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| Party General Secretary Tô Lâm delivers the keynote speech at the national conference on May 18__Photo: VNA |
Over 1.5 million delegates attended the national conference on May 18, talking about the huge shift in thinking to push ahead and create momentum for two key resolutions.
They discussed how to disseminate and implement the two Political Bureau's Resolutions 66 & 68 on renewing the work of law-making and law enforcement to meet the demands of national development in the new era and on the development of the private economy, respectively.
General Secretary To Lam delivered a keynote speech at the conference, held in a hybrid format from the National Assembly building in Hanoi, followed by presentations from Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man on the two resolutions in question.
Before attending the Conference, delegates visited the exhibitions 'Achievements in law making and enforcement' and 'Achievements in private economic development and booths displaying products of private enterprises'.
In his opening remarks, General Secretary To Lam emphasized that after nearly 40 years of steadfastly implementing the Đổi mới (Renewal) process, the country has achieved tremendous accomplishments. The economy has seen continuous growth, people’s living standards have improved, and Việt Nam’s international standing has steadily increased.
The Party chief stated that the innovations and reforms in the new era are centered on four breakthrough Resolutions of the Political Bureau, namely Resolution 57 on promoting science, technology, and innovation and Resolution 59 on proactive and comprehensive international integration – both of which have already been disseminated, and Resolution 66 and Resolution 68.
The common breakthrough of all four Resolutions lies in a new development mindset.
That sees a change from 'management' to 'service'; from 'protection' to 'creative competition'; from 'passive' to 'proactive integration' and from 'fragmented reform' to 'comprehensive, coordinated and profound breakthroughs'. This marks a fundamental shift in thinking, building on the achievements of renewal and aligning with global trends in the digital era.
“These four recent resolutions of the Political Bureau are institutional cornerstones that will provide strong momentum for Vietnam to advance in the new era and realize the vision of becoming a developed, high-income country by 2045," General Secretary Lâm noted, adding that the entire political system must implement all four in a coordinated manner to achieve the highest effectiveness.
General Secretary Lam specified that Resolution 68 represents a significant leap in the Party’s theoretical thinking and practical leadership.
Accordingly, the Resolution calls for bold reforms, including the improvements of institutions (protecting property rights and the right to do business; fostering a fair, transparent, and stable investment and business environment); mobilizing resources (expanding access to land, credit, markets, and technology for the private sector; fundamentally addressing institutional and policy bottlenecks); fostering innovation (robustly developing the start-up ecosystem; supporting private enterprises in investing in R&D and deeply participating in global innovation networks and value chains); and building a modern entrepreneurial class, that are not only adept in business but also politically grounded, intellectually capable, professionally ethical, patriotic and driven by a desire to contribute to the nation and reach global standards.
“It can be said that Resolution 68 lays the foundation for a comprehensive shift in private economic development policy — from merely ‘recognizing’ to actively ‘protecting, encouraging, and promoting’; from ‘supplementary’ to ‘leading’ development. This is a sound, urgent strategic choice with long-term vision, aimed at realizing our aspiration for a strong and prosperous nation by the mid-21st century,” General Secretary Lâm stressed.
In response to pressing demands, the Political Bureau adopted Resolution 57, which clearly defines science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation as strategic breakthroughs—the primary driving forces for modernizing the country, reforming national governance, and achieving rapid and sustainable socio-economic development, the Party chief noted.
The Resolution calls for strengthening the Party’s comprehensive leadership over scientific and technological development and innovation, while empowering enterprises, entrepreneurs, intellectuals and the public as key actors. It identifies this as a sweeping, comprehensive revolution in all aspects of social life, requiring bold, decisive, consistent and innovative action. Outdated mindsets and formalistic, passive ways of working must not be allowed to hinder progress.
To that end, the entire Party, people and armed forces must focus on key tasks: raising awareness throughout society – especially among the business community and policy-makers – of the critical role of science, technology, innovation and digital transformation in national development; breaking through outdated thinking, removing backward perceptions, and igniting a spirit of boldness, innovation, and responsibility; strengthening political will and unifying the entire system around the principle that science, technology, and innovation are the primary drivers of development; improving institutions, removing legal and administrative barriers, and creating a favorable environment for innovation, research, and application of technology — turning the legal framework into a national competitive advantage.
Resolution 66 identifies fundamental reform of law-making and enforcement as a core and foundational task in building a socialist rule-of-law state in the new era, General Secretary Lâm said. The Resolution affirms that law is not merely a tool to regulate social behavior but must serve as the basis for the organization and exercise of state power, a firm foundation for protecting human and civil rights and a lever for socio-economic development.
“The spirit of reform here is to fundamentally change the approach to law-making: from a ‘management’ mindset to one of ‘service’; from passive to proactive, shaping and facilitating development. Laws must be forward-looking, predictive and aligned with rapid development needs. Enforcement must be strict, fair, and substantive; digital transformation must be linked with transparency and user-friendliness for people and businesses. There must be clear decentralization and delegation of authority, coupled with accountability, eliminating ‘give-and-take’ mechanisms and eradicating special interests and group privileges,” General Secretary Lâm said.
On Resolution 59, the Vietnamese top leader said this represents a historic turning point in Việt Nam’s international integration process, identifying integration as a strategic driver for the nation’s advancement in the new era. It reflects a far-sighted view that integration is not merely about openness and exchange, but a comprehensive undertaking requiring proactivity, initiative, and resilience.
The Resolution maintains a consistent principle: international integration is the cause of the entire nation, led absolutely and directly by the Party, with unified State management, placing people and enterprises at the center and as key drivers of innovation.
It lays out comprehensive and profound strategic directions. In economics, there must be deepened integration in tandem with building an independent, self-reliant, and modern economy, promoting digital, green, and circular economies, and enhancing competitiveness based on science, technology, and innovation. In politics, defense and security, international integration must go hand in hand with strengthening strategic and comprehensive partnerships, fostering political trust, safeguarding independence and sovereignty, and maintaining a peaceful and stable environment. In science, education, health, and the environment, integration will be leveraged to raise national standards, develop high-quality human resources, and deepen participation in global value chains.- (VNS/VLLF)
