As periodic, every time Party congresses at all levels take place, hostile forces, reactionary elements, and political opportunists intensify their efforts to disrupt and undermine the process. Among their primary targets is the personnel work of the congress. Although this is not a new tactic, it is becoming increasingly sophisticated and extremely dangerous. Therefore, recognising and countering these schemes are essential.
At present, the entire Party is actively preparing for and organising congresses at all levels for the 2025-2030 term, leading up to the 14th National Congress of the Party. This process is closely linked to the restructuring and streamlining of the political system’s organisation and apparatus to remove obstacles and create momentum for the country to stride confidently into a new era - an era of national rise. This is a major political activity that engages the entire Party, people, military, and political system. However, hostile forces and reactionary opportunists see this as a “golden opportunity” to escalate their subversive activities with increasingly sophisticated and malicious tactics. Their efforts are now carried out on a larger scale, with greater frequency and intensity, flooding all forms of media - both traditional and modern, especially social networking platforms - with misleading narratives.
In practice, the subversive activities targeting the Party’s personnel work at congresses are conducted by hostile forces, reactionary elements, and political opportunists along two interconnected and mutually reinforcing directions: (1) Attacking the principles, guidelines, and all stages of the personnel selection process, with a particular focus on distorting the selection of congress delegates and key leadership positions within Party committees. (2) Spreading falsehoods, slander, and defamation against Party cadres and members, especially those identified as potential candidates for key leadership positions at all levels of the Party.
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| The 10th plenum of the Party Central Committee (13th tenure): Photo: VOV |
On the first direction, hostile forces and political opportunists fabricate misleading narratives and baseless accusations to undermine the personnel selection process for the Party Congress. Their primary claim is that the selection of congress personnel is monopolised by the Party, meaning it is supposedly “not objective,” “unfair,” and “undemocratic” - an alleged “top-down imposition”. According to their distorted arguments, the Party’s personnel work is fundamentally flawed; they claim that while the selection process may appear scientific and objective, it is merely superficial and lacks real substance. They allege that the procedures are simply a means to “legitimise” pre-arranged selections, driven by “internal power struggles” and “behind-the-scenes deals” between supposed factions within Party organisations. As a result, they argue that the process is inherently ineffective. Taking their fabrications even further, these forces falsely assert that the Party does not genuinely seek to promote talented and capable individuals. Instead, they claim that the Party prioritises “factional loyalty” over merit, thereby preventing the selection of truly competent and virtuous leaders who are qualified to lead the country. From this deceptive foundation, they then arrogate to themselves the supposed “right” to determine the Party’s personnel. Employing speculation and baseless assumptions, they concoct fictitious lists of leadership candidates at both local and central levels, fabricating narratives around Party personnel appointments as if they were engaged in an alternative selection process. Their goal is not only to discredit the Party’s personnel strategy but also to sow discord, fuel division, and erode public trust in the Party’s leadership.
On the second direction, hostile forces and political opportunists exploit instances of ideological, moral, and lifestyle degradation, as well as corruption and misconduct among a small number of Party cadres and members. They deliberately magnify these cases, falsely portraying them as widespread and systemic issues. Their goal is to create the perception that such shortcomings are the norm rather than the exception, misleading the public into believing that “all Party personnel are the same”, regardless of who is selected. Additionally, these elements engage in manipulative tactics, including fabrication, selective editing, and distortion of information to create confusion between truth and falsehood. They spread anonymous letters and defamatory allegations to attack, distort, slander, and discredit cadres and Party members included in personnel planning for the Party Congress.
These subversive narratives and tactics are not new, yet hostile forces continuously refine them, employing both blatant and covert methods to spread their propaganda. They disguise themselves as “concerned citizens” who claim to care about the country’s future, using the rhetoric of public interest to justify their attacks. Masquerading as the “voice of the people”, they claim to be offering “constructive feedback” and “recommendations” to the Party and the government. This strategy is particularly dangerous because it pollutes the information environment, blurring the lines between truth and lies, fact and fiction, right and wrong. The result is public confusion, anxiety, and skepticism about the Party’s personnel selection process among both Party members and the general public. As the Party Congress draws closer, these efforts intensify, revealing their true objective - to sabotage the Party Congress at all levels and ultimately undermine the Party’s leadership over the nation.
Contrary to their false narratives, the Party’s personnel work is neither unscientific nor imposed from above. Instead, it is a meticulously planned and rigorously executed process, carried out with a high sense of responsibility, scientific precision, and strict discipline at all levels. The Party has long affirmed that personnel work is the “key of all keys”, the “most critical among critical issues”, and “the vital link in the Party’s overall operation”. This is a fundamental principle that ensures the success of Party congresses: “We must conduct personnel work well from the congresses of Party committees at all levels to contribute to the successful preparation of personnel for the 14th National Party Congress.” This directive was reinforced in Directive No.35-CT/TW, dated 14 June 2024, which provides comprehensive guidance for Party congresses at all levels leading up to the 14th National Party Congress. The directive outlines key principles, objectives, and requirements for the personnel selection process. At the Conference on implementing the resolutions of the 10th Plenum of the 13th Central Committee, General Secretary To Lam reaffirmed the Party’s commitment: “We must focus on the best possible preparation of personnel for Party congresses at all levels. Priority must be given to training, fostering, and testing the capabilities of those included in personnel planning for Party committees and standing committees at all levels. This ensures the selection of Party committees - particularly key leaders - with strong leadership abilities, a high fighting spirit, bold thinking, decisiveness, accountability, and the courage to innovate for the common cause. They must be capable of successfully leading the implementation of the Party’s policies, translating its resolutions into practical action in every sector and locality.” This “most critical” and “vital link” in Party affairs is being deeply understood, thoroughly implemented, and firmly upheld by all Party organisations and members. It is also widely recognised, supported, and trusted by the majority of the people.
Based on these orientations and requirements, Party committees at all levels are firmly adhering to principles, processes, regulations, and criteria while proactively reviewing and formulating personnel plans that meet their political and organisational needs. These plans are structured to ensure the right standards, composition, quantity, and quality of selected candidates. The personnel selection process maintains a harmonious and well-coordinated approach, balancing internal promotion with rotation and reassignment of cadres while strengthening organisational structures. Special attention is given to identifying and planning for young, competent, and promising cadres, ensuring continuity, stability, innovation, and development. This is a comprehensive and meticulous effort, involving all Party organisations and Party members, garnering the attention and trust of the people, and being carefully prepared at the grassroots level. The entire process is rooted in firm principles and values, guaranteeing democracy, objectivity, transparency, and integrity. It categorically refutes the false claims by hostile forces that it is undemocratic, imposed from the top down, or manipulated through internal factional deals.
It is also absurd to suggest that the Party’s personnel work is ineffective or incapable of selecting talented individuals. The selection process is democratic, objective, scientific, and rigorously structured, governed by clear and well-defined criteria. More than just identifying capable cadres, it seeks to elect individuals with both virtue and talent, those who embody integrity, competence, vision, and leadership. The ideal candidate is someone who is highly respected, courageous in thought and action, decisive in making breakthrough policies, and fully committed to fulfilling their responsibilities to drive the nation forward. For the 2025-2030 term, the Party has established three key pillars for personnel selection: Political and ideological integrity; Ethical standards and lifestyle; Intelligence, strategic thinking, competence, and public trust. These factors are deeply interconnected, forming the foundation of a robust and highly selective process. The primary measure of a candidate’s suitability is their political integrity, ethics, effectiveness in leadership, and personal and family reputation. At the same time, the Party remains resolute in eliminating unsuitable candidates from the selection process. Those who exhibit ideological and moral decline, corruption, opportunism, excessive ambition for power, factionalism, negative behaviours, or conflicts of interest - including those who allow their spouse, children, or relatives to exploit their position for personal gain - are decisively excluded. By rigorously implementing these measures, the Party ensures the selection of leaders who are truly worthy, individuals who possess both virtue and talent, strategic vision, and the capability to lead. These will be the most outstanding and pivotal figures of the Party, fully equipped to meet the demands of this new era of national rise.
The revolutionary history of Vietnam unequivocally proves that the foremost factor behind every victory of the Vietnamese revolution and the nation’s historic achievements that have led to a position where the country “has never before possessed the stature, potential, international standing, and prestige it holds today” - is the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam. This leadership has been upheld by a cadre of virtuous, competent Party members, who have always led the way in revolutionary movements and across all spheres of activity, dedicated wholeheartedly to the country and the people. Therefore, it is utterly baseless and deceitful to generalise and falsely equate the misconduct, corruption, and degradation of a small minority of officials and Party members as representative of the entire Party, all its members, or the socialist system itself. The subversive tactics aimed at undermining the Party’s personnel work, no matter how cunning and sophisticated, cannot mislead the public. These schemes have failed and will continue to fail.
Faced with the escalating attacks on the Party’s personnel selection process by hostile forces, reactionary elements, and political opportunists, it is imperative that we must: Enhance vigilance, strengthen the “resistance” and “immunity” of Party organisations, officials, members, and the broader public against deceptive propaganda; Proactively disseminate timely, accurate, objective, and well-directed information to effectively counter “peaceful evolution” tactics and the spread of malicious, harmful content on the internet and social media. Closely monitor public sentiment, swiftly identify and address misleading, one-sided, and distorted information to pre-emptively counter false narratives targeting the Party’s personnel work, preventing ideological confusion and social instability; Decisively address any attempts to exploit “democracy,” “human rights,” or “freedom of speech” as pretexts to disseminate defamatory, slanderous materials against Party officials and members, or to distort and sabotage Party congresses at all levels.
Associate Professor, PhD. NGUYEN MANH HUONG