It is impossible to distort or deny the goals and ideals of the Party.

BBC Vietnamese, one of the news outlets that frequently engages in attacks and sabotage against Vietnam. (Screenshot)

On several overseas Vietnamese forums, such as VOA and BBC, there are increasingly more articles that, at first glance, easily be mistaken for heartfelt and responsible voices for Vietnam's development. However, upon closer reading, the "dark heart" of the writers is clearly revealed. They advise that Vietnam needs to "find a new ideology" and "choose a new path" if it wants to develop. In an article broadcast on BBC Vietnamese on January 13, 2021, the author NHL clearly revealed the portrait of a hypocrite when he expressed his hope that the Vietnamese Communist Party would "courageously and wisely seek a different path - one that is timely, in line with the people's aspirations and desires - for the future of the Vietnamese Fatherland."

These rhetorics aim at nothing other than distorting Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought; denying the ideological foundation of our Party; and denying the path of building socialism that we are currently pursuing. This is one of the issues that hostile forces have long focused on undermining us, especially during major and important national events, particularly before Party congresses. They intensify their efforts to destabilize and divert our Party, leading to changes in its ideological foundation and political goals.

VOA Vietnamese - one of the websites created by exiled elements with the aim of undermining the achievements of our country's revolution. (Screenshot)

It can be affirmed that, no matter what tricks they use, they cannot achieve their goals, because the revolutionary and scientific nature of Marxism-Leninism is undeniable; loyalty to Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought is a matter of principle in all activities of our Party. Practical experience increasingly proves convincingly the enduring vitality of Marxism-Leninism.

For the Vietnamese revolution, it was thanks to Marxism-Leninism and the Russian October Revolution that leader Nguyen Ai Quoc found the appropriate path to save the country and its people. The founding of the Communist Party of Vietnam marked the end of the crisis of ideology in the Vietnamese patriotic movement at the beginning of the 20th century. With its correct policies and guidelines, meeting the aspirations of the people, just 15 years after its founding, the Party led the masses to rise up in resistance and achieve victory in the August Revolution of 1945, establishing the Democratic Republic of Vietnam – the first people's democratic state in Southeast Asia. The victory of the August Revolution of 1945 is a powerful testament to the invincible strength of the "people's will" under the leadership of the Party.

On September 2, 1945, at Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi, President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence, giving birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. (Archival photo)

Following the successful August Revolution, the fledgling revolutionary government faced countless difficulties and challenges. In this critical situation, but thanks to the creative application of Marxism-Leninism to the specific circumstances, and through the strategy of "all-people, comprehensive, protracted resistance and relying primarily on self-reliance," our Party led the entire people and army in a tenacious and courageous struggle, achieving the earth-shattering victory at Dien Bien Phu, ending nine years of protracted resistance and ushering in a new era: the North was completely liberated and embarked on building socialism, while the South continued its resistance to complete the national democratic revolution and move towards the goal of national reunification.

During the resistance war against the US, under the leadership of the Party, our army and people successfully achieved the goal of completely liberating the South and unifying the country. The great victory of the resistance war against the US was created by many factors, one of the decisive factors being the creative application of the Marxist-Leninist viewpoint on revolutionary violence. Our Party correctly identified the path to national liberation and reunification: using revolutionary violence to counter counter-revolutionary violence.

Hanoi flagpole. Archival photo.

After national reunification, facing numerous difficulties, especially the economic crisis and immense hardships for the people, the Party creatively applied Marxism-Leninism to the new conditions, formulating appropriate policies and resolutions. It gradually eliminated the centralized, bureaucratic, and subsidized system, implementing a series of "liberalization" policies to unleash the combined strength of the entire population in the socio-economic transformation process, coupled with strengthening national defense and security. As a result, we gradually increased labor productivity, and industrial and agricultural output grew rapidly, not only improving people's lives but also creating a surplus for export.

Entering the period of national renewal and industrialization and modernization, in order to gather and utilize all capabilities, create momentum to strengthen national defense and security while promoting socio-economic development, many policies suitable to the country's reality have been issued by our Party, put into practice and achieved important achievements.

Particularly during the nearly 35 years of reform, our country has achieved tremendous, historically significant accomplishments on the path of building and defending the socialist Fatherland. From a state of socio-economic crisis, our country has emerged from crisis and underdevelopment, becoming a middle-income developing country. The economy has grown considerably, and the socialist-oriented market economy is gradually taking shape and developing. Political and social stability has been maintained; national defense and security have been strengthened. Culture and society have made progress; the face of the country and the lives of the people have changed significantly… Vietnam's position in the international arena has continuously improved.

Alongside the great achievements made, the Party has inevitably encountered setbacks and shortcomings in its leadership of the country. Through careful analysis and assessment, the Party has clearly identified these as stemming from subjective causes, particularly in the inappropriate understanding and application of Marxism-Leninism in practice. To overcome these shortcomings and limitations, the Party has consistently upheld Marxism-Leninism as the foundation and guiding principle for action, firmly establishing policies, guidelines, and solutions to achieve revolutionary goals. Furthermore, the Party emphasizes the continued study and development of Marxism-Leninism to update and supplement the guidelines for national renewal, construction, and defense. This is a crucial and urgent task in the current national and global context.

Ho Chi Minh Square in Vinh City (Nghe An province). Photo: Hai Vuong

The "advice" to seek a "new development theory" or "a different path" is, in essence, a distortion of Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought; a denial of the path to socialism chosen by our Party and people, perpetrated by hostile, reactionary, and politically opportunistic forces. However cunning and sophisticated these voices may be, they cannot diminish the faith of our Party, State, and people in Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh Thought, and the path our country is treading. The achievements our people have attained under the leadership of the Party are a powerful rebuttal and a convincing negation of all the distorted and misrepresented views of Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought by hostile and reactionary forces. These achievements further affirm that the ideal goals, the future of the country, and the path to building socialism chosen by our Party and people are entirely correct.