The ninth National Congress of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) officially opens in Hanoi on September 19. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The ninthNational Congress of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) officially opened inHanoi on September 19, bringing together 1,300 delegates representing peoplefrom all walks of life, representatives of armed forces and overseasVietnamese.
General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President Nguyen PhuTrong sent a basket of flowers to congratulate the congress.
The congress saw the attendance of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, NationalAssembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, permanent member of the Party CentralCommittee’s Secretariat Tran Quoc Vuong as well as other leaders and formerleaders of the Party and State and many other senior officials.
In his opening remarks, President of the 8th-tenure VFF CentralCommittee Tran Thanh Man said the congress will assess the great national unitybloc situation and people from all strata, review the implementation of theVFF’s five action programmes during the 2014-2019 tenure, and set forth actionprogrammes for the next term.
It will also approve the amended and supplemented statutes of the VFF andconduct consultations to assign the Central Committee, the Presidium and theStanding Board of the VFF for the 2019-2024 tenure, the official said.
He pointed out difficulties and limitations in socio-economic development,along with other issues like climate change, natural disasters and diseases,and plots of hostile forces to undermine the Party and State and divide thegreat national unity bloc.
In that context, the VFF needs to identify key tasks, utilize potential andresources, seek more international support, create social consensus, build thepure and strong Party, State and political system, consolidate and promote thegreat national unity bloc, and improve the material and spiritual life ofpeople of all social strata, thus developing the country rapidly andsustainably, and firmly defending the nation, Man stressed.
Hau A Lenh, Vice President and Secretary General of the VFF Central Committee,presented a brief report of the 8th-tenure VFF Central Committee.
He said the VFF has worked hard to improve the efficiency of the communicationswork with various campaigns and patriotic movements, protect legal and legitimaterights of people, and join hands in building the Party and administration.
At the same time, the VFF has bettered people-to-people exchanges, enhancedinternational friendship and cooperation, and perfected its mechanisms andimproved its operations, thus meeting requirements and tasks in the new period.
During the tenure, fatherland fronts at all levels collected over 19.7 trillionVND (847.1 million USD) in support of social welfare programmes, raised a fundworth more than 4.67 trillion VND (201.3 million USD) for the poor, built andupgraded over 153,000 houses for needy households, and thousands of socialwelfare works.
In the next five years, the VFF will focus on consolidating and enhancing thegreat national unity bloc; fulfilling the targets of socio-economic, culturaldevelopment, and ensuring national defence and security; protecting legal andlegitimate rights of people; fighting corruption and wastefulness; building thepure and strong Party and administration; intensifying internationalsolidarity; expanding people-to-people exchanges; and renewing its operationmethods, he said
Addressingthe congress, PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc lauded significant contributions of the VFF,socio-political organisations and people to national achievements.
In the past tenure, the VFF has made efforts in renewing its organisation andoperation, he said, hailing the front’s role in building the great nationalunity bloc, taking care of and protecting legal and legitimate rights ofpeople, boosting socio-economic development, and building the Party, State andthe political system.
The front has made practical and effective contributions to social supervisionand feedback, social welfare, poverty reduction and new-style rural areabuilding, the government leader noted.
PM Phuc said the VFF should better the communications work, uphold its corerole in consultations, and continue to coordinate with all-level administrationand its member organisations to implement patriotic movements and campaigns.
He urged the front to make greater efforts in collecting public opinions andreporting them to Party and State agencies and localities, while coordinatingwith authorities in handling issues of public concern, with attention paid toethnic minority-inhabited, remote, border and religious regions, and the areaswhich used to be revolutionary bases.
The VFF should continue to encourage the public to engage in building the Partyand administration as well as in the fight against corruption and wastefulness,judicial reform, and improving the business environment.
The Party and State want to receive more proposals through the VFF in order toperfect policies, guidelines and leadership methods, the PM noted./.
VNA
