Third National Party Congress

Hanoi (VNA) - The third National Party Congress focuses on building socialism in the north and struggle for liberation in the South.

The resistance war against French colonialists ended successfully. The Party directed the people in the northern region to restore the economy and build socialism along with strengthened the armed forces to defend the North and give assistance to the South.

Southern people continued to confront US invaders, who established a dictatorial regime with a plot to turn southern Vietnam into a new-style colony and the US imperialists’ military base, and to partition the country for a long time.

With Bill 10/59, the nepotism regime of Ngo Dinh Diem dragged the guillotine everywhere and barbarously massacred patriots.

While the revolution in South Vietnam was facing various difficulties, Le Duan in his capacity as member of the Party Politburo and Secretary of the Nam Bo (Southern region) Party Committee wrote the draft of “The Path of Revolution in the South”, which says: “There is no other path for the people of the South but the path of revolution.”

The resolution of the 15th Party Central Committee conference (January 1959) clearly defined guidelines of the revolution in the South, which combined political struggle with armed struggle alongside boosting the struggle movement of people in the southern region.

The important resolution created a considerable breakthrough in the revolutionary cause of the people nationwide, helping perfect the Party’s guidelines for the resistance war against US aggressors and national salvation. Since then, the struggle movement of the people in the southern region had spread out, particularly the “general uprising” for destroying the enemy’s grip and seizing power.

The development of the northern and southern regions’ revolution created positive changes for the whole nation. The Party held the third National Congress from Sept. 5-10, 1960, which saw the participation of 525 official and 51 alternate delegates who represented more than 500,000 Party members.

Addressing the congress’ opening ceremony, President Ho Chi Minh said: “This is the congress of building socialism in the North and struggling for peace and national reunification.”

The congress elected a Central Committee that consisted of 47 official and 31 alternate members. President Ho Chi Minh was re-elected as the Party’s President (He hold the position until he passed away in September 1969); and Le Duan was elected as First Secretary of the Party Central Committee.

With the Party’s sound revolutionary guidelines coupled with great sacrifice of the heroic Vietnamese people, the nation’s revolution has gained great victories. (To be continued).-VNA