11th Party Congress of Communist Party of Vietnam opens

On January 12, the 11^th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) convened at the National Convention Center in Hanoi with the participation of 1,377 delegates representing over 3.6 million Party members across the country.

The Congress took place under the theme: “Continue enhancing the Party’s leadership capacity and combativeness, promoting the nation’s synergy, comprehensively boosting the Doi moi (renewal) process, creating the fundamentals for Vietnam to basically become a modern-oriented industrial country by 2020”. 

Former Party General Secretaries Do Muoi and Le Kha Phieu; former State Presidents Le Duc Anh and Tran Duc Luong; former Prime Minister Phan Van Khai; former National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Van An, former Politburo members, former Party Secretaries, former Vice State Presidents, former Vice National Assembly Chairmen, and former Deputy Prime Ministers, revolutionary seniors, Vietnamese heroic mothers, intellectuals, religious representatives and representatives from the young generations attended the major political event.

In his opening speech, Politburo member and State President Nguyen Minh Triet expressed limitless gratitude and respectful commemoration to President Ho Chi Minh. The fact and success of the country’s revolutionary process over the past 80 years have confirmed that the great Ho Chi Minh ideology and Marxism – Leninism are always the ideological foundation and magnetic needle for the actions of the Party and Vietnamese revolution.

Comrade Nguyen Minh Triet noted that the Congress took place at an important time, when the country has gone through 25 years of comprehensive renewal process and when the political platform for the construction of the country in the transitional period to socialism has been implemented for 20 years, especially the country’s great efforts to overcome difficulties due to the influence of the global crisis and record proud and important achievements.

Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh presenting the report

 He added that the Congress held great responsibility with the nation to comprehensively review weaknesses and draw experience from the implementation of the 10^th Party Congress resolution. On that basis, the Congress will develop the 1991 political platform, identify a strategy for the socio-economic development for the next ten years (2011-2020) and set orientations and targets for the next five years.

In addition, the Congress will review the building of the Party and the leadership of the Party Central Committee in Term X, identify the orientations and tasks for the building of the Party in the new period, admen some articles in the Party Charter as well as elect the new Party Central Committee.

During the opening session, Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh presented the report by the Party Central Committee term X on documents for the 11^th Party Congress. He noted that over the past five years, through the implementation of the 10^th Party Congress resolution, the whole Party and people have sought to overcome difficulties and recorded important achievements, especially overcoming the bad consequences of the regional and global economic and financial crisis. 

The country has seen an economic growth rate of 7.2% per year on average, with the positive shift of economic structure and the continued improvement of the socialist-oriented market economy. GDP in 2010 was 3.4 times higher than that in 2000; the collection of budget and export turnover increased by 5 times and GDP per capita in 2010 reached USD 1,168.

Cultural and social areas also saw important achievements while the country reinforced political, defence and security stability and increased foreign relations and international integration.According to the Party General Secretary, the general target of the socio-economic development strategy in the 2011-2020 is to make the country become a modern-oriented industrial country by 2020; maintain stable, democratic and united political and social systems; remarkably improve people’s spiritual and material lives; strengthen the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity; continue to elevate Vietnam’s position in the international arena; and create a firm foundation for higher development in the coming periods.

During the opening session, Truong Tan Sang, Politburo member and permanent member of CPV Central Committee’s Secretariat read a review report on the CPV’s leadership and guidance during the 10th tenure.