Within the framework of foreign affairs activities at the beginning of the new year 2026, Vietnamese Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany Nguyen Dac Thanh had working meetings with Mr. Patrik Köbele, President of the German Communist Party (DKP) and Mr. Wulf Gallert, Co-Head of the Foreign Affairs Department of the German Left Party (Die Linke) - VNA reported.
On this occasion, Ambassador Nguyen Dac Thanh introduced to the leaders of the political parties about the XIV Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam to be held soon.
Affirming his concern for the results of the 14th Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam, DKP Chairman Patrik Köbele said that he had studied the documents and resolutions of the Congress and was impressed with the achievements that Vietnam has achieved in recent years. He highly appreciated the fact that the Communist Party of Vietnam is always closely associated with people's lives, and at the same time expects that after this Congress, Vietnam will continue to maintain and promote that spirit of solidarity and strong cohesion. One point that he particularly appreciates is that the documents not only mention the positive aspects, but also put forward systematic criticisms. These criticisms help the Communist Party of Vietnam not to be far from the masses.
Talking to VNA, Professor - Doctor of Literature Park Yeon Gwan, Faculty of Vietnamese Studies, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS) Korea, said that the XIV Congress is expected to establish a breakthrough development vision for the period to 2030 and further to 2045, in the context of a fragmented global economy, increasing strategic competition between major countries and a deeply restructured global supply chain.
According to Professor Park Yeon Gwan, the most important strategic orientation that the 14th Congress needs to establish is the qualitative transformation of the growth model. Vietnam needs to gradually move beyond the development model based mainly on attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) and exports, shifting to a model that takes productivity, technology and endogenous capacity of domestic enterprises as the center, thereby upgrading its position in the regional and global value chain.
Regarding foreign affairs, Professor Park Yeon Gwan said that Vietnam's policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralization, and diversification of relations will continue to be maintained, but the 14th Congress may mark an important refinement step towards being more proactive and strategic. Instead of just stopping at maintaining a balance between major countries, Vietnam is expected to apply a stratified approach to each field and cooperation theme, taking national interests and development strategy as the center to disperse risks and improve strategic self-reliance.
Meanwhile, former French Ambassador to Vietnam in the period 2001-2004, Mr. Antoine Pouillieute, said that Vietnam has been recognized by the international community for many years as a successful country in the process of rise, not only shown through economic indicators but also through the clear feeling of Vietnamese society itself.
Referring to the major orientations that the XIV Congress is expected to pass, the former French Ambassador said that a congress needs to put forward fundamental orientations. After the successful "takeoff" phase, Vietnam enters a stage where it needs to demonstrate adaptability and sustainability in the "speed of the journey". Accordingly, priorities such as simplifying the apparatus and decision-making process, improving the effectiveness of public policies commensurate with the strong vitality of the private economic sector, as well as strengthening the competitiveness of a more diverse economy with higher added value, are key issues.
From the perspective of a diplomat who has been attached to Vietnam, Mr. Pouillieute believes that Vietnam needs to continue to affirm itself as a stable fulcrum for the region, with a long-term vision for political leaders.
