Building and reforming the Party is essential for the Party's survival.

This spring marks the 93rd anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of Vietnam (February 3, 1930 - February 3, 2023) - the only organization in the political system that has held the leading power over the State and society for many years.

In his Testament, President Ho Chi Minh, the founder of the Communist Party of Vietnam, wrote: "Our Party is a ruling party... We must keep our Party truly clean, and it must be worthy of being the leader and the truly loyal servant of the people."

For a ruling party, maintaining integrity is not only a responsibility but also a mandate.

In his 1947 work "Revising Working Methods," Uncle Ho said: A Party that conceals its shortcomings is a failed Party. A Party that dares to admit its shortcomings, clearly identifies them, understands their causes, and seeks every way to correct them—that is a progressive, courageous, steadfast, and genuine Party.

Over the years, our Party has consistently maintained the view that economic development is central, Party building is key, and efforts to rectify shortcomings within the Party are crucial. At pivotal stages, the work of Party building and rectification has been closely linked to the names of the Party's highest leaders.

Former General Secretary Le Kha Phieu is considered the person who laid the first "brick" for the Party's construction and rectification in the new era – an era when the signs of decline began to emerge. At the 6th Central Committee Conference (2nd session) of the 8th Party Congress (1999), with a very high spirit before the Party and the people, General Secretary Le Kha Phieu profoundly analyzed the Party's current state. From this important conference, the Central Committee made a special decision to launch a campaign to build and rectify the Party, through self-criticism and criticism.

The Central Resolution No. 6 (second session) of the 8th Party Congress, issued on February 2, 1999, created a new strength and fighting spirit to build the Party and regain the people's trust in the Party.

Over the past 10 years, the process of building and rectifying the Party has been intensified more than ever, closely linked to the role of the "leader" - General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

For three consecutive terms – the 11th, 12th, and 13th Party Congresses – the 4th Central Committee Conference was chosen as the first conference of each term to discuss the work of Party building and rectification.

The Central Resolution No. 4 of the 11th Party Congress (2011) was groundbreaking, directly addressing the weaknesses in Party building. These weaknesses were a consequence of a period in which we somewhat neglected or under-invested in Party building, especially in the areas of criticism and self-criticism, inspection, supervision, and the struggle to prevent, detect, and handle violations within the Party, and the handling of corrupt officials, which had not been carried out decisively.

From this point onwards, the Party frankly pointed out that "a significant number" of cadres and Party members had become corrupt. This corruption included ideological and political degradation, moral decay, and lifestyle deviations; violations of regulations prohibiting certain actions by Party members; failure to set a good example; falling into individualism, opportunism, and self-serving behavior; "term-based thinking"; corruption and negative practices; and violations of Party regulations and State laws.

At the 4th and 13th Central Committee meetings of the 12th and 13th Party Congresses, the Party issued resolutions and conclusions that deeply ingrained in the awareness and understanding of cadres and Party members that the task of Party building must not rest but must be carried out continuously. Those who have been involved in corruption should stop as soon as possible. This has a significant effect in raising awareness, deterring wrongdoing, warning, and educating.

These resolutions also led to the addition and promulgation of numerous mechanisms, policies, guidelines, and measures for preventing and combating corruption and reforming personnel management. Notably, the re-establishment of the Party's Internal Affairs sector and the founding of the Central Steering Committee on Anti-Corruption and Negative Phenomena 10 years ago marked a significant turning point. From this point on, the fight against corruption and negative phenomena, and the purification of the Party, took on a new dimension. Thousands of high-profile corruption cases were brought to light; hundreds of corrupt and degenerate officials were appropriately punished, including former members of the Politburo.

The "anti-corruption campaign" launched and directly led by General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong over the past 10 years has left a remarkable mark, gaining support from the people at home and high praise from international friends. "There are no forbidden zones, no exceptions in the fight against corruption"—the General Secretary's words have become a reality.

For the survival of the Party, there is no other choice but to focus on building and reforming the Party, despite the difficulties and obstacles. Although economic development is the central task, if the Party is not built, economic achievements can be undermined by decline, corruption, and negative phenomena.

In the world, few parties have held power for as long as the Communist Party of Vietnam. A ruling party typically faces two major dangers: errors in policy and bureaucracy, degeneration, and alienation from the people. Bureaucracy, degeneration, and alienation from the people will lead to the risk of the party losing its leadership and collapsing. The lesson of the decline of the Soviet Communist Party remains relevant to us today.