Over 80 years of revolution, the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) has always been steadfast in commitment to its aims of national independence and socialism, while unceasingly renewing and rectifying politically, ideologically and organizationally to be worthy of its leadership over the State and society.

Nowadays, the cause of comprehensive renovation, national construction and development, Homeland defense and international integration are posing new challenging tasks with greater demands in ruling and governing the country and society for the Party. In order to fulfill its historic mission, deserving its leading role, the Party has to strengthen the building and rectification work, enhance its ruling and combatting capacity, its thinking and intellect, meeting the demands of reality and People’s expectation.

Firstly, the Party must continually supplement, develop and ensure a sound guideline and prevent a wrong one. The Party exercises its leadership through platforms and guidelines - the concentrated manifestation of governing science, and the crystallization of intellect and political will of the vanguard. Sound guidelines are illustrated in the creative application of theory and objective laws of history and revolution into Vietnam’s reality with an inheritance and development of national and revolutionary traditions and a settlement of problems posed by new era. Sound guidelines represent the interest of class, nation, and people and are proved in practice; reflect the inevitable development law of revolution. Thanks to sound platforms and guidelines, the CPV has led the revolutions from victory to victory; made Vietnam from a half-feudal, poor and backward colony become an independent country, keeping up with the times with international prestige and people’s lives increasingly improved.

Secondly, the Party needs to enhance its theoretical level and intellect, strengthens ideological work and firmly upholds the goal of national independence and socialism. A true revolutionary party must be equipped with a pioneering theory. V. I. Lenin emphasized that: “Without revolutionary theory, there could be no revolutionary movement… Only party that is guided by pioneering theory is able to fulfill its role of a pioneering fighter”. President Ho Chi Minh pointed out that our Party had to have an ideology. Without theory, a party would be no more than a person without wisdom, walking in the dark. In this direction, the CPV, throughout its revolutionary course, has always attached importance to ideological work, ceaselessly enhanced theoretical level and intellect of the Party and of each cadre, party member. The 2011 supplemented and developed Platform states that: “The Vietnamese Communist Party is the Vanguard of the working class, labouring people and Vietnamese nation, faithfully representing the interests of the working class, labouring people and the entire nation, acting upon the Marxist-Leninist doctrine and Ho Chi Minh Thought; identifies democratic centralism as its basic organizational principle”.

Thirdly, the Party must be truly strong in organization, strict in rules and unceasingly renovate its leading method. The Party’s power relies heavily on organizing capacity, operation of party’s organizational system, party committees from central to grassroots levels, as well as the whole political system and the sense of principle and quality of cadres and party members. To create a favourable environment for fulfilling its mission, the Party must perfect and comply strictly with its organizational and operational principles in which democratic centralism is the basic organizational one; centralism is realized on the basis of thoroughly practicing democracy throughout the Party; democracy ensures the right decisions of centralism. At the same time, the Party takes self-criticism and criticism as its principle of development; strengthens solidarity, unity in light of its Platform and Charter; upholds close relationship with people. The Party must operate within the framework of Constitution and law; submit to the People’s supervision and is accountable to the People for its decisions.

Associate Professor, Doctor Nguyen Trong Phuc