Platform document on building socialism in Vietnam

Article byGeneral Secretary Nguyen Phu Trongnot only demonstrates the theoretical thinking and practical summary of the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam on the path to socialism in Vietnam, but also is a message about the true perception of Vietnamese communists on the theoretical and practical issues of socialism.

Since Vietnam began its renovation in 1986, the cause of building socialism in Vietnam has achieved great achievements that have attracted the attention of the whole world. After 35 years of renovation and development, the socialist-oriented market economy has greatly changed the socio-economic landscape of Vietnam, opening a new path for socialism in Vietnam, forming a new theory of socialism in Vietnam. The 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam is an important congress, with the meaning of inheriting the past, looking towards the future, taking place in the context of Vietnam's 35-year renovation achieving glorious achievements, the cause of building socialism in Vietnam entering a new stage of development.

The 13th National Party Congress is the most important political event of the Party and our nation in 2021.

Not long after the 13th Congress, in May 2021, General Secretary of the Central Executive Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong wrote an articleSome theoretical and practical issues on socialism and the path to socialism in Vietnam. The article has received great attention and strong response at home and abroad. This is an article of important theoretical value and practical significance, guiding the Communist Party of Vietnam to lead the people to strive and strive to achieve development goals on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Party and the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

The article by General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong originates from the practice of building socialism in Vietnam, from the perspective of the basic principles of socialism and the reality of building socialism. The article systematically and comprehensively presents profound thoughts and summarizes experiences, combined with the practice of building socialism in Vietnam with the important topic "What is socialism and how to follow the socialist path".

The article clearly stated the definition of socialism from the beginning, that is, “scientific socialism based on Marxism-Leninism in the present era”. General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong said that the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the collapse of Eastern Europe were not due to the mistakes of Marxism-Leninism, nor the victory of capitalism, but the failure of the model of building socialism in the Soviet Union. Capitalism with “new liberalism” is being promoted globally, although it still has the potential to develop, but it cannot overcome its inherent fundamental contradictions and the series of crises it causes, that is, the capitalist regime cannot completely resolve its own crisis.

Vietnam's path to socialism is the combination of the basic principles of Marxism-Leninism with Vietnam's revolutionary cause, and is the inevitable result of the revolutionary cause under the leadership of President Ho Chi Minh. Since its founding, the Communist Party of Vietnam has identified socialism as the Party's goal and revolutionary ideal, and following the socialist path is an objective requirement and an inevitable roadmap for the Vietnamese revolution. When socialism in the world fell into decline, the Communist Party of Vietnam has always steadfastly followed the socialist path, steadfastly "building a socialist state on the basis of Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh thought".

In the process of leading the renovation and building socialism, the Communist Party of Vietnam leads the people to build "A truly developed society for the people; a society in which economic development goes hand in hand with progress and social justice; a humane, united, mutually supportive society, oriented towards progressive and humane values; a living environment that develops sustainably, in harmony with nature; a political system in which real power belongs to the people, by the people, serving the interests of the people”. In short, this is the choice to follow the path of socialism that President Ho Chi Minh and the Central Executive Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam through the periods have steadfastly led the Vietnamese people in the cause of innovation.

In the process of leading the innovation cause, through summarizing practical experience and theoretical research, the Communist Party of Vietnam has formed a basic awareness of the path to building socialism in Vietnam. General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong pointed out that: "Putting forward the concept of developing a socialist-oriented market economy isa very fundamental and creative theoretical breakthrough of our Party, is an important theoretical achievement after 35 years of implementing the renovation policy, originating from Vietnam's reality and selectively absorbing world experience".

The socialist-oriented market economy is a modern, internationally integrated market economy, an economy in the transitional period to a complete socialist market economy, and a new market economy model. The socialist-oriented market economy adheres to the close combination between economy and society, economic policies and social policies are unified, promoting overall economic growth and progress, social equity, ensuring the country's healthy and sustainable development. The socialist-oriented market economy has laid the foundation for Vietnam's innovation, providing a solid guarantee of the regime for building a socialist society, socialist culture, a socialist rule-of-law state, and upholding the leadership and governance of the Party in Vietnam.

35 years of implementing the renovation process have achieved unprecedented great achievements, bringing about enormous and obvious changes to the development of Vietnam. From a poor country, heavily devastated by war, with 3/4 of the population living below the poverty line before the renovation, after 35 years of high-speed development, Vietnam has escaped the group of low-income countries, becoming one of the 16 most successful emerging economies in the world. In 2019, Vietnam's human development index (HDI) reached 0.704, belonging to the group of high-level countries in the world, especially compared to countries with the same level of development.

In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic raging in the world since 2020 and the global economic recession, Vietnam's economy has maintained positive growth, becoming one of the countries with the best development momentum globally. The achievements in the renovation process under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam have been recognized and highly appreciated by the Vietnamese people and the international community. "We have achievedgreat achievements of historical significance,develop more strongly and comprehensively than in the years before the renovation"(Communist Party of Vietnam: Documents of the 13th National Congress of Delegates, op. cit., vol. 1, pp. 25, 26). The renovation and construction of socialism in Vietnam has been able to achieve such great achievements, ultimately, because of the Party's consistent leadership and the steadfast path to socialism. The Party's leadership is not only the leading factor determining the victory of the Vietnamese revolution, but also the most important factor determining the success of the renovation in Vietnam.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong pointed out that: "The Party's political platform continues to be the ideological and theoretical flag that firmly guides our nation to continue to comprehensively and synchronously promote the innovation process; it is the foundation for our Party to perfect the path of building and defending the socialist Fatherland in the new period."(Communist Party of Vietnam: Documents of the 13th National Congress of Delegates, op. cit., vol. 1, pp. 25, 26)The Communist Party of Vietnam has united and led the Vietnamese people to achieve unprecedented great achievements, proving that the Party's innovation policy is correct and creative, and that the Party's steadfast leadership is correct and wise.

Ho Chi Minh City has made remarkable progress in all fields, achieved great successes, and contributed significantly to the overall achievements of the country.

The key to successfully implementing the renovation process is the Party; building a clean and strong Party is the key to Party building. Building a strong and resilient Marxist political party requires a mature and stable Central Party leadership. The Central Executive Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, headed by General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, attaches great importance to strengthening Party building and theoretical innovation, transforming the effectiveness of Party building into the effectiveness of leading the renovation process, making an important contribution to comprehensively promoting the renovation process towards a new and higher stage of development. In 2011, the 11th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam proposed to continue building a clean and strong Party, improving the Party's leadership capacity and fighting strength.

In 2016, the 12th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam for the first time identified Party building and rectification as one of the topics of the Political Report, considering rectification of Party style and building the political system, preventing and combating corruption as the two top and most important contents among the six key tasks for the next 5 years. Studying and following Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality and style has contributed to the successful implementation of the goal of building a clean and strong Party in terms of politics, ideology, organization and morality. In 2021, the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam emphasized that "the correct leadership of the Party is the leading factor determining the victory of the Vietnamese revolution".(Communist Party of Vietnam: Documents of the 13th National Congress of Delegates, op. cit., vol. 1, p. 104),For the first time, the Report presented to the Congress proposed the need to thoroughly grasp the Party's five guiding principles, placing persistently and creatively developing Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh thought in the top position.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has spent a long time researching Party theory and is a highly prestigious theorist in the Party's theoretical community.Innovation in Vietnam: Theory and PracticeComrade's work originated from the study of Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh's thought, combined with the practice of building socialism in Vietnam, systematically and comprehensively studied ideological and theoretical issues, and explored practical issues in the renovation process of Vietnam. General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has a rich political career, is the promoter and "helmsman" for the cause of renovation and building socialist modernization in Vietnam.

In the early stages of renovation, from 1991 to 1996, in his capacity as Editor-in-Chief of the Communist Magazine, with his profound theoretical knowledge and excellent political leadership, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong unified the ideology of the entire Party for the cause of renovation in Vietnam. From 2000 to 2011, he held the positions of Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee and Chairman of the National Assembly. During more than 10 years as General Secretary, Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong, together with the Central Executive Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, successfully led the cause of renovation and the building of socialism, making Vietnam "never before have had the foundation, potential, position and international prestige as it does today".

With the great achievements of the renovation process under the leadership of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, the recognition and consensus of the majority of Party members and people for the political prestige and exemplary role of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, at the 13th National Congress, he was once again re-elected as General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam with a high number of votes, continuing to shoulder the responsibility of leading the renovation process.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, in the context of socialism in the world falling into decline, Vietnam has persisted in the socialist regime, continued to promote the renovation process under the steadfast leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, sought the path to develop socialism and achieved great achievements in the renovation, construction and modernization of socialism. Those achievements in theoretical research and practical exploration are also a great contribution to the development of socialism in the world.

This article by General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong not only demonstrates the theoretical thinking and practical summary of the Communist Party of Vietnam's leadership on the path to socialism in Vietnam, but also is a message about the true perception of Vietnamese communists on the theoretical and practical issues of socialism. In the context of the world facing unprecedented changes in the past 100 years, on the basis of exploring the practice of building socialism in their respective countries, in the process of promoting the development of the transition to socialism, the Communist Party of China and the Communist Party of Vietnam have deeply exchanged and learned from each other, "seeking similarities while preserving differences", working together to develop, and jointly contributing to the development of the cause of socialism in the world.

The Communist Party of China and the Communist Party of Vietnam will persistently use new developments in socialist construction in their respective countries to create new opportunities for the world, promote the building of a community with a common destiny for mankind, jointly contribute to maintaining peace and development in the region and the world, and actively strive for the advancement of human society.

Professor, Dr. TRIEU TU SINH - Director of the Office of Comparative Research on World Political Parties, Central Party School of the Communist Party of China