Actions speak louder than words - The Party's mindset for action.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Do Chi Nghia
(Specialized member, Committee on Culture and Social Affairs of the National Assembly)

Present: Hong Toai• January 29, 2026

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In his closing remarks at the 14th National Congress of the Party, General Secretary To Lam emphasized: “The Congress needs to focus on implementing the Resolution in a action-oriented manner, ensuring tangible effectiveness and overcoming the situation where 'organizational implementation is a weak point'. The spirit of action needs to be concretized into specific solutions and seriously implemented throughout the entire system: Each Party committee, each Party organization, each Party member, each agency and unit, first and foremost the head, must proactively shift from 'correct understanding' to 'effective organization and implementation'; from 'high determination' to 'clear results'; combining 'direction and management' with 'inspection, supervision, and accountability'.”

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In particular, immediately after the Congress, the General Secretary wrote an article titled "Forward! Complete Victory Will Surely Be Ours." The article highlighted the action-oriented thinking: "The Congress documents clearly stated that it is necessary to resolutely and thoroughly overcome the situation of 'talking much but doing little,' 'saying well but doing poorly,' 'saying not matching doing,' and put an end to bureaucratic and formalistic working methods." "From now on, 'saying and doing' must become a principle of action; all policies and tasks must clearly define objectives and solutions, link responsibility with results, link breakthroughs with sustainability, and the discipline of implementation must be linked to the satisfaction of the people."

General Secretary To Lam emphasized this core requirement with a consistent and decisive spirit: A strong shift must be made from "talking" to "doing," from awareness to action, and from determination to tangible results. This is not merely a requirement regarding leadership methods, but a repositioning of the entire process of implementing the Resolution in the new development phase – a phase demanding more concrete results, faster pace, and clearer accountability.

"Actions speak louder than words" is the measure of governing capacity and the extent to which responsibilities to the people are fulfilled. Every resolution and policy, when issued, contains a commitment. The value of that commitment lies in how far it is implemented, what changes it brings to practice, and what aspirations of the people it fulfills.

The Congress documents frankly pointed out the need to resolutely overcome the situation where "implementation is the weak point." This perspective reflects a spirit of openness and responsibility, because practice shows that the gap between correct policies and achieved results still exists, and can only be narrowed through concrete, continuous, and responsible actions.

Action-oriented thinking demands a clear and substantive shift: from merely "correct understanding" to "effective implementation"; from emphasizing "high determination" to establishing "clear results." Every Party committee, every Party organization, every agency and unit—first and foremost its leader—must consider implementation as the central task, the place where their political responsibility is most fully demonstrated.

In the current context, the need for speed is of particular importance. Opportunities for development don't wait; resources, if not released promptly, will be wasted; and obstacles, if not removed early, will accumulate into bottlenecks. Speed ​​here means strongly promoting motivation and action according to principles and rules, without missing opportunities. Speed ​​is a manifestation of organizational capacity, a sense of responsibility, and the courage to act.

Acting quickly must go hand in hand with acting correctly, being grounded in reality, and "standing firmly on the practical soil of Vietnam." Acting correctly ensures consistency between the Party's policies, the State's laws, and the specific conditions of each locality and sector. It also ensures that every decision is geared towards long-term, sustainable benefits, not sacrificing the future for immediate results. When actions are correct, officials have a basis for confident action; when discipline is upheld, innovation and creativity have a solid foundation.

Along with doing things quickly and correctly, seeing things through to the end is an indispensable requirement of action-oriented thinking. Practical experience shows that many projects are started with high determination but end incompletely; many correct policies fail to deliver commensurate results due to a lack of persistent pursuit. "Seeing things through to the end" means overcoming half-hearted efforts, closely monitoring the work until the goals are achieved and the results are clearly established. Only when a task is done thoroughly and completely will a resolution truly become a reality.

Under all circumstances, the role of cadres and Party members – especially the leaders – is decisive. When leaders are directly responsible for results, provide thorough guidance, and are persistent in inspection and supervision, the spirit of action will spread throughout the entire system. Exemplary conduct is not found in grand pronouncements, but in the way work is handled, in the courage to act, to take responsibility, and to pursue goals to the end.

A key theme emphasized throughout the General Secretary's thinking and actions is taking the people's satisfaction as the highest measure. This is a principled criterion because all policies and initiatives ultimately aim to serve the people; if the people are not yet more comfortable in their work or feel more secure in their lives, then the effectiveness of implementation still needs to be reviewed and improved.

Using public satisfaction as a benchmark is also a way to shift strongly towards evaluating based on practical experience. No report is more convincing than the feedback of the people; no numbers are more meaningful than the changes that can be felt in daily life. This criterion forces the system to self-reflect, adjust its working methods, and thereby improve the quality of service.

"Actions speak louder than words, action is swift, correct, and thorough" is the Party's political commitment to the people. It is a commitment to disciplined implementation, to unwavering responsibility, and to the determination to transform each resolution into visible and tangible changes in daily life.

When action-oriented thinking is placed at the center, each Resolution will continue to be tested in practice. Success is measured by the level of convenience for the people; effectiveness is measured by the strengthened trust in society.

Taking the people's satisfaction as the highest measure is how our Party places itself under the strictest supervision, and at the same time, how it preserves and strengthens the close relationship between the Party and the people. When people see the effectiveness in practice, their trust will naturally and sustainably grow.

Action-oriented thinking, ultimately, is thinking of responsibility and dedication. When "words" are closely linked to "actions," and when "actions" are carried out quickly, correctly, and thoroughly, the path of national development will be opened not only by political determination, but also by the people's unwavering faith in the Party and the nation's future. A new era emerges from action-oriented thinking and responsibility to the people. "Words go hand in hand with actions," "using the people's satisfaction as a measure"—this era is concrete and vibrant in daily practice, under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam.