Realizing the aspiration of building a strong and prosperous country

Cover photo: On the occasion of Vietnamese Entrepreneurs' Day (October 13), on the afternoon of October 11, 2024, at the Presidential Palace, General Secretary and President To Lam met with a delegation of outstanding entrepreneurs from the Vietnam Federation of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and the Vietnam Association of Private Entrepreneurs. Photo: VNA

At the 13th National Congress, for the first time, our Party raised the issue of arousing and promoting the aspiration to build a rich and strong country. The Congress also proposed 12 orientations for national development, six key tasks, three strategic breakthroughs and tasks and solutions to continue innovating and developing specific sectors and fields. However, right from the beginning of the term, the country has faced many difficulties and major challenges that threaten the implementation of development goals. These include: the prolonged Covid-19 pandemic, causing serious consequences; increasingly fierce and complicated strategic competition between major countries; most global supply chains are broken; climate change, natural disasters, storms and floods... Most sectors and fields are seriously affected because they have to focus on solving newly arising problems while dealing with weaknesses that have existed for many years.

General Secretary and President To Lam met with a delegation of outstanding businessmen from the Vietnam Federation of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and the Vietnam Association of Private Entrepreneurs on October 11, 2024. Photo: VNA

With great will and determination, our entire Party, people and army have resolutely, synchronously and effectively implemented the Resolution of the 13th National Congress, helping the country overcome difficulties and achieve important and quite comprehensive results in many fields. In particular, we have quickly recovered and gradually developed the socio-economy, building an independent and self-reliant economy associated with proactive and active international integration. While the global economic and trade situation has declined, our country's economy has continued to grow quite well; in which economic growth in 2022 reached 8.02%, much higher than the set plan of 6-6.5%. However, in addition to the achieved results, we must acknowledge the fact that there are difficulties and problems that have not been promptly resolved to mobilize and effectively use all resources for development. The organization and implementation of a number of policies to restore and develop the socio-economy has been slow at times and in some places. In many state agencies, from the central to local levels, there is still a state of degradation in political ideology, ethics, lifestyle, shirking, avoiding responsibility, and even fear of responsibility by a number of cadres and party members, causing difficulties for production and business activities of enterprises and people's lives.

Being closely concerned with that reality, in the key leadership meeting on August 6, 2024 - the first meeting chaired in his new position, General Secretary and President To Lam directed a number of tasks that the entire Party and political system need to focus on solving in the coming time, emphasizing: Regarding the task of socio-economic development, it is necessary to focus on removing difficulties, obstacles, and bottlenecks to create favorable mechanisms for businesses and entrepreneurs to have conditions to develop, invest, do business, and promote effective production. In meetings with ministries, branches, and localities, the General Secretary and President always directed to focus on reviewing the remaining work from now until the end of 2024 and propose solutions and measures to complete it quickly and effectively; at the same time, focus on removing difficulties and obstacles, promoting economic development, and improving the quality of people's lives. In order to ensure breakthroughs, acceleration, and early "finish line" to successfully implement the targets and tasks set out in the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress, from now until the end of the year, the Politburo and the Secretariat will also focus on prioritizing the consideration of a group of projects to remove difficulties for socio-economic development.

On the afternoon of August 22, 2024, at a meeting with the Vietnam Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, General Secretary and President To Lam asked businesses to accompany the Party and State, create more jobs for society, take better care of workers' lives, actively participate in social activities, and create the superiority of Vietnamese businesses. Photo: VNA

It can be seen that the Central Government is more focused and determined in leading and directing socio-economic development, headed by the General Secretary and President. In particular, the General Secretary and President paid attention and at the end of August, he had a meeting with the delegation of the Vietnam Association of Small and Medium Enterprises - an organization representing a very large community of businesses that are joining hands to build and develop the country's economy. The General Secretary and President shared the difficulties and challenges of the business community in general, including small and medium enterprises, when they have to suffer the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic and the global economic recession that is still very severe; at the same time, he affirmed that the Party and State always pay special attention and create the best conditions for the Vietnamese business community to operate and develop.

Vietnamese businesses, entrepreneurs and every citizen expect the Party and State to soon have policies to accelerate the realization of the development aspiration that is always present in the mind of every Vietnamese citizen.

The 10-year socio-economic development strategy for 2021-2030 clearly states: Arousing the aspiration to develop the country, strongly promoting the cultural values, Vietnamese people and the strength of the times, mobilizing all resources, developing rapidly and sustainably on the basis of science, technology, innovation and digital transformation, striving to become a developing country with modern industry and high average income by 2030 and a developed country with high income by 2045. Promoting the realization of those policies and development goals, the General Secretary and President has written important articles, which have ideological guidance for the entire political system and orientation of thinking and action of all levels, sectors, localities, as well as each individual.

General Secretary and President To Lam witnessed the signing ceremony of a cooperation agreement between the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group and GE Group (USA) in New York, September 23, 2024. Photo: VNA

In the article “Digital transformation - An important driving force for developing productive forces, perfecting production relations to bring the country into a new era”, the General Secretary and President affirmed: Digital transformation must truly be a revolution to bring the country into a new era - the era of the Vietnamese people's rise. To be successful, leaders of Party committees, authorities, agencies, enterprises and people must be fully aware, unified, responsible and determined to implement. Along with that, it is necessary to perfect institutions and the legal system, firmly pursue the goal of building a socialist-oriented market economy, and constantly innovate to keep up with the development trends of the times. Focus on building a legal corridor for the digital economy, creating a foundation for Vietnam to seize opportunities from the Fourth Industrial Revolution. There must be strong mechanisms and policies to promote digital transformation in all socio-economic fields, encourage innovation, and protect intellectual property rights. Regularly review and promptly amend inappropriate regulations, creating a corridor for new economic models; ensuring that the legal framework does not become a barrier to development...

- Excerpt from the article "Digital transformation - An important driving force for developing productive forces, perfecting production relations, bringing the country into a new era" by General Secretary and President To Lam

On the occasion of attending the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly and working in the United States, on the morning of September 25, 2024, in New York City, General Secretary and President To Lam met with President of the World Bank Ajay Banga. Photo: VNA

During the process of directing the drafting of documents for the 14th National Congress, the General Secretary and President also frequently raised the issue of continuing to perfect the development institutions and legal system, removing barriers, and creating momentum to promote rapid and sustainable economic development.

At the 10th Central Conference of the 13th tenure, through discussions on major groups of issues to continue perfecting the Document, the Central Committee highly agreed to determine a stronger breakthrough in development institutions, removing bottlenecks and barriers, taking people and businesses as the center, mobilizing and clearing all internal and external resources, resources within the people, developing science and technology synchronously and smoothly, all for the economic, cultural and social development of the country, improving the material and spiritual life of the people.

General Secretary and President To Lam chaired a meeting of the Politburo and the Secretariat on directing the recovery of the consequences of storm No. 3. Photo: DANG KHOA

Regarding the immediate tasks, the Central Committee agreed on the policy of striving to achieve and exceed most of the main targets for the 2021-2025 period set by the 13th National Congress. Through review and assessment, the Central Committee assessed that, in reality, there are still difficulties and challenges, especially in implementing the GDP target - an important target reflecting the quality of growth and ensuring the implementation of strategic goals. Therefore, the entire political system, first of all the Government, heads of departments, ministries, branches and localities must be truly determined, determined to do, have drastic, decisive and accelerated solutions to successfully implement the socio-economic development task in 2025 approved by the Central Committee; achieve the targets, especially the GDP target and continue to create strong changes in the following years.

With the drastic and specific directions of the Central Committee, headed by General Secretary and President To Lam, on the immediate tasks and vision for the coming years, we believe that the entire Party, people and army will strive with a new spirit, achieve the desired results, and contribute to bringing the country to rapid progress in the new period, worthy of the milestone of the rising era of the Vietnamese nation.