Promoting Vietnamese intelligence and bravery to move forward strongly in the new era of development

Reporter: Dear General Secretary, in the 2020-2025 term, the country faces many unprecedented difficulties and challenges, but under the leadership of the Party, the efforts of the entire political system, the entire people and the entire army, we have achieved many important and quite comprehensive results in implementing the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress. Can the General Secretary please share the outstanding achievements in recent times?

General Secretary To Lam: First of all, it is necessary to affirm that the results that the country has achieved in the past term are the crystallization of the talented leadership of the Party, the drastic participation of the entire political system and above all, the consensus, determination, bravery and affection of our people in the most challenging moments.

The 13th National Party Congress term was a particularly difficult period. The pandemic, natural disasters, climate change, international fluctuations, economic difficulties, supply chain disruptions, jobs, financial and banking pressures... come over and over again, constantly, posing to us difficult problems, requiring solutions such as policies, countermeasures, and quick, accurate and decisive handling measures. Difficult as mountains, but we have overcome it and reached the finish line. It is worth noting that in the midst of difficult times, the country still stays stable, society still maintains order and trust, the economic blood vessels of production are restored in time, so that we can continue to move forward.

In terms of economy, we have made great efforts to both recover after the pandemic and maintain major balances, keeping the economy uncholested by external storms. Many industries, many localities, many businesses have known how to steer, innovate, find markets, create jobs, and keep production in rhythm. As a result, our economy has demonstrated resilience, resilience, and a spirit of refusal to retreat.

In society, we always stick to the development orientation of not only growth, but also a peaceful and better life for the people. In difficult times, the spirit of mutual love, "the healthy leaves cover the torn leaves", the silent and great sacrifices of the frontline forces, the army, the police, the health sector, teachers, workers... have left many profound lessons about the strength of solidarity. Social security policies, poverty reduction, and care for the disadvantaged and disadvantaged continue to be implemented, with a very clear goal: leaving no one behind.

Regarding foreign affairs, we are steadfast in our independent and autonomous guidelines; being friends, trustworthy partners, and responsible members of the international community. In the context of a Differentiated and fiercely competitive world, maintaining a peaceful and stable environment, expanding cooperative relations, and taking advantage of resources for development is a very valuable achievement. Our foreign affairs are not only to "less friends and obstacles", but more importantly, to expand more development space, to enhance the country's position, to develop together in peace, friendship, cooperation, and equality.

Regarding building the Party and the political system, we persevere in very basic things: maintaining discipline, discipline, maintaining integrity, cleaning the team, strengthening the people's trust. The work of preventing and combating corruption, waste and negativity continues to be promoted, with the spirit of being on the point, not avoiding, no forbidden areas, no exceptions. The goal is not only to handle violations but also to warn, to build and perfect the mechanism, so that what is right is protected, good people are encouraged, and cadres can work with peace of mind for the people and the country.

In short, if we talk briefly about the outstanding achievements of the term, I think that is: we have overcome challenges with will, determination and solidarity; stability to develop; perseverance in adjustment and improvement to go faster and go more firmly. The achievements are great and appreciated, but we must still be humble, alert, and not " sleep on the laurel wreath". There are many big things ahead, many difficulties, wanting to go far, reaching the finish line is still the most important thing to maintain confidence, discipline, putting the national interests - the nation and the happiness of the people above all.

Reporter: Can the General Secretary assess the work of preventing and combating corruption, waste and negativity in the past term and orient it in the coming term to build an increasingly clean and strong Party, and to lead the country firmly in the new era?

General Secretary To Lam: Preventing and combating corruption, waste and negativity is a very important matter, which is to preserve the prestige of the Party, maintain national discipline and, most importantly, maintain the trust of the people.

Looking back at the past term, it can be affirmed that the " frontline against internal invaders" has had clear changes, going into depth and substance; conducted more methodically, more decisively, scientifically, more voluntarily; not only as a political determination, but has become a regular action of the entire system and received the consensus and support of the majority of people. At the same time, we have also expanded the focus from anti-corruption to combating both waste and negativity, because waste is often not noisy, but the consequences are huge, eroding national resources and slowing down development.

The good news is that in that process, we are increasingly aware of a truth: cleaning the apparatus does not hinder development, but for healthier and more sustainable development. Handling violations does not weaken the system, but to maintain discipline, to keep the law, to make our team stronger, to give the right people a position, the right people a support; to prevent "deep, worm" in the political system.

But we must also frankly admit: corruption, waste, and negativity are " congenital defects", "internal invaders" hidden in the system. In some places, there are times when we are not alert to identify from the beginning; there is still a situation of avoidance, pushing, "fear of responsibility"; there are still loopholes in the mechanism; there is still management of public assets, investment projects, land, bidding... if not strictly controlled, it is easy to commit violations. In other words, the results were appreciated, but absolutely do not be subjective. There needs to be vaccines, antibiotics, preventive medicine, community medicine to prevent, detect and prevent in a timely and effective manner.

Regarding the orientation in the next term, I would like to emphasize some major points, in the spirit of both determination and perseverance, to work hard to the best of my ability:

First, we must put the interests of the nation - people and the interests of the people first. The fight must be determined, persistent, regular, and continuous; strict handling must also be reasonable and humane; no forbidden areas, no exceptions. At the same time, there must be a mechanism to protect cadres who dare to think, dare to do, and innovate for the common good, so that those who do the right thing are not affected, and those who do well are not lonely.

Second, shift strongly to prevention, considering prevention as the root cause. Countering is necessary, but more importantly, do not let bad things spring up. To do so, it is necessary to continue to improve institutions, regulations, and processes; clarify responsibilities, authority, strengthen control; be more public and transparent, especially in areas that are prone to negative outcomes.

Third, focus on perfecting the law, covering the loopholes, creating a " frame" for integrity. The Party's correct viewpoints and policies must be fully institutionalized and synchronized into legal regulations; decentralization and delegation of power must go hand in hand with power control; delegation of power must be associated with responsibility constraints, not letting "space" become "dark space". There must be comprehensive measures so that all subjects are "impossible", "not daring", "not needing" embezzlement, corruption, and negativity.

Fourth, considering anti-wasteism as a very important front. Waste is not only money, but also time, opportunities, resources, and trust. Therefore, it is necessary to review and thoroughly handle projects that are behind schedule, prolonged, or ineffective; rectify financial and budgetary discipline; improve the quality of public administration, so that each penny, each piece of land, and each public asset can truly serve development and serve the people. We prioritize resource allocation for development, this is also a part of the "land" that can arise for waste. Therefore, we need to warn and take measures to prevent waste.

Fifth, promote the role of grassroots party organizations and the supervision of the people. Where the Party organization is strong and disciplined, and the people know how to "discuss" and supervise well, there is a problem that is unlikely to bloom. Preventing and combating corruption, waste and negativity cannot be the only job of the authorities; it must be a way of thinking, a cultural behavior habit of the whole system, in which setting an example for the leader is the key.

I would like to emphasize: entering a new stage of development, we need a clean apparatus for people to trust, be strong to work, and be humane to gather. This work must be very alert: determined against wrong, but also creating an environment for the right to spread; strictly handling to deter, but at the same time perfecting the mechanism for good people to have working conditions, so that society can operate transparently and in order.

Reporter: On the eve of the 14th National Congress of the Party, I would like the General Secretary to share about the significance of this Congress, the main thoughts, strategic vision, and aspirations for the development of a strong, prosperous, civilized, and happy Vietnam?

General Secretary To Lam: Each Congress of the Party is a very important milestone, but for the 14th Congress, the meaning is even deeper, because we enter the Congress in a context of a world of rapid change, many uncertainties, and unpredictability; while the country after many decades of renovation has new foundations, potential and position, and is also facing new, higher, and more drastic development requirements. This is the time when we need to look directly into practice, correctly identify opportunities and challenges; summarize what has been done, clearly identify the remaining problems and most importantly, unify the will, unify actions to continue steadily.

I think there are three major points in terms of guiding ideology and strategic vision that this Congress needs to clarify and spread strongly.

The first point is solidarity and trust. Solidarity is not just a slogan or a call. Solidarity must become the way of behaving of the whole system and of each Vietnamese person: solidarity within the Party, solidarity among the people, solidarity between the will of the Party and the will of the people; knowing how to put the common thing first, knowing how to put aside the private thing when needed. And together with solidarity is the belief: believing in the path we have chosen, believing in the strength of the nation, believing that good things will come if we work persistently and for the country and the people.

The second point is discipline and breakthrough. A country that wants to go fast needs to make a breakthrough, but to go far, there must be discipline. Therefore, the Congress's motto of action is clearly defined: "Solidarity - Democracy - Discipline - Breakthrough - Development". The breakthrough here is not only doing some "new things" but also innovating thinking to dare to "touch" the real bottlenecks: institutions, apparatus, quality of human resources, management capacity, public service discipline; to make the country operate more smoothly, fairer, more transparent, more effectively.

The third point is development for people and with knowledge. The aspiration of "old age, prosperity, civilization, happiness" must first of all be measured by very ordinary things: whether people have a better job, a more stable income; whether there is a "more decent, larger, more beautiful" place to live; whether children have more advantages in education, whether the elderly get better care, whether the elderly can rely on them, whether the disadvantaged areas can receive timely support... And if we want everything to be "more" we must consider knowledge, science, technology, innovation, digital transformation as the key driving force of the new growth model; at the same time, strongly promote all social resources, in which the private economy is an important driving force.

The strategic vision of the Congress is also associated with very clear milestones: selecting policies to successfully implement the goals by 2030 and realizing the vision to 2045. These are "milestones" to strive for, so that each industry, each locality, each agency and each citizen can see that they have a specific part to do in the common journey.

According to the plan, the 14th National Congress of the Party will be held from January 19, 2026 to January 25, 2026 in Hanoi. This is an important political event of our Party and people, a historical milestone of the country in the Ho Chi Minh era, marking the convergence of the thousand-year-old tradition of the nation to rise in the new era. Cadres, Party members and People are very interested, watching, waiting and placing high expectations on the success of the Congress. I believe that the 14th National Congress of the Party is truly a gathering place for intelligence, courage and aspiration, a Congress that tells the truth, discusses the right things that need to be discussed and decides the right things that need to be decided.

Reporter: On the occasion of the New Year 2026, what message does the General Secretary have for the Vietnamese people and the international community?

General Secretary To Lam: On the occasion of the New Year 2026, I would like to send a short and sincere message.

To the Vietnamese people, I would like to express my deep gratitude for their trust, for their silent sacrifices, for the patience and affection that our people have shown to each other and to the country in many turbulent years. I hope each family welcomes the new year peacefully; each person enters the new year with a simple thing: do better their work, improve their material and spiritual life every day. When millions of those better things are added together, the country will be stronger sustainably.

I also hope that cadres and party members at all levels always remember: the higher the position, the greater the responsibility; the more power, the more they have to tie themselves with discipline, integrity and exemplary behavior. Do whatever is beneficial to the people; do whatever is troublesome to the people; do whatever is wrong and correct it, and protect whatever is good.

To international friends and communities, Vietnam always appreciates goodwill, trust and cooperation. We hope to work with countries, organizations and people around the world to build a peaceful, stable, cooperative and developing environment; Vietnam is always a trusted partner, a responsible member, joining hands to solve common challenges such as climate change, non-traditional security, inclusive development, digital transformation and innovation. We believe that the best always comes from mutual respect, from sincere dialogue and from cooperation that benefits the people of countries and peoples around the world.

I wish the people, soldiers of the whole country and international friends a year of good health, peace, cooperation and development in 2026.

Happy New Year 2026./.

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