Foreign media has highlighted the 11 th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), which opened in Hanoi on Jan. 12.

Granma newspaper, an agency of the Communist Party of Cuba, on Jan. 12 ran an article titled “ Vietnam remembers Ho Chi Minh on the threshold of the Party Congress” with illustrated photos.

Almost 1,400 delegates were present at the Ba Dinh Square on Jan. 11 to lay flowers in tribute to the late President, the paper said.

The Congress will deliberate and adopt the country’s socio-economic development strategy and plan and elect a new leadership of the Party, it said, adding that the delegates, representing over 3.6 million Party members nationwide, will pass the draft documents on national development, which affirms the socialist orientation of Vietnam ’s economy.

Also the same day, Cuban television and radios reported on this important event of the Party and people of Vietnam .

Meanwhile, Japan ’s NHK reported the CPV’s 11 th National Congress opened in Hanoi with a call to reach an economic growth rate of 7-7.5 percent a year in the next five years.

Radio the Voice of America said the ongoing Congress bears an important task to elect a new leadership to lead the country to overcome growing economic challenges, not only in the next five years, but also in the next two or three decades.

The US ’s website www.businessweek.com wrote Vietnam ’s Party would emphasised economic growth over the next decade and address mismanagement at state-owned firms at this week’s National Congress.

The website quoted Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh in his remarks at the congress’ opening session as saying that “We must pay attention to the quality and efficiency of growth and sustainable development” and “We must combine economic growth with social progress and equality.”

Yougesh Khatri, a senior economist at Nomura Holdings Inc. in Singapore said the growth target is perfectly reasonable, adding if Vietnam do enough to curb inflation expectations, the country can create a virtuous cycle./.