On the occasion of the New Year 2025, President Luong Cuong took the time to answer an interview with the Vietnam News Agency (VNA). The following is the content of the interview:
Over the past years, the Party and State have vigorously implemented the policy of judicial reform. Could the President please tell us about the contributions of judicial reform to the country's overall socio-economic development achievements and solutions to further improve the socialist rule of law state?
- Judicial reform is an important content in the Party's innovation policy; it is an inevitable and continuous trend to adapt to changing situations, contributing to building and perfecting the socialist rule of law state of Vietnam.
Under the leadership of the Party, in recent years, our country's judiciary has made positive developments, achieving important results in all aspects; institutionalizing policies on promoting prevention effectiveness and benevolence in handling criminals; reducing prison sentences, expanding the application of fines and non-custodial reform for some types of crimes; applying lighter sentences to juvenile offenders; limiting the application of the death penalty to only some types of particularly serious crimes; overcoming the criminalization of civil and economic relations and the omission of criminals and offenders; perfecting regulations on criminal record erasure to create favorable conditions for convicted persons to reintegrate into the community. The improvement of civil law has contributed to creating an equal business environment, protecting the rights and legitimate interests of organizations, individuals, State interests, and public interests; create fairness in civil and economic relations as well as resolve civil cases.
The law on judicial proceedings is improved towards democracy, publicity, transparency, facilitating and increasing people's access to justice, overcoming injustice and mistakes in litigation activities.
Recently, the Politburo has agreed to the policy of studying and perfecting the law on initiating civil lawsuits when the subject of civil rights is a vulnerable group or when it is related to public interests but there is no one to initiate the lawsuit; on improving the effectiveness of applying simplified procedures, combining non-judicial procedural methods with judicial procedural methods.
The National Assembly has passed the Law on Juvenile Justice, contributing to building a friendly legal system that protects children; the promulgation of the Law on Mediation and Dialogue in Court has created a new method of dispute resolution without having to open a trial, contributing to resolving conflicts and contradictions in civil and administrative relations in a friendly manner, preserving solidarity among the people; along with Resolutions on online trials; on piloting the handling of evidence and assets during the investigation, prosecution, and trial of a number of criminal cases...
The organization and operation of judicial agencies are constantly being innovated, improved, and made more effective and efficient; the quality of litigation in court is increasingly focused on and improved. Special amnesty work is being carried out with attention. From 2021 to present, the President has granted amnesty to 9,236 prisoners, affirming the lenient and humane policy of the Party and State....
The above results have significantly contributed to promoting socio-economic development, international integration, protecting justice, protecting human rights, civil rights, and firmly defending the Fatherland.
In the coming time, continue to implement Resolution No. 27-NQ/TW on building a socialist rule-of-law state of Vietnam in the new period; strive to build a professional, modern, fair, strict, honest judiciary, serving the Fatherland and the People, judicial reform must continue to be promoted and become more effective to better serve the tasks of socio-economic development and national defense; carry out synchronously with legislative innovation, state apparatus innovation and administrative reform, including:
- The legal system must fully institutionalize the Party's policies and guidelines in the direction of democracy, fairness, humanity, completeness, synchronization, unity, timeliness, feasibility, publicity, transparency, stability, accessibility, close to reality, taking people and businesses as the center and subject.
Continue to develop and improve laws on preventing and combating corruption, waste, and negativity; laws on minors; conduct research and develop a mechanism to control the issuance of sub-law documents and consider the responsibility for issuing documents causing serious consequences; on the mechanism for initiating administrative lawsuits so that the court can decide on cases where state management agencies and entities do not implement or do not properly implement the law, causing damage to public interests and state interests; on reviewing and evaluating laws related to the death penalty and execution of death sentences to amend and supplement them appropriately in the direction of studying to reduce the number of crimes subject to the death penalty; further improve the management, education, and rehabilitation of prisoners, ensuring and better protecting human rights for those serving sentences.
- The process of building a socialist rule-of-law state in Vietnam, including judicial reform, must fully promote the people's mastery, protect human rights and citizens' rights; build awareness and a lifestyle that respects the Constitution and the law in society; well implement the principle that citizens are allowed to do everything that the law does not prohibit, citizens' rights are closely linked to citizens' obligations; thoroughly overcome injustice and mistakes in litigation; ensure safety, openness and fairness in civil relations, paving the way for innovation, creativity and sustainable development. Continue to innovate, improve the effectiveness and efficiency of supervision by the National Assembly, People's Councils and the Fatherland Front at all levels. On the occasion of major holidays in 2025, the Party and State will conduct special amnesty for prisoners with good behavior.
In 2024, we will continue to have important foreign affairs activities to enhance the country's position. To date, Vietnam has established comprehensive strategic partnerships with 9 countries, including 4/5 permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. Could you please share the orientations for foreign affairs in 2025?
- Looking back at the complex and profound changes in the region and the world in 2024, we can see that Vietnam's foreign affairs and diplomacy, based on the principle of firmly upholding the Party's leadership and closely linking the three pillars of Party foreign affairs, State diplomacy and people's diplomacy, have contributed to opening up a new, open and unprecedentedly favorable foreign situation for Vietnam.
Vietnam's foreign affairs and diplomacy continue to affirm its pioneering role, contributing to creating and maintaining an environment of peace, stability, independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity; effectively serving the development and enhancing the country's position, prestige and new stature.
In relations with neighboring friends, traditional partners, key and important partners, both bilaterally and multilaterally, continuing the experience and achievements of previous generations, the "Vietnam story" is increasingly receiving the world's attention, being welcomed with admiration, respect and sympathy from international friends.
The event of the United Nations General Assembly on December 24, 2024 unanimously adopting the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime, called the “Hanoi Convention” - a topical issue for Vietnam and the international community, which will be opened for signing in Hanoi in 2025, once again affirms Vietnam's increasingly high international position and prestige, as well as our active, responsible and substantive participation in global issues.
Along with that, economic diplomacy and foreign economic relations have developed strongly, contributing to the realization of growth targets, as well as promoting the process of economic restructuring on the basis of science - technology and innovation. Cultural diplomacy, work with overseas Vietnamese, foreign information... have highlighted and spread the image of a peaceful, stable and developing Vietnam in the region as well as in the world. Vietnam's foreign affairs - diplomacy with a new attitude, new appearance and new thinking, confidently enters a new era, an era of national development.
Faced with the complex and unpredictable changes in the world situation, the task of foreign affairs in 2025 as well as in the coming time is to continue to consolidate the favorable foreign affairs situation, position Vietnam in the flow of the times, promote national interests, and meet the requirements of the cause of building and defending the Fatherland. I believe that Vietnam's foreign affairs and diplomacy this year need to:
Firstly, to promote the important role, regularly work with other forces to maintain a peaceful, friendly, cooperative and developing environment; resolutely and persistently protect independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity; proactively and actively respond to traditional and non-traditional security challenges. To do this, Vietnam's foreign affairs and diplomacy need to ensure the highest national interests on the basis of international law and the United Nations Charter, imbued with and creatively applying the motto "Respond to all changes with the unchanging" and the art of diplomacy of President Ho Chi Minh, which is "persuading people, conquering people, winning people over" with reason and morality.
Second, continue to promote the precious tradition of the Vietnamese people, especially in closely combining foreign affairs with national defense and security to "protect the country from afar, protect the country when it is not yet in danger", not to be passive or surprised according to the motto "rich country, strong army, peaceful inside, calm outside", "warm inside, peaceful outside", a unique identity that few nations have.
Third, in a world where the development of each country cannot be separated from the external environment, foreign affairs also have the task of creating opportunities and attracting resources for national development. Accordingly, it is necessary to promote economic diplomacy and foreign economic affairs in the period of accelerating the implementation of the 5-year Socio-Economic Development Plan 2021-2025 with new directions and new breakthroughs.
Timely identify and take advantage of new leading development drivers and trends shaping the world such as digital transformation, green transformation, energy transformation; breakthrough fields such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, green energy, etc.; cooperate with innovation centers, making Vietnam an important link in the global innovation network and production chain, etc.
Fourth, with new position and strength, our country has the conditions to raise its contribution and affirm Vietnam's new position in the international arena. Along with successfully organizing international events that Vietnam hosts, foreign affairs and diplomacy need to further promote its international role and responsibility, making practical and responsible contributions to solving common world problems.
We not only need to proactively participate in building regulations and laws in global governance, but also need to further promote our core and leading role in important strategic issues and mechanisms that are in line with our interests, as well as actively contribute to building a fair and equal international order based on international law.
Fifth, it is necessary to further promote the “soft power” of the nation to strongly spread the image of a rising country; not only mobilizing resources for the country’s socio-economic development but also connecting Vietnam with the world, cultivating friendship with other nations, increasing the country’s position and influence, and contributing responsibly to regional and global issues. Continuing to do well the work of overseas Vietnamese, affirming the attention and care of our Party and State for our compatriots abroad, consolidating the great national unity, mobilizing resources and knowledge for the cause of national construction.
Finally, in the revolution of streamlining and streamlining the apparatus taking place across the country, foreign affairs must build a streamlined, effective, efficient, and professional apparatus; a team of cadres with qualifications, capacity, and political courage, contributing to building a comprehensive, modern, and professional Vietnamese foreign affairs and diplomacy that meets the requirements of the new era, commensurate with the stature of the country.
In the context of complicated developments in the world and the region, the task of maintaining the independence, sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity of the Fatherland, ensuring national defense and security is extremely important. In your capacity as Chairman of the National Defense and Security Council, could you please tell us about the key tasks to protect the Fatherland in the new situation?
- Defending the Fatherland is a regular and important task of the entire Party, the entire people, the entire army, and the entire political system, and is the sacred duty and noble right of citizens. In the current context, we need to firmly adhere to the goal of national independence and socialism, constantly increase the overall national strength, and firmly defend the Fatherland in all situations; in which, we need to focus on synchronously implementing the following key tasks and solutions:
First of all, the key and most decisive issue is to do a good job of building and rectifying the Party and the political system to be truly clean and strong; combining the building and perfecting of a socialist rule-of-law State of the people, by the people, for the people, with streamlining the apparatus to ensure efficiency, effectiveness and efficiency of operations. Promote well the supervisory and critical role of the Fatherland Front and socio-political organizations in the cause of building and defending the Fatherland.
Second, strengthen the strength of national unity, promote socialist democracy and people's mastery; preserve and foster the close connection between the Party and the people, consolidate the solid "people's hearts" position; promote the patriotic emulation movement, arouse all resources, potentials, and creativity of every Vietnamese person, for the goal of "rich people, strong country, democracy, fairness, and civilization".
Third, build an independent and self-reliant economy, promote industrialization and modernization, develop the country quickly, comprehensively and sustainably. Effectively implement projects and plans on strengthening national defense and security combined with socio-economic development, especially in strategic directions and key areas. Promote the development of science and technology; build a self-reliant, modern, strong, dual-use national industry to meet the requirements of building and defending the Fatherland.
Fourth, build and promote cultural values and the strength of the Vietnamese people in the cause of building and defending the Fatherland. Strengthen patriotic education, arouse national pride, confidence, and sense of responsibility among the people to develop a prosperous, civilized, and happy country. Build a system of national values, a system of cultural values, and human standards associated with preserving and developing the Vietnamese family system in the new era.
Fifth, strengthen national defense and security; maintain the absolute, direct leadership in all aspects of the Party, the centralized, unified management of the State over the armed forces and the cause of protecting the Fatherland. Build a revolutionary, disciplined, elite, modern People's Army and People's Public Security with comprehensive quality and high combat strength, firmly protect independence, sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity; maintain national security, order, and social safety in all situations.
Sixth, consistently implement the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation and development, multilateralization and diversification of foreign relations; proactively and actively integrate comprehensively, deeply and effectively into the international community. Promote the pioneering role of foreign affairs in creating and maintaining a peaceful and stable environment to build and develop the country, protect the Fatherland "early, from afar", "protect the country when it is not yet in danger" by peaceful means.
On the occasion of the New Year 2025, what message does the President have to send to the people of the whole country and compatriots abroad?
- 2025 is a year with many important events for our Party and people, especially the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam) and the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the South and national reunification; the year of accelerating the completion of the goals set out in the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress, creating a solid foundation for our country to enter a new era - the era of national growth.
I hope that all compatriots and soldiers nationwide and our compatriots abroad will continue to promote the tradition of patriotism, solidarity, creativity, self-reliance, self-confidence, self-reliance, national pride, join hands and overcome all difficulties and challenges, build a strong, prosperous, civilized and happy country; firmly protect our beloved Vietnam; and actively contribute to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.
Under the leadership of the Party, the participation of the entire political system, the solidarity and determination of the people of the whole country and our compatriots abroad, and the valuable support and cooperation of international friends, I believe that 2025 will continue to achieve many new and greater achievements, opening up bright prospects for the country's future.
The New Year 2025 is coming, with new faith and spirit, I cordially send to every Vietnamese person and international friends my warmest feelings and best wishes - New Year, new victory!
Thank you very much, President!
