British scholar Kyril Whittaker pays respect to President Ho Chi Minh at the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK. (Photo: VNA) London (VNA) – Under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV),Vietnam has been built into a thriving economic, political and culturalpowerhouse, said British researcher of Vietnamese politics and history andmember of the Communist Party of Britain Kyril Whittaker.
Talking with Vietnam NewsAgency correspondents in the UK on the occasion of the CPV’s 94th foundinganniversary, Whittaker said that since the establishment in 1930 in Hong Kong, the CPV has guided thecountry through the resistance against the French colonialism and USimperialism, and liberated, re-unified and re-built the country into prosperity.
Quoting President Ho Chi Minh’s words aboutdemocracy “Democracy means that the people are the master”, the Britishresearcher stressed that not only is the Vietnamese society today a product ofMarxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought, but it is also imbued with the cultureof socialism, with progressive values, a love for peace and independence, andthe values Uncle Ho often talked about such as integrity and thrift.
According to him, theunderlying recognition between providing a better quality of life for thepeople and the increasing development of culture has provided the basis for theVietnamese society of today, one which is beloved and recognised by people allaround the world for its rich culture, economic growth and expansive history.For the past 94 years, the CPV has continued socialist construction andovercome challenges, being the driving force of the Vietnamese society, whichprovides a leadership of the people, by the people and for the people, andcontinues to therefore provide the grounds for healthy growth in all areas,especially in cultural preservation and development.
Through variouspolicies by elevating the people’s lives by eradicating poverty, building infrastructure,encouraging a healthy environment and preserving of the culture of ethnicminorities in Vietnam, the Party and the people of Vietnam are planting theseeds for the continual development of Vietnamese culture, he said.
Assessing Vietnam’s achievements in 2023 under theleadership of the CPV, Kyril said the country followed the continuous line ofprevious years in enhancing the people’s lives in all respects. The economycontinuously grew, from 2.56% in 2021 to 8.02% the following year and 5% in2023.
In his view, this is becausethe Vietnamese Government sees the “people as the roots”. During the pandemic,this could be seen through the comradely activity of neighbours in helping eachother deal with the pandemic and the utilisation of the people’s police and army forces to assist with buying groceries for the population, harvestingcrops, distributing free face masks and delivering of temperature checks.
The Government has alsopunished those who took advantage of the pandemic for economic gain by tryingto raise prices on much needed products and those who would willingly spreaddangerous disinformation, according to Kyril, saying it is clear that the worldhas much to learn from Vietnam in controlling the pandemic.
He said visiting and livingin Vietnam for a period of time has shown to him immense transformation in thecities and rural areas of the country, powering through productivity andbettering people’s lives. New roads, new motorways, new transport systems, andthe development and utilisation of green technology on a much wider scale arethe norm in Vietnam, with the development of green public bus networks,increasing use of public transportation, development of sustainable agricultureand utilisation of ‘walking streets’ whereby large areas of citiestraditionally affected by congestion are closed off and used as public spacesso that the public can experience peaceful walks in such historically rich andarchitecturally beautiful areas as Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi or Nguyen Hue Streetin Ho Chi Minh City.
This reflects what Party General Secretary NguyenPhu Trong has recently emphasised, namely building on rapid but sustainabledevelopment. That is, to continue to develop and expand the economy whilstdeveloping the “green and circular economy in association with intensifyingresource management and environmental protection.”
The researcher said in 2023, Vietnam’s foreign relations increasedsignificantly, remarkably with the visits to Vietnam of General Secretary ofthe Communist Party of China Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden, sayingVietnam has strengthened its friendship with traditional friends andcontinuously developed trade and international relations, expanding anddeepening its relations with 193 countries.
Besides this, Vietnam hastaken an active role in international organisation such as ASEAN, theNon-aligned Movement, the UN and the Mekong River Commission, he said,stressing that through these forums, Vietnam has utilised its foreign policy of‘bamboo diplomacy’ to expand relationships and create new partners whilstmaintaining its independence, security and freedom and promoting peace. Vietnamhas been an active member of discussions to developing a Code of Conduct in the East Sea and has consistently advocated for the independence and freedom ofpeople’s worldwide.
Speaking about Vietnam’sfight against corruption under the leadership of the CPV, he said the countryhas tackled corruption at every turn with Party members disciplined, ejectedfrom the Party and from their positions and facing real consequences for theiractions.
The corruption campaign hasbeen carried out very well in Vietnam and is an example and an inspiration tocountries, parties and peoples all over the globe, he affirmed./.
