vietnamese people's war in the Ho Chi Minh era.”(12).
In the scientific theory system of Marxism-Leninism, there is no concept of “people’s war”. People’s war is the creative development of President Ho Chi Minh and the Communist Party of Vietnam; it is the creative addition and development of the Communist Party of Vietnam into the Marxist-Leninist theory system.
“People’s war” has value beyond time and space. The current Russia-Ukraine war is the beginning of a leap forward in warfare using human intelligence (AI) and unmanned weapons (air and land).
Even in war, when AI is used by both sides, the basic tenets of people's war still hold true.
Not only developing countries, but also military powers can apply the basic theoretical issues of the Vietnamese people's war in modern warfare.
With people's war, the Vietnamese people defeated the "big empires" (Ho Chi Minh's words) to gain independence.
From after the October Revolution in 1917 to the end of 1991, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union built a powerful Red Army and Navy to fight against invaders and protect the Fatherland. To protect national security and maintain social order and safety, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union built the KGB and the police force.
Unlike the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, the Communist Party of Vietnam built the People's Army and the People's Public Security to protect the Fatherland, protect national security and maintain social order and safety.
The People's Army and the People's Police come from the people and fight for the people. The People's Army and the People's Police have a blood relationship with the people. The support, protection, shelter and help of the people make the army and the police more confident, multiplying the material and spiritual strength of the armed forces.
With the support of the people, the Vietnam People's Army "completes every task, overcomes every difficulty, and defeats every enemy", and the People's Public Security is loyal to the Party's revolutionary ideals, ready to sacrifice itself to protect the Party, protect the State, protect the people, and protect development in the direction of socialism.
- Five is,The Communist Party of Vietnam has creatively applied and developed Marxism-Leninism in building and implementing economic development guidelines, strategies, and policies.
In the economic field, the Communist Party of Vietnam has two long-term strategic policies: 1. Developing a socialist-oriented market economy; 2. International economic integration.
During the period of 1919 - 1924, the Russian Communist Party and Lenin advocated the implementation of a "new economic policy" with the basic content of using "market" factors to develop the economy during the transition period to socialism. By the early 1930s, the Soviet Union basically abandoned Lenin's new economic policy and implemented bureaucratic centralized economic planning. In peacetime, a centrally planned economy is ineffective.
Since 1986, the Communist Party of Vietnam has abandoned the centrally planned economic model and implemented a two-axis renovation policy: 1. Domestically developing a socialist-oriented market economy; 2. International economic integration.
The path of developing a socialist-oriented market economy and international economic integration has created favorable conditions for the Party, State and people to mobilize all domestic and foreign resources to develop the economy and improve the lives of the vast majority of people.
Practice is the criterion of truth.
From 1986 to 2024, the Asia-Pacific region in particular and the world in general experienced two serious economic crises: 1. In the late 1990s of the 20th century (starting with Thailand in 1997), countries in the Asia-Pacific region (ASEAN countries, Japan, Korea...) fell into a serious crisis, Vietnam did not fall into a crisis; 2. The global financial crisis started in the US in August 2009. Public opinion believes that the 2009-2010 crisis devastated the world economy on par with the Great Depression of 1929-1933. Vietnam was only slightly affected and did not fall into a crisis.
That proves that the Communist Party of Vietnam's line of developing a socialist-oriented market economy and international economic integration is completely correct. In essence, this is the creative application and development of Marxism-Leninism by the Communist Party of Vietnam to the specific conditions of Vietnam.
- Sixth,The Communist Party of Vietnam has creatively applied and developed Marxism-Leninism in combining national strength with the strength of the times.
President Ho Chi Minh and the Communist Party of Vietnam always“determining the Vietnamese revolution as an inseparable part of the world revolution, placing the Vietnamese revolution and revolutionary war in the general context of the world, in the revolutionary trend of the times. Correctly assessing the strategies of the major countries involved...”(13).
Along with that"determining the Vietnamese revolution as an inseparable part of the world revolution", The Communist Party of Vietnam consistently implements the policy"more friends, less enemies"in international relations
During the 1960s and 1970s, China and the Soviet Union confronted each other and viewed each other as enemies. Under these conditions, the Communist Party of Vietnam maintained cooperation with the Communist Party of China and the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, and received great and effective support and assistance from both the Soviet Union and China.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the collapse of the European socialist system (1991), based on a correct understanding of the major changes of the new era, the Communist Party of Vietnam wisely adjusted its foreign policy, gradually eliminating the siege, embargo, isolation and integrating into the world. In July 1995, Vietnam became a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and normalized Vietnam-US relations. In September 2023, Vietnam and the US established a comprehensive strategic partnership. The above event has historical significance and is a turning point in Vietnam's foreign policy and strategy in the new era.
While maintaining and strengthening traditional friendly relations with China, the Russian Federation, India, the United States, Japan and key powers in the European Union, and expanding relations with Latin American, African and Oceanian countries (mainly with Australia and New Zealand), we have succeeded in combining national strength with the strength of the times to develop the economy, enhancing the role and position of Vietnam in Asia - Pacific in particular and in the world in general.
In a world full of fluctuations, irregularities, and unclear friends and enemies, the Communist Party of Vietnam is always alert and clear-headed in expanding international cooperation, creating intertwined interests with the world's leading powers, not "putting all eggs in one basket", selectively participating in force gatherings to create positions and forces to protect national sovereignty and interests. Therefore, the great powers and power centers (China, the US, the European Union, Russia, India, Japan, etc.) all highly appreciate the role and position of Vietnam and want to strengthen strategic relations with Vietnam.
That is the result of the creative application and development of Marxism-Leninism by the Communist Party of Vietnam in foreign affairs activities.
From the 36 years of implementing the renovation policy (1986 - 2021), the Communist Party of Vietnam has drawn out the following regular issues:“Continue to grasp and handle well the major relationships: The relationship between stability, innovation and development; between economic innovation and political innovation; between following market rules and ensuring socialist orientation; between developing productive forces and building and gradually perfecting socialist production relations; between the State, the market and society; between economic growth and cultural development, realizing progress, social justice, and environmental protection; between building and protecting the socialist Vietnamese Fatherland; between independence, 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”(14).
The ten major relationships reflect the objective dialectical laws in the transitional period of socialist-oriented development of Vietnam in particular and are also true for all developing countries choosing a socialist orientation.
This is a new contribution of the Communist Party of Vietnam to the creative development of Marxism-Leninism in the new period.
* * *
Not applying and creatively developing Marxism-Leninism but practicing rigid dogmatism will certainly fail.
Thanks to the creative application and development of Marxism-Leninism, the Communist Party of Vietnam led the Vietnamese people to defeat the “big imperialists” (Ho Chi Minh's words) to liberate the nation, building an image as a shining example in the national liberation movement in the world. Vietnam's success created a push, encouraging oppressed peoples in the world to rise up to defeat imperialism and gain national independence.
Thanks to the creative application and development of Marxism-Leninism, the Communist Party of Vietnam has led the Vietnamese people to achieve great achievements in developing a socialist-oriented market economy and international integration, establishing its role, position and prestige in the Asia-Pacific region in particular and in the international arena in general.
Every member of the Communist Party of Vietnam and every Vietnamese citizen at home and abroad has the right to be proud of the glorious Communist Party of Vietnam.
Be proud of the heroic nation and the glorious Party; at the same time, clearly recognize new opportunities and fortunes and nurture the desire to rise up. That is our luggage to enter the new era - the era of the Vietnamese people rising up to stand shoulder to shoulder with the great powers.
Hanoi, January 2025
1. Communist Party of Vietnam: Documents of the 13th National Congress of Delegates, CT-ST Publishing House, Hanoi, 2021, Vol. 1, p.180
2. Communist Party of Vietnam: Charter of the Communist Party of Vietnam, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2011, p.4
3. Ibid, p.7, p.5
5. Communist Party of Vietnam: "Documents of the 10th National Congress of Delegates", National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2006, pp.281 and 304
6. The War Summary Steering Committee under the Politburo: “Vietnam's Revolutionary War: 1945 - 1975 - Victory and Lessons”, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2000, pp.182-183
7. Ibid, p.207
8. Ibid, p.218
9. This article was published in the Independent Vietnam newspaper, issue 117, February 1, 1942.
10. Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 1995, Vol. 3, p.217
11. Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 1995, Vol. 4, pp. 217-218
12. The War Summary Steering Committee under the Politburo: “Vietnam's Revolutionary War: 1945 - 1975 - Victory and Lessons”, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2000, p.245
13. Ibid, p.226
14. Communist Party of Vietnam: Documents of the 13th National Congress of Delegates, CT-ST Publishing House, Hanoi, 2021, Vol. 1, p.119
