Over the course of national defence and construction, there are inevitable historical events whose significance and sustainable value remain everlasting despite the time. The Victory of April 30, 1975 is a typical example of such special political events.

Historical significance and epochal stature

Looking back at our country’s history, our people have always aspired for peace, independence, and freedom of our country and people. However, history keeps “entrusting” our nation to encounter different empires in different eras. The law of uneven development among countries led to uneven power distribution from which major powers and small nations are classified. The fact that the coercion that major powers imposed on the weaker ones gave birth to imperialism at that time. These empires were tremendously powerful at first and conquered countries all over the world but were miserably defeated in unexpected places. Vietnam was an example of those places. Whenever our nation had to repel the invaders, we united to form a strong unity that could overcome all the difficulties and challenges to protect our sacred sovereignty regardless of the losses.

The great victory of the 1975 Spring General Offensive and Uprising, notably the Ho Chi Minh campaign, gloriously put an end to the resistance war against the American imperialists and ended the 30-year journey of the struggle for national liberation, protecting the results of the August Revolution in 1945. The Victory of April 30 is a song about our Party’s ingenuity in assessing and grasping the situation and taking advantage of opportunities, about the Party’s will associated with the people’s hearts, and about the great unity bloc. This Victory was a model of the skilful combination of national strength and the power of the times into an extraordinary power that swept away all the obstacles and defeated the most ferocious enemy. This is the biggest, most perfect, and most radical victory of the cause of national liberation, a heroic and brilliant historical page on the path of national defence and construction that lasted thousands of years. This Victory ended a century of domination of old and new colonialism over our country, fully implementing President Ho Chi Minh’s sacred teaching of “forcing the Americans out of the country and overthrowing the puppet government”. Consequently, our country reunified and entered the era of independence and freedom, firmly advancing towards socialism.

Assessing the victory of the resistance war against the American imperialists in general and the significance of the Victory of April 30 in particular, the 4^th National Congress of the Party held in 1976 affirmed: “Time passes but our victory in the resistance war against the American imperialists will be remembered as one of the most brilliant pages and shining symbols of the victory of revolutionary heroism and human intellect, which was recorded as a great feat of the 20^th century and an event of great international importance and profound epochal significance”.

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The Victory of April 30 created a solid premise and strong impulse for the next stages of Vietnam’s Revolution

Thanks to the Victory of April 30, our Fatherland was united, which realised the desire of a completely independent and unified country that firmly advances towards socialism. That created a great and comprehensive strength in terms of politics and economy as well as material and spiritual spheres, which ensured favourable conditions for the development of our revolution. Upholding the spirit of this Victory, for nearly half a century, our Party has led our country to perform tasks of historical importance.

Firstly, clearly affirming that the noble objective of our country’s revolution is national independence associated with socialism. After reunification, our country’s name was changed to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Since then, our international prestige and status have been constantly enhanced. The 4^th National Congress defined the task of our revolution in the new period as “Successfully building a peaceful, independent, unified, and socialist Vietnam; actively contributing to the struggle for the world’s peace, national independence, democracy, and socialism”. The Credo published in 1991 on national construction during the transition to socialism clearly stated that grasping the flag of national independence and socialism is the solid foundation for national independence. Since then, in several Party’s documents, the issue of national independence associated with socialism has always been strongly and decisively affirmed. The supplemented Credo in 2011 continued to assert “According to the evolutionary law, mankind will definitely advance towards socialism” and “Advancing towards socialism is our people’s desire and is the proper choice of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President Ho Chi Minh, which is in line with the development trend of history”.

The choice of national dependence and socialism of our Party and people is logically an objective necessity. In terms of history, it is completely consistent with the development of Vietnam’s revolution and the development trend of the times. In terms of needs, it entirely derived from the specific conditions of a semi-feudal colonial country and the burning desire of Vietnamese people. In terms of society, it is the most basic value system that determines the future of our country. Therefore, national independence and socialism are not only the objective, need, and summoning flag but also the driving force and the faith of Vietnamese people under the leadership of Vietnam Communist Party.

Secondly, innovatively carrying out the Doi Moi, keeping up with the pace of the times. The 6^th National Congress in December 1986 was a particularly important event that decided the Doi Moi policy, opening a period of strong development of our revolution. Doi Moi was a revolutionary, creative, scientific, comprehensive, profound, continuous, and methodical movement. Doi Moi is a common task that was unanimously responded by the entire Party, people, and army and was implemented in a deep and synchronous manner with specific and effective steps. Doi Moi aims at developing the country in a harmonious way that is in accordance with the direction and path that have been chosen.

The Doi Moi cause launched and led by the Party was implemented together with the acceleration of national industrialisation and modernisation as well as international integration. It was the great symphony of the song of rapid and sustainable national development; to build and strengthen productive forces, to consolidate and develop appropriate relations of production; to bring the country to a new level to catch up with regional and international development. Therefore, renovation and creativity are to realise the transition to socialism in a clear and effective manner.

From the 6^th to the 13^th National Congress, our Party attached importance to continuing to promote comprehensively and synchronously the Doi Moi to achieve constant development, which was consistent with the practical requirements and people’s will. The 13^th National Congress commented that after 35 years of Doi Moi, “our country has attained great achievements of historical significance and has comprehensively developed compared to the period before Doi Moi, notably the scale and level of the economy. Both people’s material and spiritual life have markedly been improved. The potential, international stature and prestige of our country today are unprecedented, which is the pride, motivation, resource, and belief for the entire Party, people, and army to overcome difficulties and challenges on the path of comprehensive and synchronous development of the country.

Thirdly, an innovative development vision and the desire to build a strong, prosperous, and happy country. The 13^th National Congress clearly stated the theme of “Strengthening the building and rectification of the Party and building a pure and strong political system; arousing the aspiration to develop the country, bringing into full play the will and national unity in combination with the strength of the times; continuing to comprehensively and synchronously promote Doi Moi; constructing and firmly defending the Fatherland to maintain a peaceful and stable environment; striving that by the middle of the 21^st century, our country will become a socialist-oriented developed country”.

With the innovative development vision, the 13^th National Congress proposed methods of national development in 5-year, 10-year, and 25-year periods with the objectives as follows:

“By 2025 - the 50^th anniversary of the liberation of the South and national reunification: being a developing country with modern-oriented industry and per capita income surpassing the low middle level. By 2030 - the 100^th founding anniversary of the Party: being a developing country with modern industry with high middle per capita income. By 2045 - the 100^th founding anniversary of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam: being a developed country with high per capita income.”

In order to realise these goals, our Party defines the main motivation and resources for development as “Strongly arousing patriotism and national self-reliance, the strength of national unity and desire for a prosperous and happy country. Promoting the synergy of the whole political system and Vietnamese culture; stepping up innovation and application of science and technology, especially the achievements of the 4^th Industrial Revolution. Combining national strength with the power of the times; maximising internal resources, especially human resources, while taking advantage of external resources”.

The liberation war and the historic Victory of April 30 that ended 48 years ago have created a strong impetus for our present and future revolutionary path. To promote the resilience and desire for an independent, free, and happy country, we have to be steadfast on the theoretical foundation of Marxism - Leninism and Ho Chi Minh’s thought under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam. Indeed, our country needs to raise the desire and maximise the strength of national unity combined with the power of times to realise the goal of becoming a socialist-oriented developed country by the middle of the 21^st century.

Professor, Doctor. VU VAN HIEN