Viewpoints for the people, for the nation in the Declaration of Independence to the Testament of President Ho Chi Minh
This year, the Vietnamese people joyfully celebrate the 79th anniversary of National Day - the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. At the same time, it is also the 55-year journey to look back on the implementation of President Ho Chi Minh's Testament.
On September 2, 1945, at the historic Ba Dinh Square, President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence before the nation - a historical document in a great turning point of the nation.
In that Declaration of Independence, he emphasized: “All peoples in the world are born equal; all peoples have the right to live, to be happy and to be free” and “Vietnam has the right to enjoy freedom and independence and in fact has become a free and independent country. The entire Vietnamese people are determined to devote all their spirit and strength, their lives and property to safeguard that freedom and independence.”
The one who enjoys “freedom and independence” is none other than the people, each individual. The ideology of serving the people and the nation permeated President Ho Chi Minh’s thoughts and actions until the National Day in 1969, when President Ho Chi Minh passed away.
In his Testament, he concluded: “Thanks to close solidarity and wholehearted service to the working class, the people and the Fatherland, since its founding, our Party has united, organized and led our people to enthusiastically fight, advancing from one victory to another.”
Regarding the responsibilities of the Party and each Party member, President Ho Chi Minh advised: “Our Party is a ruling Party. Each Party member and cadre must be truly imbued with revolutionary ethics, truly thrifty, honest, impartial and selfless. We must keep our Party truly clean, worthy of being a leader, a truly loyal servant of the people”. He assigned the task: “The Party must have a very good plan to develop the economy and culture, in order to constantly improve the people's lives”.
At the end of his Testament, President Ho Chi Minh wrote: "My final wish is: Our entire Party and people unite to strive to build a peaceful, unified, independent, democratic and prosperous Vietnam and make a worthy contribution to the world revolutionary cause."
Viewpoint for the people, for the nation in today's decisions
Nearly 80 years has been a difficult but also heroic journey for the nation. Under the leadership of the Party, our people continue on the path they have chosen with new achievements.
During his lifetime, the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong repeatedly emphasized: "After 35 years of carrying out the renovation process, 30 years of implementing the Platform for national construction in the transitional period to socialism, the theory on the renovation policy, on socialism and the path to socialism in our country has been increasingly perfected and gradually realized.
We have achieved great and historic achievements, developing more strongly and comprehensively than in the years before the renovation. With all modesty, we can still say: Our country has never had such a foundation, potential, position and international prestige as it does today.
The viewpoint and stance of being for the people, taking the people as the root and center has also been expressed in the famous article "Some theoretical and practical issues on socialism and the path to socialism in Vietnam", the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong affirmed: "We need a political system where the real power belongs to the people, by the people and serves the interests of the people, not just for a wealthy minority. Perhaps those good wishes are the true values of socialism and also the goal, the path that President Ho Chi Minh, our Party and our people have chosen and are steadfastly and persistently pursuing".
These viewpoints and positions were once again affirmed by General Secretary and President To Lam in an article published in early August 2024 under the title: "Determination to build a strong Party, a prosperous, democratic, fair and civilized Vietnam". The
article of the General Secretary and President emphasized: "Firmly uphold Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh Thought, the goal of national independence, socialism and the Party's renewal policy. Firmly uphold socio-economic development as the center, Party building as the key, cultural development as the spiritual foundation, ensuring national defense and security as essential and regular; maximize internal resources, take advantage of external resources, in which internal resources and human resources are the most important.
Especially attach importance to and constantly strengthen solidarity and unity within the Party, great national solidarity, and the close bond between the Party and the People.
Firmly uphold the stance, viewpoint and practice of “people are the root”, “people are the subject and center of the innovation process”; all policies and strategies must truly originate from the lives, aspirations, rights and legitimate interests of the people, taking the happiness and prosperity of the people as the goal to strive for; ensure that all people enjoy the fruits of innovation and development, live happily in a secure and safe environment, and leave no one behind.
Building a socialist rule-of-law state of the people, by the people, for the people, led by the Communist Party of Vietnam; upholding the Constitution and the law; respecting, ensuring, and effectively protecting human rights and citizens' rights; having a professional, rule-of-law, and modern administration and judiciary; a streamlined, clean, and effective state apparatus; a contingent of cadres, civil servants, and public employees with adequate qualities, capacity, and prestige, who are truly professional, honest, and wholeheartedly serving the Fatherland and the People.
Regarding the goal of "Firmly developing socio-economic development as the center" that General Secretary and President To Lam put forward, it is also the guiding viewpoint identified by our Party in the Resolution of the 13th National Congress: "Continue to develop the country rapidly and sustainably; closely link and synchronously develop tasks, in which socio-economic development is the central task".
This is a very correct viewpoint, clearly demonstrating the central position and role of economic development tasks, especially in the context of Vietnam's economy still on the path to recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition, the socio-economic targets set out in the Resolution of the 13th National Congress include: By 2025, GDP per capita will be about 4,700-5,000 USD; the contribution of total factor productivity to growth will reach about 45%; the average social labor productivity growth rate will be over 6.5%/year; the urbanization rate will be about 45%; the proportion of processing and manufacturing industry in GDP will reach over 25%; the digital economy will reach about 20% of GDP...
These are not easy targets, if not a big challenge. In essence, placing “socio-economic development as the center” still returns to the beneficiaries, the people. Only when “the people are the subject, the center of the innovation process” can “everyone enjoy the fruits of innovation and development, live happily in a secure and safe environment, with no one left behind” in the process of socio-economic development.
Reflecting on the achievements after 79 years since the founding of the country and the orientations in the coming time, every Vietnamese citizen is full of confidence in the strength and spirit of the nation, together overcoming challenges and difficulties to bring Vietnam forward, strong and prosperous.
