Looking back at the journey of nearly a century, we clearly see a consistent and continuous movement: From the mission of "establishing" to liberate the nation, to the bravery of "revolutionary leadership" through the resistance wars and the Doi Moi campaign, to today converging at the "construction and development" point with the aspiration of 2045.
The inevitable choice of history
Spring 1930 not only marked the birth of a political organization but also the only answer to the thorny problem of Vietnamese history in the early 20th century. Before the Communist Party of Vietnam was born, patriotic movements from Can Vuong to bourgeois democracy trends, although vibrant and enthusiastic, all failed due to the lack of a correct national salvation line and the lack of a pioneering class capable of gathering forces. The birth of the Party was a product of the dialectical combination of Marxism-Leninism with the workers' movement and the Vietnamese patriotic movement.
Right from the first Political Platform, the Party identified the Vietnamese revolutionary path as carrying out a bourgeois revolution, civil rights and geographical revolution to reach a communist society. This choice proves the strategic thinking beyond the times of leader Nguyen Ai Quoc and revolutionary predecessors. The Party not only played the role of organizer, but also a torch to guide the way, ending the crisis period of national salvation guidelines that lasted for many decades.
The journey from 1930 to 1975 was the period when the Party carried out the historical mission of "leading the revolution" to liberate the nation. Less than 15 years after its establishment, with only 5,000 party members, the Party led the people to create the August Revolution of 1945, which was earth-shattering, giving birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. This victory was not a stroke of luck from history but the result of the art of seizing opportunities and the strength of the great national unity bloc that the Party painstakingly cultivated.
Followed by 30 years of long-term resistance against French colonialism and American imperialism. Under the talented leadership of the Party, the Vietnamese nation defeated the most powerful military forces in the world. The Dien Bien Phu victory in 1954 and the Great Victory of Spring 1975 vividly proved the truth: A nation with not a large land and not many people, but if there is a genuine Party leading, with a correct line and a united bloc, can completely defeat all invaders. This period has trained a solid political bravery, steadfastly achieving the goal of national independence associated with socialism - the red thread throughout all actions of the Party.
From subsidy thinking to development creation
After the day of reunification, the country faced an economic and social crisis in the late 70s and early 80s. Once again, the Party's bravery was tested. The VI Congress (1986) with the spirit of "looking straight at the truth, assessing the truth correctly, speaking the truth clearly" initiated the Comprehensive Renovation. This was a revolution in thinking, shifting from a centralized bureaucratic subsidy planning mechanism to a socialist-oriented market economy.
This decision demonstrates the Party's dialectical thinking and self-renewal ability. The Party realizes that, to maintain its leadership role, the Party must constantly self-rectify, self-improve and must know how to listen to the breath of life. Over 40 years of Doi Moi, Vietnam has achieved great and historically significant achievements. The scale of the economy has grown remarkably, from a food-deficient country to a leading exporter of rice and agricultural products in the world; from a closed economy to an important link in the global supply chain with high economic openness.
As late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong once affirmed: "Our country has never had the foundation, potential, position and international prestige it has today". Vietnam currently has diplomatic relations with 194 countries, including Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and Strategic Partnership with all major countries and permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.
The endogenetic strength of the country lies not only in economic indicators but also in socio-political stability, the consensus between the Party's will and the people's hearts. The lessons from the campaign to prevent and control the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic recovery efforts have shown the capacity of national governance and the superiority of the regime. This is a solid foundation, a launching pad for our Party to confidently enter the XIV Congress with a new mindset.
Historical significance of the XIV Congress
The 14th National Party Congress is not only a periodic political event, but also a milestone marking the beginning of a new era - the era of rise of the Vietnamese nation. If the 6th Congress is the congress of "Innovation", then the 14th Congress is the congress of "Discipline - Breakthrough - Development". The current world context is unpredictable, with opportunities and challenges intertwined, requiring the Party to have a sharp strategic vision and bold decisions.
The Resolution of the XIV Congress has identified the general objectives for the period 2026 - 2030, vision 2045 as: Maintaining peace and stability; rapid and sustainable development; improving people's lives; strengthening autonomy and self-reliance, advancing strongly in the new era. An important highlight in this document is the strong shift from the mindset of "stability for development" to "development for stability", taking innovation and digital transformation as the main driving forces.
To realize the above aspiration, the XIV Congress established 3 strategic pillars that need to be focused on implementing immediately in the 2026 - 2030 term, by 2030, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Party's establishment: Being a developing country with modern industry, high-middle income, in the socialist orientation:
First, perfecting the development institution. This is considered a breakthrough of every breakthrough. Institutions must create space for development, remove all bottlenecks, and maximize social resources. In particular, the policy of streamlining the political system apparatus, building a constructive, incorruptible, and drastically acting administration is being strongly implemented.
Second, develop high-quality human resources and science and technology. The Party identifies people as the center, subject, most important resource and goal of development. In the era of digital economy and artificial intelligence, Vietnam cannot continue to rely on cheap labor and natural resources. We must proactively grasp core technologies, improve overall labor productivity (TFP) and promote innovative startups.
Third, develop synchronous and modern infrastructure. The system of transport infrastructure, energy, and digitization must go one step ahead. Key national projects such as the North-South high-speed railway, international gateway seaports, renewable energy infrastructure... will create a new face for the country, connecting regions and strengthening national competitiveness.
From Resolution to action: "Advancing with complete victory will surely be ours
As General Secretary To Lam emphasized in the article "Go forward! Total victory will surely be ours!": "Resolution has been issued, the program is clear, the remaining issue is action". The spirit of the 14th National Congress is to resolutely thoroughly overcome the situation of "talking more and doing less", "talking well, doing poorly", ending bureaucratic and formalistic working styles. From now on, "saying and doing" must become an essential principle of action. Each cadre and party member, especially the head, must be exemplary and take the lead, dare to think, dare to do, dare to take responsibility. Right decisions when issued must be implemented with determination ten times higher and actions a hundred times higher in practice.
We do not have time to hesitate or be complacent. The period 2026 - 2030 is a vital "tripod" for Vietnam to break out of the middle-income trap. All Party committees, Party organizations and each party member must be imbued with a sense of responsibility, dare to think, dare to do, dare to take responsibility for the common good. The disease of fear of mistakes, shirking responsibility, and avoiding responsibility must be completely eliminated. Party discipline and State laws must be strictly implemented to create a healthy environment for development.
The call of the country
The vision to 2045 - the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam) - is to become a developed, high-income country. This is the burning aspiration of the entire nation, a sacred promise to the great President Ho Chi Minh.
To achieve this goal, we must maintain high and continuous economic growth in the next two decades. This requires extraordinary efforts, the solidarity and consensus of more than 100 million Vietnamese people at home and abroad. We must build an independent and self-reliant economy, associated with proactive and active deep and effective international integration. Self-reliance does not mean isolation, but having enough internal strength to stand firm against all world fluctuations, maintaining national sovereignty in all aspects, from territory to cyberspace and economy.
In this historic moment, Uncle Ho's call "Go forward! Total victory will surely come to us!" resounds again, becoming a guiding principle for action. Nearly 6 million party members and more than 100 million compatriots are carrying in their hearts the flame of aspiration. General Secretary To Lam called on the entire Party, people, and army to act with the spirit of "every person works twice", with new knowledge and resilient will. Difficulties and challenges ahead are very large. The world geopolitical situation is developing complicatedly, climate change, non-traditional security... are posing difficult problems. However, never before have the strength and power of Vietnam been as strong as today. We have a Party with rich experience, steadfastness and creativity; a heroic, hardworking, and intelligent nation; an absolute loyal, elite, and modern army and police.
The belief in victory is not a joking optimism, but based on a scientific and vivid practical basis. That is the belief that originates from 96 years of training through hardship, from the achievements of 40 years of Doi Moi and from the correct and wise guidelines of the 14th Party Congress.
