The policy of “people’s enjoyment” is a newly adopted point in the documents of the 13^th Party Congress. This affirms the consistency extending from the Party’s guidelines and the State’s policies and laws to every activity of officers and party members, all oriented towards the ultimate goal of people’s happiness, in which they can enjoy the fruits of the revolutionary cause. However, in an effort to undermine and negate the Party’s leadership role, hostile forces and political opportunists are actively engaged in distorting and falsifying this guiding policy. While this stratagem is not unprecedented, it poses an exceedingly perilous threat that demands resolute exposure and refutation.

Inheriting the viewpoints of previous congresses and summarising the practical experiences of 35 years of Doi Moi, the 13^th Party Congress supplements the policy of “people’s enjoyment” into the principle of implementing socialist democracy, which is “people know, people discuss, people do, people supervise, and people enjoy”. This not only represents the Party’s perfected approach to democracy practice, establishing a favourable political and legal foundation for organising, expanding, strengthening, and promoting democracy and the people’s role as the subject, but also concretises and realises the ultimate goal of socialist revolution chosen by the Party, President Ho Chi Minh, and our people for the benefit of the people, namely “All benefits are for the people. All powers belong to the people”. However, in the face of the hostile forces’ intentions to sabotage the Vietnamese revolution, they persistently distort the Party’s and State’s “people’s enjoyment” policy, portraying it as a mere formality, an empty slogan, and a deceptive trick to manipulate the people and consolidate the position and gain benefits for the ruling class. Particularly, the hostile forces exploit the difficult living conditions of some people in remote and ethnic minority areas. When our Party and State are resolutely combating corruption and negativity and have exposed and brought to trial several major cases, including some high-ranking officials of the Party, the State, and the armed forces, the hostile forces cynically assert that only “officials enjoy” while the people remain perpetually impoverished. They claim that the slogan of the Communist Party of Vietnam is a deceitful ploy to delude people so that the officials can rule the people and enjoy all rights and benefits. Furthermore, some “bad-mouths” even claim that the “people’s enjoyment” policy should be changed to “officials’ enjoyment”. We are not unfamiliar with these arguments and tricks of the hostile forces. They are completely fallacious, based on subjective speculations, lacking objectivity, and seizing phenomena to distort essence, “passing the buck”. Their goal is nothing more than to deny all the efforts and achievements that the Party, the State, and our people have painstakingly built, aiming to destroy the ideological foundation of the Party, deny the Party’s leadership role, and eliminate the socialist system. However, the reality of the Vietnamese revolution, especially the achievements of nearly 40 years of Doi Moi, completely refutes these distorted arguments.

“People’s enjoyment” is the ultimate goal of the Vietnamese revolution and the consistent policy of our Party and State. Remaining faithful to and creatively applying the Marxist-Leninist perspective on the role of the masses, inheriting the traditions of the nation, and drawing from revolutionary practice, our Party and President Ho Chi Minh have consistently identified the revolutionary cause as that of the people. The people serve as both the driving force and the subject to carry out and directly enjoy the achievements of the socialist revolution. Therefore, “All Party’s guidelines, principles, policies, etc. are aimed at improving the standard of living for the people”. This perspective is deeply reflected in President Ho Chi Minh’s thought, morality, style, and actions. All of these are dedicated to the people and the nation “Freedom means nothing in an independent country where the people do not enjoy happiness”. He also demanded that the Party, the State, agencies, organisations, officials, and party members work to actualise the values of freedom and independence, not just as revolutionary slogans, but as realities for the people to enjoy the immense values of independence and the achievements of socialist revolution, including freedom, happiness, food, clothing, educational opportunities, comprehensive personal development, etc. This thought of President Ho Chi Minh encapsulated in the policy of “people’s enjoyment”, is consistently expressed in the documents and resolutions of the Communist Party of Vietnam from its establishment to the present day. The Party’s Platform for nation-building during the transitional period towards socialism (supplemented and developed in 2011) continues to affirm “The revolutionary cause belongs to the people, is carried out by the people, and is for the people” and “Our State is the socialist rule of law state of the people, by the people, and for the people”. The Resolution of the 12^th Party Congress emphasised “ensuring all state powers belong to the people. Every Party’s guideline and policy, and every State’s law originates from the people’s will, rights, and legitimate interests”. Inheriting this perspective, the 13^th Party Congress continues to manifest the Party’s political determination for the happiness of the people and socialism. The Congress has supplemented, perfected, and emphasised the need to effectively implement the principle “people know, people discuss, people do, people supervise, and people enjoy”. This policy is not just a goal to realise but also a driving force to arouse the strength and resources within the people in the process of realising the Party’s guidelines and resolutions in life. This “people’s enjoyment” policy is not only affirmed in the Party’s guidelines and policies but is also institutionalised and ensured through the Constitution and the legal system. Article 1 of the 1946 Constitution - the first Constitution directed by President Ho Chi Minh - stated “…all sovereign power in the country belongs to the Vietnamese people, regardless of their races, genders, ages, wealth, classes, and religions”. The 2013 Constitution further affirmed “The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a state of the people, by the people, and for the people, where all state power belongs to the people, based on the alliance between the working class, the peasantry, and the intellectual elite”. This affirms that “people’s enjoyment” is the noble goal of socialist revolution, gradually being realised in Vietnam day by day and it is not an empty slogan.  

In reality, the “people’s enjoyment” policy is effectively ensured. The enjoyment of Vietnamese people is comprehensive in various areas, including politics, economics, culture, and society. However, it is most evident in the material and spiritual aspects of people’s lives, which have seen remarkable improvements. Despite starting from a very low point as a backward agrarian nation that is heavily affected by war, the collective efforts of the entire Party, people, Army, and political system have continuously elevated the standard of living for the people. Key indicators reflecting the rights and enjoyment of the people have consistently increased over the years. In 2021, Vietnam’s Human Development Index (HDI) falls into the high human development category (reaching 0.703), particularly impressive when compared to other countries with the same development level. The happiness index (criteria evaluated include GDP per capita, social support average life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity, and perception of corruption) has consistently risen, ranking 65^th out of 150 countries in 2023, up from 77^th in 2022. The UN evaluates and recognises Vietnam as one of the leading countries in achieving the Millennium Development Goals. The Gender Inequality Index (GII) of Vietnam continued to improve in 2021, reaching 0.296, ranking 71^st out of 170 countries. Per capita income, which was only about $250 per year in the early years of Doi Moi, reached $4,110 in 2022, ranking 5^th in ASEAN. The poverty rate dropped significantly from 58% in 1993 to 5.8% in 2016 according to the government’s poverty standard and below 3% in 2020 according to the multidimensional poverty standard, positioning Vietnam as one of the leading countries in achieving the Millennium Development Goals. As living standards have risen, the health of the population has improved, leading to an increase in average life expectancy. The overall health index increased from 0.822 in 2016 to 0.826 in 2020, the education index increased from 0.618 in 2016 to 0.640 in 2020, and the income index increased from 0.624 in 2016 to 0.664 in 2020. The world’s leading American business magazine, CEOWORLD, assessed a significant improvement in the quality of life in Vietnam, with a total of 78.49 and a ranking of 62 out of 165 countries in 2021. This demonstrates that the lives of the Vietnamese people are steadily improving in a substantial manner. In conjunction with this, the Communist Party and the State of Vietnam consistently emphasise economic development for human goals. They implement a coherent approach tightly connecting economic growth with social progress and justice; cultural, social, educational, and health development for the well-being of the people. The political system and legal framework of the socialist rule of law state are constructed to manage the country and society, aiming to bring about positive outcomes for the people. Moreover, Vietnam implements a foreign policy and a national defence and security strategy to ensure that every Vietnamese can truly enjoy a peaceful and stable environment so that they can work with confidence and benefit from the fruits of their labour. Especially for people in remote, rural, and disaster-prone areas, as well as during the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Party and the State have timely introduced social security policies for support. All levels, sectors, the entire political system, the armed forces, and the society unite and extend helping hands. The ultimate goal is to ensure that no one in Vietnam is left behind and everyone enjoys an equal, prosperous, and happy life, fulfilling the vision of President Ho Chi Minh “Our people are totally free, and everyone has food, clothing, and access to schooling”.

The practical achievements presented are undeniable figures recognised by reputable countries and international organisations, including the United States, attesting to the clearest and most convincing evidence of the realisation of the Party and the State of Vietnam’s perspective and policy of “people’s enjoyment”. This serves as a testament that the “people’s enjoyment” policy is not only confined to theory, resolutions, or slogans for mere rhetoric. Instead, it vividly and persuasively manifests in the real life of every Vietnamese. No deceptive tactics can distort or deny these tangible results.

Senior Colonel NGO DINH PHIEM and Lieutenant Colonel VU VAN BACH