The 13^th National Party Congress will review more than 90 years that the Party has led the Vietnam revolution, especially in the renewal cause, with its successes and experiences in Party building. Facing the current new requirements, it is necessary to continue to clarify the theoretical and practical issues in the Party building work in order to enhance the Party's capacity.

The task of Party building is the key, ensuring sound leadership, fulfilling the Party's historic mission to the country, the people and the nation. Therefore, it is necessary to study and understand the fundamental issues of Party building in the documents submitted to the 13^th National Party Congress, as a basis for building a strong Party in politics, ideology, organization and morality in the present situation.

First of all, building the Party in politics. The primary task is to constantly educate the whole Party about revolutionary ideal, i.e. national independence and socialism. Those strategic ideals and goals were identified by the Party and leader Nguyen Ai Quoc - Ho Chi Minh since the establishment of the Party (February 3, 1930) and then led the development and victory of the Vietnam revolution. Many generations of Party members and fellow citizens have been absolutely loyal, and bravely sacrificing themselves for that noble cause. Today, that ideal and goal continues to be the country's path of national development and the Party's glorious mission. Such lofty political ideals and goals are expressed in the reform line, the 1991 Platform for national construction in the period of transition to socialism which was then supplemented and developed in 2011, and the Draft document of the 13^th National Party Congress continues to have creative developments. That all cadres and party members firmly grasp and creatively apply the Party's line and platform will ensure our Party’s strength in politics, ideology, organization and ethics.

The Party focuses on training and improving the political steadfastness of the Party and of each cadre and party member. Political bravery is shown in the spirit and will of independence, self-control; the steadfastness in the chosen revolutionary path, the ability to remain stable and actively surmount all difficulties and challenges. It is necessary to be alert and have the bravery to defend the scientific value, realise the Party's direction and political leadership when hostile forces are trying to distort and destroy the Party's line, platform and undermine the Party's political unity.

Along with the shortcomings in Party building, the deterioration of political ideology should be regarded as “a direct threat to the survival of the Party and the regime”. Therefore, the 13^th National Party Congress should make a fundamental move to eliminate the elements with degradation in politics, political opportunists to make the Party really pure and strong. More than ever, it is necessary to strictly adhere to President Ho Chi Minh's teaching that: “The Party is not a place for its members to get rich. Instead, they must fulfill the task of national liberation, make the country rich and strong, and the people happy”.

Building the Party in ideology and theory. During the process of leading the people's democratic revolution as well as the socialist revolution, and the renewal cause, the Communist Party of Vietnam has ceaselessly researched, applied creatively and improved the level of theory; built and fostered ideological foundation. Scientific ideology and theory make up the revolutionary nature and resilience of a legitimate revolutionary party. According to President Ho Chi Minh, theory which is summarized from the practice of struggle of the class and the nation is the true theory which is able to enlighten and guide the practice. The guiding theory of our Party and the current revolution is Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh's thought. Building the Party in ideology and theory requires basic, systematic and practical education and study of Marxist-Leninist theory and Ho Chi Minh thought for all cadres and party members suitable to each level and aspect of work. Studying the Party’s ideology and theory is not about memorising words but grasping the revolutionary nature and scientific methodology to apply creatively in practice.

Raising the theoretical level of the Party and of each cadre and party member is necessary to uphold the consistency and loyalty to theory and ideology, and focus on creative thinking capacity. Proper awareness of the relationship between loyalty and creative application is the Party's outstanding success in leading the Vietnam revolution. Ho Chi Minh emphasised that: “We must enhance the cultivation of Marxism-Leninism in order to use the Marxist-Leninist stance and method to summarise the experiences of our Party, analyse the characteristics of our country in a correct manner. By doing this, we can gradually understand the development law of the Vietnam revolution, define specific paths, mottos and steps of the socialist revolution suitable to the situation of the country”.

Building the Party in organization and personnel. The first issue is being consistent with the Party's organisational principles. Since its inception, the Communist Party of Vietnam has taken the democratic centralism as the basic organisational principle. The Party has also applied other principles: collective leadership, individual accountability; self-criticism and criticism; internal solidarity and unity; and staying close to the people. The Party's organisational and operational principles have brought about its synergy and affirm the revolutionary and scientific nature of the Communist Party of Vietnam. The hostile forces oppose the Party and try to demand that our Party give up the principle of democratic centralism. Under the conditions of the Party’s leadership, the principle of democratic centralism must be maintained and strictly implemented on the basis of widely practiced democracy in the Party. It is necessary to promote collective intelligence to make sound centralised decisions; preventing authoritarianism, autocracy and manifestation of formal democracy.

The Communist Party of Vietnam, founded, led and trained by leader Nguyen Ai Quoc - Ho Chi Minh is a Party with strict discipline based on the self-awareness and obedience of all cadres and party members in the implementation of guidelines, platform, charter and principles of party organization and activities. Strengthen inspection and supervision to ensure that the Party's discipline is strictly enforced, and prevent mistakes of cadres and party members when performing their assigned responsibilities and powers. In the condition that the Party is in power, cadres and party members hold positions and exercise power in the state apparatus and political system, so there must be a mechanism of power control to prevent the manifestation of power abuse, corruption, interest groups.

In the renewal cause, the Party has determined economic development as the centre, building the Party as the key; in Party building, cadre work is the key. Conducting the cadre work must instill President Ho Chi Minh’s viewpoint that “cadre is the root of all work; work succeeding or failing  is due to good or bad cadre”. The whole Party are convening congresses at all levels in the run up to the 13^th National Party Congress. This is a big political event with the content of Party building in all aspects, focusing on building the Party in organization. In particular, the right selection of excellent and worthy cadres, not selecting those who are ambitious for power, corrupt, has low reputation, and not missing those with merit and talent is of prime importance. It is the responsible selection according to Directive No. 35-CT/TW, dated May 30, 2019 of the Politburo (12^th tenure); thereby, creating a fundamental change in the quality of the contingent of leaders and managers at all levels, especially at the strategic level. There is a fact that the leaders who have been disciplined in the past time are those who violate the principle of democratic centralism, have strong ambition for power, and abused power, and who are political opportunists. Therefore, the matter is to do better the work of cadres in general, select personnel according to the five step procedure, and implement work of internal political protection in order to promptly detect signs of deterioration, “self-evolution”, and “self-transformation” to choose the correct cadres.

Building the Party in morality. Morality belongs to the aspect of social perception, the standard of civilization, progress of a class, a nation, a political party or a person. Right from the preparation for the Party's establishment, leader Nguyen Ai Quoc - Ho Chi Minh put on top the issue of training the morality of a revolutionary party. He valued both virtue and talent in which virtue is the root. He himself always represented a bright moral example. Ho Chi Minh always wished that our Party truly be moral and civilized. The 12^th National Party Congress considered the building of Party in morality to be equally important to building the Party in the politics, ideology and organisation.

The task of building the Party in morality becomes even more urgent when a part of cadres and party members have deteriorated in morality and lifestyle. Central Resolution 4 (12^th tenure) has specified nine signs of deterioration in morality and lifestyle. These visible and painful expressions have detracted the prestige, honor and personality of the communists, adversely affecting the legitimacy of the Party. Many cadres and party members who have been disciplined recently all have ethical and lifestyle issues. The deterioration in morality and lifestyle is associated with the deterioration of political thought and leads to “self-evolution”, “self-transformation”.

In fact, the recent Party building and rectification have gradually shaped the values ​​of moral standards in the Party. Building the Party in morality means training and improving the moral values ​​and personality of each cadre and party member. That great work does not separate from the education, fostering of social ethical values and ethical standards of Vietnamese people. Morality in the Party and ethics in society are closely related. Studying and following Ho Chi Minh's moral example have special significance for building the Party in terms of morality and building a moral society.

Building and regulating the Party synchronously in terms of politics, ideology, theory, organization and morality which is defined in the Draft document of the 13^th National Party Congress, is always a key issue, which should be grasped and seriously implemented by Party organisations and members in order to make the Party truly pure and strong with enhanced leadership, ruling and fighting power, and complete its glorious historic mission assigned by the country and the people in the new era.

Associate Professor NGUYEN TRUC PHUC, PhD.