Vision 2045 and the leadership and governing role of the Party

Leadership and authority

Leadership is the process by which actors (individuals, organizations) influence others to achieve a common goal. Leadership is demonstrated through the ability to gather and lead supportive forces, create and maintain collective efforts to achieve or realize a shared leadership vision.

In essence, leadership is the process of creating a positive change from the current state. To achieve that change, leaders must set the direction, concretize it into leadership visions and action strategies. At the same time, leaders must also gather support, inspire supporters, engage and maintain their support for the leadership vision.

Meanwhile, “ruling” refers to the subjects holding public power, public resources, and public means to carry out actions to achieve specific goals according to the set plan. The ruling function is expressed through the issuance and implementation of collective decisions (policies). Specific ruling activities include: planning, allocating resources, arranging personnel, assigning tasks, and promptly detecting and resolving problems arising in the process of policy implementation.

Since the August Revolution of 1945, the Party has assumed both roles: leadership and ruling.

If leadership tends to use “soft power”, that is, power based on persuasion and inspiration, then authority has the advantage of using “hard power”, that is, coercive power. If the goal of leadership is to create a more positive change than the present, then the key requirement for authority is to maintain order and consistency in action to carry out the proposed plans.

Thus, “ruling” is not separate from “leading”, but is a component of the leadership function and role. Successful “ruling” will strengthen the leadership role. Conversely, ineffective or failed “ruling” will weaken the leadership role.

From the above perspective, the Communist Party of Vietnam assumed the leadership role from its founding until before the August Revolution of 1945. After the August Revolution of 1945 until now, the Party has assumed both roles: leadership and ruling.

Position of the Communist Party of Vietnam

Looking at the entire 93 years of formation and development, it can be seen that thanks to pursuing universal values, establishing correct leadership visions, and meeting the expectations of the majority of people in each period, the Communist Party of Vietnam has been able to attract political support from many forces, both domestic and international. The leadership successes associated with each historical period have gradually affirmed and fostered the Party's prominent and solid position and role in the mission of leading the country's movement and development process.

Right at the Party's founding conference in 1930, the Political Platform of the Communist Party of Vietnam determined the direction for the change that the Party initiated and led: to abolish the colonial and feudal regimes, regain independence for the country and freedom for the people. The "Brief Strategy" and "Brief Platform" determined that the political mission of the Communist Party of Vietnam was not limited to the interests of the working class. Instead, the Communist Party of Vietnam aimed to regain the rights and protect the interests of all classes and social strata, especially the peasant class, which made up the majority of the population at that time, and the whole nation.

As the country's context changed, the Party quickly adjusted and determined political policies and leadership visions to meet the needs and aspirations of the people in each period.

Faced with the situation where the country was still divided into two regions, the Third Party Congress in 1960 identified "national reunification, achieving independence and democracy throughout the country" as one of the two strategic tasks of our country's revolution.

In 1986, facing the risk of the country falling into a comprehensive crisis, economic management mechanism innovation was identified as a key task, a fulcrum for the process of bringing the country out of difficulties and towards prosperity. By meeting the expectations of all classes of people, the Party successfully led the process of national unification and after more than 35 years of innovation, Vietnam has become an internationally recognized "success story".

The 13th National Congress set out a leadership vision: by 2045, Vietnam will become a "developed and high-income country".

The close connection between the Party's political mission, strategic policies, and leadership vision with the aspirations of the majority of people has created a difference for the Communist Party of Vietnam, distinguishing it from political parties in developed countries.

The political goals that the Communist Party of Vietnam has declared and pursued since 1930 have affirmed that the Party represents the interests of the general public, and is a loyal representative of the interests of the Vietnamese nation. The Communist Party of Vietnam pursues the values ​​and interests of the people and the nation, not the interests of factions and groups like political parties in developed countries.

Two leadership challenges

Lessons from history show that steadfastness, consistency, and adherence to the aspirations of the people and the interests of the nation are the foundation for the solid leadership position and role of the Communist Party of Vietnam. Closely connecting with the interests of the people and the nation is also the key condition for the Party to maintain its nature, which has been determined since its founding.

The domestic and international context at the beginning of the 21st century is posing new challenges to the leadership and governing role of the Communist Party of Vietnam. The 13th National Congress has set out a leadership vision: by 2045, turning Vietnam into a “developed and high-income country”. This positive change certainly meets the aspirations of the Vietnamese people but will also be a huge leadership challenge for the Party in the coming time.

From the perspective of leadership and governance, we can see the two biggest challenges facing the Communist Party of Vietnam in the process of realizing the aspiration for national development in the next two decades.

Firstly, the leadership role is to attract and cultivate the support of the masses for the leadership vision. The prerequisite for successful leadership is the support of social forces, which the Party has paid special attention to and identified as one of the three key tasks since the First Congress in 1935.

Second, the role of the Party in power is to implement good national governance. Accordingly, the Party needs to accelerate the process of modernizing the national governance structure to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of policy issuance and implementation. Good policies will demonstrate the Party's governing capacity with evidence of positive changes for specific social groups, thereby contributing to the overall change of the country.