Draft documents to be submitted to the 14^th National Party Congress have been meticulously and rigorously prepared under the guidance and direction of the Party Central Committee, the Politburo, and the Secretariat, inheriting and further developing many important contents. Among these, the viewpoint on “enhancing the State’s development governance capacity” stands out as a highlight, reflecting the Party’s new mind-set on building a socialist rule-of-law state in the new era.

In each historical period and the process of leading the revolution, the Party’s correct and creative strategy has always played a fundamental role in determining every victory of the Vietnamese revolution. In that spirit, the draft documents to be submitted to the 14^th National Congress of the Party inherit, supplement, and develop the Party’s guiding viewpoints on national construction and development in the new period, while also putting forward a number of breakthrough proposals. Among these is the enhancement of national governance capacity, with the core and central focus being the enhancement of the State’s development governance capacity. This is not merely a new term, but rather the outcome of a process of theoretical exploration and development, reflecting a fundamental shift in the perception of the State’s role in the new context. This viewpoint holds strategic significance and serves as a key to removing institutional bottlenecks and mobilising maximal resources to realise the aspiration of building a prosperous and thriving nation in Vietnam’s era of national rise.

Party General Secretary To Lam visits an exhibition on science - technology development, innovation, and digital transformation (photo: VNA)

Regarding the position and role of the State’s governance capacity in national development, previous National Congresses, particularly the 13^th one, delved deeply into the State’s “management and administration” within the overall mechanism of “Party’s leadership, State’s management, and People’s mastery”, affirming that “enhancing the State’s capacity and effectiveness in institutionalising, concretising, and implementing the Party’s guidelines and resolutions” is a decisive factor in the success of the cause of renewal, national construction, development, and defence. However, in the new context the traditional “management” mind-set has proven no longer suitable and even detrimental to social development. Recognising this, in the 13^th Party Central Committee’s Resolution 27-NQ/TW, dated 9 November 2022, “on continuing to build and perfect the socialist rule-of-law State of Vietnam in the new period”, the Party highlighted the “modern and effective national governance capacity”, but did not clearly specify that the principal subject of this national governance capacity is the State.

In the draft documents for its upcoming National Congress, the Party has officially put forward the viewpoint on the State’s “management and development governance capacity”, affirming “the need to gradually and comprehensively improve the institutional framework for social development management and to effectively implement social policies”. The shift from a “management” mind-set to a “governance” one is profoundly significant, marking a new step forward in defining the State’s role, not merely as a manager, but also as a facilitator, guide, and coordinator, creating new spaces and equitable conditions for the development of the entire society. This represents a new stage in the Party’s awareness and thinking on national governance capacity, with the core focus on the State’s development governance capacity, providing a solid foundation for national development in the new era. The Party’s new awareness and thinking on the State’s development governance capacity are built upon a solid scientific theoretical foundation, tested by and distilled from the vivid realities of the country’s nearly 40 years of renewal.

When it comes to a theoretical perspective, the science of national governance, both globally and in Vietnam, has undergone significant development, providing a rich and comprehensive theoretical foundation for the Party to further refine its thinking on the State’s development governance. Governance, at its most basic level, is understood as the deliberate influence of a subject (an individual, an organisation, or the state) upon an object in order to achieve specific objectives. This concept is widely applied across various fields, among which the State’s development governance constitutes a central and overarching domain. This is because the State is the fundamental institution and the pillar of any political system, serving as the special organisation of power in society to exercise the political authority of the ruling class. In our country, the State acts as the representative of the people in governing social development, with the aim of effectively fulfilling its functions and tasks. The State’s development governance capacity is a decisive factor in ensuring the stability and rapid, sustainable development of the nation, which manifests itself in all walks of life. Ultimately, however, the most essential and explicit purpose of this governance capacity is to maintain the existence and development of the State, to effectively serve the people, businesses, and the entire society, providing a solid foundation for the country to grow vigorously and sustainably in the new era.

In practical terms, in assessing the achievements in implementing the Resolution of the 13^th National Congress of the Party and the progress the nation has made after 40 years of renewal, the draft documents affirm: “Our country has attained important and fairly comprehensive results, with many outstanding highlights, and has basically achieved the principal objectives set forth”. In particular, the economy has grown at a relatively high rate, averaging 6.2% per year, placing Vietnam among the high-growth countries in both the region and the world. National independence, sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity have been firmly safeguarded. Political and social stability has been maintained, while national defence and security have been continuously consolidated and strengthened. Foreign relations and international integration have been broadened and elevated, thereby enhancing Vietnam’s position and prestige in the international arena. At the same time, the people’s trust in the Party, the State, and the socialist regime has been steadily reinforced.

However, persistent shortcomings have yet to be thoroughly resolved, such as cumbersome administrative procedures and an administrative apparatus that are still bulky and not truly efficient, which have hindered national development. These, as identified in the draft documents, reflect the fact that certain aspects of the State’s social governance have yet to fully meet the requirements of national construction and development in the new era. General Secretary To Lam has repeatedly emphasised the necessity of identifying and decisively addressing “bottlenecks” that impede progress, stressing that institutions themselves are the “bottleneck of bottlenecks” and that the mind-set “if it cannot be managed, it must be prohibited” must be  abandoned. To overcome these, there must be stronger institutional breakthroughs, guided by innovative thinking that combines strict management with developmental facilitation, so as to mobilise resources to the fullest extent, create new development spaces, and establish an effective legal framework.

To achieve the goal of “safeguarding a peaceful and stable environment; ensuring rapid and sustainable national development; firmly defending the Fatherland; comprehensively improving and enhancing the people’s living standards; advancing self-reliance in the nation’s era of rise; successfully becoming a developing country with modern industry and upper-middle income by 2030 and a developed, high-income country by 2045 for the sake of a peaceful, prosperous, and steadily advancing Vietnam on the path toward socialism”, the Party affirms that, alongside strengthening its leadership and governance capacity and promoting the great unity of the entire people and the whole political system, it is essential to “enhance the State’s capacity for management and development governance”. This is a sound and strategic viewpoint of the Party, reflecting the pivotal role that the State’s development governance plays in the national development process in the new era.

At the same time, theoretical research on governance, as well as lessons learned from reforms in various countries, have enabled our Party to affirm that the enhancement of the State’s development governance capacity provides a solid foundation for Vietnam to enter its era of rise.

It is necessary to clarify the connotation of “the State’s development governance capacity” in Vietnam’s era of national rise. This capacity is broad in scope, extending beyond the ability to administer and formulate policies. It encompasses multiple dimensions and manifests itself across many sectors. In essence, it can be understood as “building a modern, efficient national management and governance system that both serves the people and fosters development”. This includes breakthroughs in reforming institutions, policies, and resources to better meet the development needs of the people, businesses, and society at large, thus ensuring rapid and sustainable national growth in line with socialist orientation. Institutional reforms must focus on removing “bottlenecks” in the legal system, policies, procedures, and development resources to guarantee transparency, fairness, and efficiency, while enhancing the State’s capacity for flexible, effective policy responses suited to practical development needs.

At the same time, special attention should be paid to promoting decentralisation and devolution, empowering localities, and adhering to the principle: “localities decide, localities act, localities take responsibility”. The quality and competence of State cadres, civil servants and public employees must be improved, ensuring they possess integrity, capacity, creativity, dedication, and a strong sense of responsibility. It is also essential to expand public participation in oversight and social feedback, thereby enhancing the governance capacity of every citizen. Information technology application and digital transformation must be accelerated, with the establishment and operation of a digital government, and a digital society. Inspection and supervision must be strengthened, and the combined strength of the entire political system and the people must be mobilised to implement the “4 nots” approach: “cannot”, “do not dare”, “do not want”, and “do not need” in the fight against corruption, wastefulness, and other negative practices. Furthermore, it is important to develop a diverse, high-quality, transparent, and easily accessible public service network where no one is left behind.

In addition, enhancing the State’s development governance capacity must also be reflected in sustainable community development governance and in governance across specific fields, such as economy, culture, society, health, education, national defence, security, and foreign affairs.

The viewpoint on “enhancing the State’s development governance capacity” reflects the Party’s new thinking regarding the State’s role in development governance in the new era, which should  be continuously studied, concretised, and effectively implemented in practice to contribute to the successful realisation of the goal of building a powerful, prosperous nation.

Sr. Col., Associate Prof. NGUYEN SY HOA, PhD

Army Academy