Taking a look back at nearly 40 years of national renovation, we have the right to be proud of the achievements gained by our country, particularly in theoretical development. In this regard, theories about the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), about socialism, and about the path towards socialism in Vietnam stand out among all those theoretical achievements.

Party General Secretary, State President To Lam chairing a meeting of the Personnel Sub-Committee for the 14th National Party Congress, August 2024 (photo: baochinhphu.vn)

Achievements in theories about the CPV

Those remarkable theoretical achievements have been clarified via three core points, namely the CPV’s nature, the CPV’s ideological foundation and the lodestar guiding the CPV’s action, and the CPV’s leadership and ruling roles. On the basis of Marxism - Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought on the nature of a Communist Party, through the Vietnamese revolution process, especially in the context of national renovation, international integration, globalisation, and development of a socialist-oriented market economy, the perception of the CPV’s nature has always been demonstrated: “the CPV is the vanguard of the working class and simultaneously the vanguard of the labouring people and nation of Vietnam”; “it is the loyal representative of the interests of the working class, the labouring people, and the Vietnamese nation”. That principle delegates a greater responsibility towards the political system and entire society to the CPV. The Party is part of the political system; however, it serves as the nucleus leading the political system and whole society. Not being self-proclaimed, the CPV’s leadership and ruling roles are defined by the people. Hence, the CPV’s social foundation is built by not only the working class, but also the labouring people and the entire Vietnamese nation. The CPV’s nature, particularly its working-class and national nature, is in accord with the rules of its foundation and development, for the sake of national independence and socialism. The Party has no other goal than to struggle for the working class, the labouring people, and the entire nation.

Our Party confirms that Marxism - Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought represent its ideological foundation and the lodestar guiding its action. Since its inception, our CPV has taken Marxism - Leninism as its political theoretical foundation, creatively developing and applying Marxism - Leninism in each specific period and phase. The reason is that Marxism - Leninism is comprised of the most common laws about the development of nature, society, and mindset; it is the most revolutionary doctrine. In the process of leadership over the Vietnamese revolution, while remaining steadfast in the scientific, revolutionary nature, methodology, fundamentals, and significant values of Marxism - Leninism, our Party has always renewed its theoretical thinking and creatively applied Marxism - Leninism to the Vietnamese revolution. As a result, in nearly 40 years of leadership over the renovation cause, the CPV has constantly advocated Marxism - Leninism, even though the global socialist system had fallen into a temporary decline in the late 20^th century, together with distortions and sabotage efforts by hostile forces and political opportunists.

While being steadfast in Marxism - Leninism, our Party has upheld Ho Chi Minh Thought in its ideological and theoretical foundation and stepped up the study and following of Ho Chi Minh’s thought, ethics, and lifestyle across the entire political system and society. This is one of the most noticeable points in our Party’s theoretical thinking in nearly 40 years of national renovation. Via its national congresses, our Party has always had developments in its awareness of the importance of Ho Chi Minh Thought to the country’s revolutionary cause. At its 9^th congress (2001), the CPV introduced a full concept: “Ho Chi Minh Thought is a system of comprehensive and profound viewpoints on the basic issues of the Vietnamese revolution; it is the result of application and creative development of Marxism - Leninism in our country’s particularities, inheriting and developing fine national values, absorbing the cultural quintessence of human race”. At the 10^th congress (2006), our Party stated: “Ho Chi Minh Thought and Marxism - Leninism will be forever the ideological foundation and lodestar for action of the CPV and Vietnamese revolution, a priceless spiritual asset of our Party and nation. That Thought has guided us in each period of national construction and development; it is the victorious flag of the Vietnamese revolution, today and in the future”. At other subsequent congresses, the CPV has always seen Ho Chi Minh’s thought, ethics, and lifestyle as an indispensable element in the ideological foundation and action of the entire Party, Military, and people in the cause of Fatherland construction and protection, stepping up and combining the study and following of Ho Chi Minh’s thought, ethics, and lifestyle with the execution of its resolutions as a routine task of party organisations, cadres, party members, and the masses.

Regarding the CPV’s ruling role, applying and creatively developing Marxism - Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought, over the past 40 years, our Party has achieved new developments in its theoretical thinking about this crucial issue. (1). The Party leads the political system and entire society, serving as the nucleus; the Party operates within the framework of the Constitution and law. The Party’s leadership over society is demonstrated comprehensively. (2). The CPV clearly identifies the duties of a ruling party towards the people, while highly valuing the people’s role. The people give the power to lead society to the CPV so that all rights and legitimate interests of the people and the Fatherland will be guaranteed; all lines and policies of the Party are aimed at improving the people’s material and mental life. (3). In all operating periods of the Party, the contingent of cadres and party members shall always be pure and strong as a consistent requirement. In its capacity as a ruling Communist Party, our CPV has been emphasising the training of its cadres and party members in terms of revolutionary morality.

More fully and profoundly aware of socialism and the path towards socialism in Vietnam

In nearly 40 years of renovation, the Party designed the Platform on national construction in the transitional period towards socialism (the 1991 Platform for short, supplemented and developed in 2011). In those documents, the CPV conducted a review of its leadership, pointing out successes, weaknesses, and major lessons. At the same time, it clarified the world’s development trend, the characteristics of the transitional period towards socialism in Vietnam, and the features of a socialist society built by the Vietnamese people: “…it is a society with wealthy people, strong country, democracy, equity, and civilisation; people as masters; a highly developed economy based on modern productive forces and progressive, suitable production relations; an advanced culture deeply imbued with national identity; happiness and freedom for the people, and favourable conditions for their comprehensive development; all ethnic groups in Vietnam being equal and united, respecting and helping each other to develop; a socialist rule-of-law state of the people, for the people, by the people under the CPV’s leadership; friendly and cooperative relations with other countries in the world”. The Party also formulated the guidelines for socialism building and the general objectives of the Vietnamese revolution by the end of the transitional period towards socialism: basically building the economic foundation of socialism, with proper political, ideological, cultural superstructure as the precondition for turning Vietnam into an increasingly prosperous, happy country.

Grounded on the combined results of domestic theoretical and practical activities as well as global situation and lessons, our Party has supplemented and developed a number of theoretical and practical issues with its new thinking on the path towards socialism in Vietnam as follows: (1). Vietnam’s general economic development model is a socialist-oriented market economy. (2). There is a close connection between economic growth and social progress and equity. (3). Bringing into play human factor, taking the people as the centre. (4). Regarding culture as the spiritual foundation of society and the goal and motivation for development. (5). The nature of the new state in Vietnam is a socialist rule-of-law State of the people, by the people, and for the people. (6). Renewing the State’s management methods on the basis of perfecting institutions, promoting democracy, ensuring the people’s right to mastery, and completing the State apparatus; all supreme power belongs to the people; maintaining uniformity, distribution, and coordination between legislative power, executive power, and judicial power; heightening control over State power; well managing relations between the State, market, and society as well as between the State, businesses, and people. (7). Affirming the Party’s revolutionary nature and vanguard, leadership, and ruling roles; building a pure, comprehensively strong CPV; raising the Party’s leadership, ruling, combative capabilities in all circumstances; (8). Building a contingent of cadres, especially at strategic level with sufficient qualities, capabilities, and prestige on a par with the revolutionary requirements.

Additionally, the Party has supplemented and developed theories about defence and security consolidation, considering it as a central, routine task, closely combining defence and security with socio-economic development. Notably, the CPV has developed new thinking on protecting the Fatherland early and from afar on the basis of building a firm “posture of people’s hearts and minds” and revolutionary, regular, elite, gradually modern people’s armed forces. In this regard, the CPV has perfected a foreign policy line of independence, self-reliance, peace, cooperation, and development; Vietnam advocates multilateralising and diversifying its diplomatic relations, being a friend, reliable partner, and active, responsible member of the international community, proactively, actively integrating itself into the world comprehensively, deeply, widely, putting national interests above all else on the basis of the fundamentals of the UN Charter and international law.

The CPV’s theoretical achievements in nearly 40 years of renovation result from its creative development of Marxism - Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought as well as its steadfastness in the goal of national independence and socialism in Vietnam’s particularities. Those achievements will continue to be an important scientific and practical foundation for our Party to formulate its lines on national construction and development in the new era - the era of the nation’s rise.

Prof. MACH QUANG THANG, PhD