Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang - Member of the Politburo, Director of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council spent time exchanging with reporters about the outstanding results in theoretical research on socialism and the path to socialism in Vietnam over the past 40 years.
Professor Nguyen Xuan Thang, what achievements have we made in developing the theory of socialism and the path to socialism in Vietnam through 40 years of renovation?
- First of all, it is necessary to emphasize that the starting point of the country's renovation is the renovation of awareness and theoretical thinking, and first of all, the awareness and theoretical thinking about socialism and the path to socialism in Vietnam.
Before the collapse of the Soviet Union and the disintegration of the socialist system according to the Soviet model, theoretical work has provided solid scientific arguments to affirm that this is not the collapse of socialism in general, but only the collapse of the dogmatic, rigid, alienated socialist model, alienated from the basic principles of Marxism-Leninism, especially the historical-specific principles, practical principles and lack of adaptation to the frequent changes in socio-political life. That is also the consequence of serious mistakes in political guidelines, the reduction of the Party's leadership role, political-ideological work, organizational work, especially the work of cadres of the ruling party in the process of reform. Right from that extremely difficult and arduous time, our Party clearly affirmed that it is necessary to innovate the thinking about socialism and the path to socialism. Our Party has also resolutely declared that it is necessary to innovate the way of thinking about socialism.
Through nearly 40 years of carrying out the National Renovation Campaign, summarizing and drawing deep lessons learned from the process of building socialism in the world and in Vietnam before renovation; steadfastly, applying and creatively developing Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh's ideology in the new context, theoretical work has played a very important role in the Platform for building the country in the transition period to socialism in 1991, the Platform (supplementing, developing) in 2011, gradually forming and perfecting the basic theoretical system on socialism and the path to socialism in Vietnam, with the following core and outstanding contents:
First, socialism that the Vietnamese people builds has characteristics that both reflect the value, identity and development aspirations of the Vietnamese nation, suitable to the specific conditions of the country; and also carries universal and progressive values of humanity. Regarding the goal, it is: rich people, strong country, democracy, fairness, civilization. It should be emphasized further that, from the perspective of inheritance and development, at the XIII Congress, our Party identified two 100-year goals: By 2030, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Party's founding, being a developing country with modern industry, high average income; and by 2045, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the country's founding, becoming a developed country with high income. The draft Political Report submitted to the XIV Congress reaffirms these two goals, with the determination to build a peaceful, independent, democratic, prosperous, prosperous, civilized, and happy Vietnam, steadily advancing towards socialism.
In terms of outstanding characteristics, they are: socialism mastered by the people; having a highly developed economy based on modern production forces and appropriate progressive production relations; having an advanced culture, rich in national identity; people having a prosperous, free, and happy life, with conditions for comprehensive development; ethnic groups in the Vietnamese community are equal, united, respectful and help each other develop together; having a socialist rule-of-law state of the people, by the people, for the people led by the Communist Party of Vietnam; having friendly and cooperative relations with countries around the world.
Second, the socialist model of Vietnam is built on three pillars: socialist-oriented market economy; socialist rule-of-law state of the people, by the people, for the people under the leadership of the Party; and socialist democracy.
Third, the basic guidelines and directions for building Vietnamese socialism, inheriting the contents of the 2011 Platform, supplementing and updating according to the spirit of the 14th Congress are: building and perfecting the synchronous institution of rapid and sustainable development of the country; establishing a new growth model, restructuring the economy, promoting industrialization and modernization, taking science, technology, innovation and digital transformation as the main driving force; developing a socialist-oriented market economy; building an advanced Vietnamese culture, rich in national identity, building people, improving people's lives, implementing progress and social justice; firmly ensuring national defense and national security, social order and safety; implementing the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, self-strengthening, peace, friendship, cooperation and development, multilateralization, diversification, proactiveness and active international integration; building a socialist democracy, promoting the will and strength of the people and the great national unity bloc to strengthen the country's social order and prosperity.
Fourth, always grasp, thoroughly grasp and handle well the major relationships reflecting the dialectical issues in the process of building, developing the country and protecting the socialist Fatherland, which are: the relationship between stability, innovation and development; between economic innovation and political innovation; between complying with market laws and ensuring socialist orientation; between developing the production force and building and gradually perfecting the socialist production relationship; between the State, market and society; between economic growth and cultural development, implementing progress, social justice, and environmental protection; between building and protecting the socialist Vietnamese Fatherland; between independence, self-reliance and international integration; between the Party leadership, the State management, and the People as masters; between implementing democracy and strengthening the rule of law, ensuring social discipline.
In particular, from theoretical research and practical summarization of the renovation process towards socialist orientation over the past 40 years, our Party has gradually built and perfected the theory of the renovation line; as the draft Political Report submitted to the 14th National Party Congress affirms: "This is the application, supplementation, and creative development of Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh's ideology in the renovation period; is the supplementation and creative development of the theory of socialism and the path to socialism in Vietnam, in accordance with objective laws, stemming from the country's reality and the trends of the times; inheriting the good traditions of the nation, selectively absorbing the quintessence, cultural values and development achievements of humanity; is the torch that illuminates the road to continue leading us to successfully realize aspirations, visions and strategic orientations, creating new development miracles in the era of national rise.
Professor Nguyen Xuan Thang, what premises do these theoretical achievements create for leading our country in the new era?
- It is necessary to affirm that in the past 40 years, the innovation of theoretical thinking has always been one step ahead, arguing the content, direction, and strategic orientation for policies of innovation in all fields of economy, society, culture, national defense, security, foreign affairs, Party building and political system... Thanks to this, our country has achieved great historically significant achievements, creating a solid foundation for strategic autonomy, pride, confidence, and advancing into a new era of development.
From centralized planning thinking, opposing the market economy to socialism, the theoretical research and practical synthesis have contributed to clarifying the awareness that the market economy is a product of human civilization, with many models developed and adapted to many different socio-economic forms, both under capitalism and under socialism; market economy development itself cannot lead to socialism, but to successfully build socialism, it is imperative to develop the socialist-oriented market economy. The socialist-oriented market economy is a creative breakthrough in the Party's theory and is a general economic development model of Vietnam in the renovation period.
Deeply assessing the causes and consequences of being isolated, embargoed, closed, and closed, our Party has innovated its thinking, led the process of opening up the country and promoting international integration; inherited and promoted Ho Chi Minh's diplomatic ideology to build a system of Vietnamese diplomatic theory in the new era as a basis for planning and implementing an independent, self-reliant, self-reliant, peaceful, friendly, cooperative and developing foreign policy, multilateralizing and diversifying foreign relations; proactively and actively integrating comprehensively, deeply, synchronously and effectively into the international community; being friends, reliable partners and active, important and responsible members in the international community; enhancing the role, position, and prestige of the country in the international arena.
With correct awareness, researching and summarizing experiences from the successes and failures in the practice of building socialist models in the world, our Party has completed the scientific basis for transforming and leading the construction of a socialist rule-of-law state; creatively practicing the principle that state power is unified but with division, coordination and control in the exercise of legislative, executive and judicial powers; at the same time, proposing the operating mechanism "Party leadership, State management, People master" and the motto "people know, people discuss, people do, people inspect, people supervise, people benefit" associated with the completion of socialist democracy, ensuring all power belongs to the people, promoting the strength of the people and the great national unity bloc.
The Party's theoretical research work has also contributed to forming the policy of building an advanced Vietnamese culture, rich in national identity, comprehensively developed and unified in diversity; building national value systems, cultural values, family values and standards of Vietnamese people in the new era; taking people as the center and subject of development; making culture and people a solid foundation, a goal, an endogenous strength, an important resource and driving force for rapid and sustainable development of the country.
Inheriting the traditional military ideology and art of the nation, developing the people's war line in the struggles for independence, national liberation, national reunification, building and protecting the Fatherland, the Party has built a theoretical system on protecting the Fatherland, protecting national security, on national defense strategy, military strategy and modern combat thinking in the new situation, as a basis for the policy of closely combining socio-economic development with consolidating and strengthening national defense and security; building a revolutionary, regular, elite, modern People's Army and People's Police, strong in both potential, force and formation; protecting the Fatherland from early, from afar, from when the country was not in danger; building a people's heart formation closely linked to the all-people national defense formation, the people's security formation and a solid people's foreign affairs formation.
At the 14th Congress, the establishment of the theory that the Doi Moi (Renovation) Strategy is a part of the Party's ideological foundation is a very important decision, showing the bravery, wisdom, innovative thinking, and far-reaching strategic vision of our Party. This affirms that Doi Moi is a creative cause of historical stature and extremely great significance on the path of building socialism of Vietnam, implemented by the Vietnamese people; the Doi Moi (Renovation) Strategy is not only a collection of viewpoints, guidelines, and policies for a period of development, but has been elevated to a higher level of theory, along with Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh's ideology, constituting the ideological foundation, guiding the cause of building, developing the country and protecting the Vietnamese Fatherland in the new period.
What important theoretical issues need to be further researched in the vision to mid-21st century, sir?
- In the coming time, it is necessary to focus on effectively implementing a number of theoretical research and practical summary tasks as follows:
Continue to research and clarify some common issues of the "Vietnamese revolutionary theory".
Researching the application and supplementation, creative development of Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh's ideology, the theory of the Party's renovation line; continuing to affirm the sustainable values of Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh's ideology, pointing out the contents that need to be understood and applied more correctly, the contents that need to be supplemented to suit the new specific conditions of the country and the changes of the times, constantly perfecting the Party's ideological foundation, affirming the pioneering, revolutionary role and leadership, rule, and combative power of the Party.
Continue to research, supplement and develop the theory of socialism and the path to socialism in Vietnam; deepen the pillars and characteristics of the socialist model, the direction of building socialism and solving major relationships in building and protecting the socialist Vietnamese Fatherland. Pay attention to summarizing and deepening the lesson that the cause of building socialism must always be placed under the leadership of the Party and the lesson "people are the root", the people are the center, the subject of the cause of building, developing the country and protecting the Fatherland, affirming that these are the two decisive factors for all victories of the Vietnamese revolution in general, and the cause of building socialism in Vietnam in particular.
Researching and summarizing theoretical and practical issues, historical lessons learned through 100 years of the Party leading the Vietnamese revolution; summarizing 40 years of implementing the Platform for building the country in the period of transition to socialism (in 1991), forming a comprehensive system of arguments serving the construction of the Platform for building, developing the country and protecting the Fatherland in the new era, the era of national rise.
Focus on supplementing the theory and summarizing the reality of the "Vietnam development model".
Strengthen the synthesis of practical development models and growth models of localities in the country and countries around the world, draw lessons learned, and find effective, creative and highly feasible development methods in the digital age. Build a theoretical system on perfecting synchronous institutions for rapid and sustainable development, including foundational institutions, innovative institutions and breakthrough and superior development institutions in all fields of social life to bring our country to catch up with the trends of the times, even surpass in some areas with advantages, overcome the middle-income trap, and become a developed and high-income country. Deepen the idea of "centering on people," focusing on improving people's material, spiritual, and happy lives on the principle of inclusive and sustainable development, ensuring that no one is left behind, and that all people have the opportunity to participate and enjoy the achievements of the development process.
On that basis, it is necessary to affirm and clarify more clearly that the "Vietnam development model" has its own identity, with outstanding characteristics: rapid, inclusive and sustainable development, taking people as the center, operating on the principle: "developing for stability, stable for rapid and sustainable development of the country, improving the lives and happiness of the people" building a rich, strong, democratic, prosperous, civilized, and happy Vietnam.
Promptly grasp and thoroughly analyze the new issues of today's world.
In the context of the world moving rapidly, complexly and unpredictably, it is necessary to strengthen and improve the ability to analyze strategic forecasting. Theoretical work needs to be pioneering in the study of timely transformations; the formation of a new economic era under the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution; major trends of the world in the first half of the 21st century; the multidimensional movement of the global landscape; strategic competition between powers and the ability to shape a new world order; the future social model of humanity and its profound impacts and socio-cultural changes; the crisis of values, traditional development models and drawing lessons learned...
In particular, focus on researching and selecting modern development theories and ideas, the quintessential development values of the East, inheriting and combining them with the progressive elements of the West, continuing to improve the national value system, cultural value system, family value system and Vietnamese human standards.
On the basis of the theoretical basis of scientific and practical socialism today, continue to research and summarize the world's awareness of real socialism in the 21st century; focus on summarizing typical socialist models, deeply studying trends of democratic socialism, market socialism, ecological socialism, technology socialism (in comparison with digital capitalism)... contributing to providing arguments for perfecting the theoretical system of socialism and the path to socialism of Vietnam. Building a unique theoretical system reflecting breakthrough thinking and revolutionary development transformations in the new era, the era of Vietnam's national rise.
Clarify the content, conditions and methods of building a new production force, providing arguments for the implementation and promotion of revolutionary development transformations of the country, such as: breakthroughs in science, technology and innovation, digital transformation, green transformation, energy transformation, structural and quality transformation of human resources... Supplementing and perfecting the theory of developing a socialist-oriented market economy institution at a high level, focusing on breakthrough and superior institutions to strongly liberate all resources, potentials, and new development space. Researching and summarizing new theoretical and practical issues in implementing the policy: culture and people are the foundation, goal, endogenous strength, resources and important driving force of development; focusing on continuing to awaken and promote patriotism, pride, national pride, self-esteem, will of self-reliance, self-reliance, self-strengthening, along with the aspiration for creativity and dedication of each Vietnamese citizen in the new era.
Completing the theory of social development management in accordance with the trend of social transformation in our country in the coming time. Forming a comprehensive theoretical system on Party building and the Vietnamese political system to orient the completion of the overall model of the political system; innovating the Party's leadership and governance methods, especially supplementing, developing and deepening the Party's leadership methods, organizational principles and activities; breakthroughs in personnel work to meet the requirements of the new period; strengthening the close relationship between the Party and the people; controlling power, promoting democracy in the context of a ruling party; preventing and combating corruption, wastefulness, bureaucracy, negativity and manifestations of degradation in political ideology, morality, lifestyle, preventing "self-evolution", "self-transformation"...
Research the theory, summarize new practices to continue to improve the socialist rule-of-law state model; harmoniously combine the universal values of the world and the specific values of Vietnam; innovate the thinking of building laws, shifting from management thinking to national governance and development management thinking; improve the efficiency of assignment, coordination and control between executive, legislative and judicial agencies, promote decentralization, decentralization and practice of democracy, control of power, strengthen publicity, transparency, accountability...
Building a theoretical system on protecting the Fatherland, protecting national security and promoting foreign affairs, international integration in the new situation; developing national defense, military, security and military art theory, art of protecting national security, social security as a basis for building a revolutionary, regular, elite, and modern army and police force; perfecting and synchronously implementing national defense and security strategies. Developing comprehensive and unique thinking on protecting the Fatherland from early on, from afar, defending the country from when the country is not in danger. Continue to supplement and improve the theoretical system on foreign affairs, showing Vietnam's unique foreign and diplomatic school of thought in the new era, "immutable, responsive to all changes", steadfast in principles, strategy and flexible and tactically flexible to protect national and ethnic interests.
Sincerely thank Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang.
