Closing speech of General Secretary To Lam at the 11th Conference of the 13th Party Central Committee

" Dear Politburo members, Secretariat members, Party Central Committee members, Dear all comrades attending the Conference,

General Secretary To Lam chaired the Conference.

After 3 days of urgent work, with a high sense of responsibility, the Central Committee members discussed democratically, listened to and frankly exchanged many new and important issues and reached a high consensus on important and core contents. The Central Committee voted to pass the Conference Resolution with an absolute majority. It can be affirmed that the 11th Central Committee Conference, Session XIII, has completed all the contents and programs set out. Many Central Committee members suggested that the Politburo recognize this as a historic Conference, discussing historic decisions in the new revolutionary period of our country. On behalf of the Politburo and the Secretariat, I acknowledge, highly appreciate and commend the Central Committee's spirit of active, responsible, proactive, scientific, creative, decisive, effective and innovative work; the thoughtful, thorough, focused and improved preparation and service work of the Sub-committees, the Central Party Office and relevant agencies. Below, I would like to summarize, emphasize and conclude some issues to unify leadership and direct implementation:

Firstly: The Central Executive Committee highly agrees with the proposed content stated in the Submissions, Reports, and Projects under the working group on continuing to reorganize the apparatus of the political system, reorganize administrative units, and organize two-level local governments. In which:

The Central Executive Committee emphasized: Continuing to reorganize the apparatus of the political system is an unprecedented strategic decision with the highest goal of rapid, stable and sustainable development of the country, better care for people's lives, building a streamlined government apparatus, shifting from passive management to proactive service to the people, creating development, with sufficient capacity to effectively organize and implement the Party's policies into practical life in the era of development and prosperity. This reorganization of local administrative units is built on the spirit of science, breakthrough, creativity, closely following reality with a long-term vision, at least 100 years, ensuring the formation and expansion of new economic, social and cultural development space suitable for national development. The local government after the reorganization must ensure that it is streamlined, effective, close to the people, meeting the requirements of modern social governance, and achieving the goals of rapid and sustainable growth; create new positions and forces for the task of ensuring national defense, security, and foreign affairs; create momentum and motivation for economic development, focusing on promoting the private economy; accelerate the development of science and technology and innovation; take better and better care of the material and spiritual life of the people. The rearrangement of the model and organization of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and socio-political organizations, mass organizations assigned by the Party and the State must be truly streamlined, ensuring no duplication or overlap in functions and tasks; not administrativeize activities, strongly orient towards residential areas, close to the people, serving the people in the spirit of "focusing on and practicing people as the root", must truly be the "extended arm" of the Party to each household, each person; must care for the legitimate and legal rights and interests of union members, association members and the people. Strictly implement the principle of the Party's unified leadership in building the apparatus, personnel work, and management of the cadre team and payroll of the political system. Continue to innovate, perfect and synchronously and strictly implement regulations on personnel work at all levels, sectors and localities according to the principles of publicity, transparency, strengthening control of power, linking power with personal responsibility. Identify, take preventive measures, and resolutely fight and strictly handle acts of corruption, waste, negativity, causing disunity, power-seeking, factionalism in the process of reorganizing the apparatus, handling public assets, etc.

The Central Executive Committee highly agreed on the following policies: on the organization of local government at 2 levels: Provincial level (Province, City directly under the Central Government), Commune level (Commune, Ward, Special Zone directly under the province, city); the number of provincial-level administrative units after the merger is 34 provinces and cities (28 provinces and 06 cities directly under the Central Government) with the names and administrative-political centers determined according to the principles stated in the Submissions and Projects; ending the operation of district-level administrative units after the National Assembly resolves to amend and supplement a number of articles of the 2013 Constitution and the Law on Organization of Local Government 2025 (amended); merging commune-level administrative units ensures that the whole country reduces the current number of commune-level administrative units by about 60-70%.

Agree on the policy of establishing local party organizations corresponding to the provincial and communal administrative systems; ending the activities of district-level party committees; the establishment of local party organizations is carried out in accordance with the Party Charter and regulations of the Central Committee.

With the new administrative organization model, the provincial level is both the level that implements policies from the central government and the level that issues policies in the province and city, and directly directs and manages the activities of the commune level in the area. The commune level mainly implements policies issued by the central government and the provincial level; is strengthened in decentralization and has the authority to issue legal documents to decide on the organization of law enforcement in the area and decide on issues under its authority.

Agree on the policy of arranging, streamlining, and merging the agencies of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, socio-political organizations, and mass organizations assigned by the Party and the State at the central, provincial, and communal levels as stated in the Report and Project of the Party Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and central organizations; agree on the policy of ending the activities of civil servant unions and armed forces unions, and reducing the level of union dues paid by cadres, civil servants, public employees, and workers. Agree on the policy of continuing to arrange and streamline the apparatus of the People's Court and the People's Procuracy; ending the activities of the People's Court and the People's Procuracy at the high and district levels; establishing a system of People's Courts and the People's Procuracy with 3 levels: the People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuracy; People's Courts and the People's Procuracy at the provincial, centrally-run city, and regional levels (the system of military courts and procuracies remains the same as the current model).

The Central Executive Committee agreed on the policy of amending and supplementing the Constitution and laws of the State related to regulations on local governments to serve the organization and apparatus arrangement of the political system; regulations on the Vietnam Fatherland Front and socio-political organizations; ensuring completion before June 30, 2025; effective from July 1, 2025; stipulating a transition period to ensure smooth, uninterrupted operations, in accordance with the plan and roadmap for arrangement and merger; The Central Committee requested that the National Assembly, the Government and relevant agencies closely and effectively coordinate to implement tasks on institutional improvement. Focus highly on performing these tasks well, strongly innovate thinking and working methods, strive to thoroughly remove institutional barriers, difficulties and obstacles in 2025 to create a legal corridor, create a foundation for development, especially issues related to bidding, budget, public investment, private economy, science and technology, innovation, digital transformation; create a solid and favorable foundation for the Revolution in arranging and streamlining the apparatus of the political system; clear bottlenecks and resources; promote thorough decentralization associated with streamlining the apparatus, effective and efficient operations; create new development space for localities and the whole country. The development and promulgation of laws and policies must closely follow the leadership of the Party, closely follow the practical situation and the specificity of the revolution in organizational structure, not allowing the situation of waiting for laws and mechanisms to lead to delays and lost opportunities; create an open, transparent, safe, low-cost business environment; thoroughly handle institutional "bottlenecks" to turn them into resources and competitive advantages, making Vietnam one of the leading countries in administrative reform and creative startups to be able to catch up, go along with, and surpass the leading countries.

Second: Regarding the group of issues to continue preparing for the 14th National Party Congress and the election of deputies to the 16th National Assembly and People's Councils at all levels for the 2026-2031 term.

Regarding the draft documents serving the 14th National Party Congress: The Central Committee unanimously assessed that the drafts this time were edited briefly and concisely (reduced by about 30%-35%), but the content was quite complete and profound, ensuring both the document nature and comprehensiveness while ensuring high actionability, which can help to immediately deploy, update, and supplement many major issues, and is a model for the document building of Party organizations. Through exchanges and discussions, the Central Committee highly agreed and realized the need to immediately deploy a number of major solutions that were unanimously approved in the draft documents, and at the same time concretize them in the documents for the 2025-2030 term of Party organizations, including: (i) Agreeing on the highest goal of the 14th National Congress is to decide on strategic issues to ensure "stability, development, and improvement of people's lives"; All viewpoints, goals, tasks and solutions in the draft documents must be unified, synchronous, consistent and create a combined strength to achieve this goal. (ii) Agree on the high requirements of the coming period which are "high-quality development, rapid development and sustainable development", "proactive, self-reliant and autonomous in development". From there, request the Sub-committees to continue reviewing the opinions of the Central Committee, fully supplement the difficulties and objective challenges that must be faced, the shortcomings and limitations that have lasted for many terms and have not been overcome, the tasks and solutions to adapt to the new situation, new opportunities and challenges with new thinking, new revolutionary ways of doing things, surpassing oneself to ensure proactive, autonomous, rapid and sustainable development; at the same time, request the Party Committees in the process of preparing and organizing the congress to focus on thoroughly discussing the tasks and solutions to continue to contribute to perfecting the documents of the 14th National Party Congress and the documents of the congresses at their level. (iii) Strong determination to "establish a new growth model" and "build a modern national education system on par with the region and the world" are fundamental solutions to overcome the risk of falling behind. In the new growth model, taking science and technology, innovation and national digital transformation as the main driving force, the private economy (including both the domestic private sector and the foreign-invested sector) is the most important driving force of the national economy; strengthening the Party's leadership role and state management of the private economy. At the same time, the Central Committee also highly agreed that in the new revolutionary period, it is necessary to focus on identifying and strongly implementing the connotation "Our Party is moral and civilized", model "socialist" provinces and "socialist" communes.

Regarding the work of organizing the development and implementation of the Party's Charter: The Central Executive Committee discussed, gave opinions and basically agreed to approve the draft Orientation for personnel work of the 14th Party Central Executive Committee; supplementing personnel planning for the 14th Party Central Executive Committee; contents of amendments and supplements to the Central Executive Committee's Regulations on the implementation of the Party's Charter; Regulations on the Party's inspection, supervision and discipline work; contents of amendments and supplements to Directive No. 35-CT/TW dated June 14, 2024 and Conclusion No. 118-KL/TW dated January 18, 2025 of the Politburo on Party congresses at all levels towards the 14th National Congress of the Party; Direction for the election of deputies to the 16th National Assembly and People's Councils at all levels for the 2026-2031 term. The Central Committee requests that the Politburo, Party committees, Party organizations, and relevant agencies urgently implement the contents agreed upon and approved by the Central Committee.

What needs to be done immediately: The Central Executive Committee requests that, immediately after the Conference, Party committees, Party organizations, agencies, units, localities and leaders immediately deploy 7 tasks: (1) Proactively and actively do a good job of disseminating, propagating, mobilizing, and orienting ideology in their agencies, units, localities and organizations as well as participating in orienting public opinion, ensuring solidarity, consensus and high unity among cadres, Party members, civil servants, public employees, workers and people of all walks of life regarding the Party's major policies. (2) Focus on directing and resolutely implementing tasks of implementing the arrangement and streamlining of the apparatus according to the Projects and plans approved by the Central Committee. (3) Proactively perform tasks of arranging, assigning and using cadres, civil servants and public employees, ensuring the retention of talented people, and implementing well the regimes and policies for those affected and affected; Prepare a full legal basis, create the most favorable conditions for the arrangement; proactively plan the management, use, and handling of assets, offices, and official residences, absolutely not allowing loss, waste, or negativity. (4) Ensure that agencies, units, and organizations before, during, and after the arrangement operate continuously, smoothly, effectively, efficiently, and effectively, without interruption of work, without leaving tasks, areas, or fields vacant, and without affecting the normal operations of agencies, units, organizations, and the People. (5) Regarding the organization of congresses at all levels in merged and consolidated localities: We organize congresses at the commune and provincial levels immediately after the arrangement of administrative units. Therefore, it is necessary to lead and direct very closely to ensure that the Congress is in accordance with regulations and is substantial, not formalistic. The Politburo will issue a new Directive to replace Directive 35, providing specific guidance on the organization of congresses at all levels in the new spirit. I would like to note two more issues: (i) Regarding documents: The provincial level must soon supplement and complete the documents of its Congress based on the draft of the new Central Document. For provinces that are merged or consolidated, the Standing Committees must discuss with each other to develop the documents of the new Provincial Congress. The documents must be developed in the spirit of the "expanded development space" of the new province. It is not a mechanical amalgamation of the documents of the old province into the documents of the new province. The merged communes must also follow this spirit. (ii) Regarding personnel: Many comrades are concerned about the issue of personnel arrangement when merging, consolidating and arranging personnel for the Congress. The Central agencies will have specific instructions on criteria and standards. I propose that the highest standard should be taken because of work requirements, then other criteria. The Standing Committees at the provincial level (with mergers and consolidations) must discuss this issue thoroughly with each other, creating high unity in implementation, especially in arranging heads of agencies after the merger. For issues that have not been agreed upon, the Politburo and Secretariat assigned to be in charge of the area will guide and direct (the provinces also need to assign provincial Party Committee members to guide and direct the Commune-level Congress). (6) Ensure the roadmap and progress, procedures (especially the process of collecting opinions from the community according to the grassroots democracy regulations) on amending the legal corridor, the time to end the activities of the district level, merge communes, arrange and merge provinces as the Resolution has been passed. (7) Well organize major commemorative activities in 2025, focusing on the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification; 135th birthday of President Ho Chi Minh; 80th anniversary of August Revolution and National Day September 2, along with commemorative activities of each locality.

The Central Committee requested the Subcommittees preparing for the 14th Congress to promptly receive additional comments and suggestions, complete the draft documents (especially the part on socio-economic development orientation for regions and localities after the merger) and send them to the Party Congresses at all levels for discussion and comments, continue to complete the draft documents, and report to the Central Executive Committee at the 12th Central Conference for cadres, Party members and people to discuss and give opinions.

Immediately after this Conference, the Central Steering Committee for the Summary of Resolution 18 will meet to specify the tasks to be done, develop plans and roadmaps for implementing tasks in the coming time, and assign members of the Politburo and Secretariat to direct, guide, inspect, and urge. Also next week, the Politburo and Secretariat will organize a National Cadre Conference to disseminate and unify the awareness and approach throughout the political system regarding the policies just approved by the 11th Central Conference.

The Politburo will also soon issue a Resolution on innovation in law-making and enforcement to meet development requirements in the new era and a Resolution on private economic development to create new momentum along with Resolution 57 on breakthroughs in science and technology development, innovation, national digital transformation and Resolution 59 on international integration in the new situation to resolutely achieve the GDP growth target of 8% or more by 2025, creating a foundation for continuous double-digit growth in the following years. Strive to achieve the goal of Vietnam becoming a developed country with modern industry and high middle income by 2030; becoming a developed country with high income by 2045.

Dear comrades,

The work ahead is very complicated, the reality of life is urgent, the people and party members are waiting, the tasks ahead are very heavy and difficult, I think this is a great challenge, and at the same time an opportunity for each member of the Party Central Committee to demonstrate their sense of responsibility to the Party, to the country, and to the people. The Central Executive Committee believes that, promoting the tradition of solidarity, resilience, and indomitability of the nation, under the Party's talented and wise leadership, the joint efforts, unanimity, and striving of the entire Party, people, and army, we will definitely overcome all difficulties and challenges, and excellently fulfill the set goals, targets, and tasks. We will definitely succeed.

Closing the Conference, I wish you and your families good health, happiness and successful completion of your assigned tasks.

Thank you very much!

The whole country will have 28 provinces and 6 centrally-run cities.

The Central Executive Committee agreed to reduce the number of provincial-level administrative units nationwide from 63 to 34, including 28 provinces and 6 centrally-run cities.

According to VNA

Source: https://baobacgiang.vn/phat-bieu-be-mac-cua-tong-bi-thu-to-lam-tai-hoi-nghi-lan-thu-11-ban-chap-hanh-trung-uong-dang-khoa-xiii-postid415962.bbg