Hanoi (VNA) - In the context of globalisation and new challenges of the 21st century, Vietnam has faced both opportunities and challenges that require comprehensive, innovative, and dynamic Party leadership. Therefore, the Party and State have introduced numerous strategic and breakthrough policies that affirm their leadership role in a new era - the era of the nation’s rise.
From objective foundations and internal strengths to strategic vision, Vietnam is no longer "waiting for opportunities," but actively creating them. The era of the nation’s rise is not merely a distant vision, but gradually becoming reality thanks to methodical, steady, and resilient steps.
It can be seen that, with the opportunities brought by the current era and the great achievements Vietnam has attained over nearly 40 years of renewal, the present moment is a convergence of advantages, strengths, and opportunities to usher the country into the new era, following those of independence and freedom, socialist construction, and renewal.
Although the practical conditions and foundations for setting the goal of bringing the country into this new era are clearly identified, with an objective spirit of facing the truth squarely, assessing it accurately, and speaking frankly, Vietnam is still facing many challenges.
At the May 18 national conference on thoroughly implementing the resolutions of the Politburo, Party General Secretary To Lam acknowledged that the country is confronting significant challenges. Economic growth shows signs of slowing down; labour productivity and innovation capacity remain limited; the quality of growth is not yet truly sustainable; and the risk of falling into the high middle-income trap still exists. Although the business environment has improved, many barriers remain; infrastructure is fragmented; and the socialist-oriented market economy institutions are still incomplete.
These fierce challenges require all to avoid complacency; continuously innovate, reform, and harness all resources and motivations within society and the people; and implement measures profoundly, comprehensively, decisively, and with determination to achieve the set major goals.
The innovations and reforms the country is carrying out are not only objective requirements of development but also a mandate from the future of the nation, General Secretary Lam emphasised.
📝OP-ED: Awakening aspiration to rise
This new era marks a crucial phase in which the country must strive with determination to fulfil its strategic objectives, achieving breakthrough development at new levels of sophistication, quality, and global standing, laying the foundation for further growth. Era after era forms a continuous history of development, ascending steadily from one level to the next.
To overcome challenges and lead the country into the new era, it is essential to firmly implement strategic orientations such as continuing to vigorously innovate leadership methods, enhancing the leadership capacity and governance of the Party, ensuring the Party remains the great helmsman to propel the nation to breakthroughs and accelerated development in the new era; strengthening the Party’s role in building and perfecting the socialist rule-of-law State of Vietnam, by the people, of the people, for the people, with a focus on removing the greatest bottleneck among the three major bottlenecks, which is institutions; streamlining the organisational apparatus of the political system to ensure coherence, connectivity, smooth operations, and effective performance; and implementing digital transformation aimed at establishing a new, advanced, modern mode of production - the “digital mode of production.”
At the same time, it is necessary to create new development drivers, fully seize the opportunities and advantages brought by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and enable the country to leap forward and lead in breakthrough development; intensify anti-waste efforts equally as strongly as the fight against corruption and negative phenomena; build a contingent of officials with sufficient capacities to bring the country into the new era; and carry out concerted solutions to strategically orient economic development, and push back the risks of falling behind and the middle-income trap.
All of these efforts aim to achieve the country’s socio-economic development goals, and continuously improve the material and spiritual life of the people.
Demonstrating a clear determination to remove these bottlenecks, within just half a year, from December 2024 to May 2025, General Secretary Lam, on behalf of the Politburo, issued four consecutive breakthrough resolutions - referred to as the “Four pillars” of the country’s development process in the new era. These are: Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW dated December 22, 2024 on breakthrough development in science, technology, innovation, and national digital transformation; Resolution No. 59-NQ/TW dated January 24, 2025 on international integration in the new context; Resolution No. 66-NQ/TW dated April 30, 2025 on reforming law making and enforcement to meet national development requirements in the new era; and Resolution No. 68-NQ/TW dated May 4, 2025 on the development of the private sector.
These four major resolutions together form a unified framework of strategic thinking and action for the country’s development in the new era. Although each focuses on a key sector, they are closely linked, complementing and reinforcing each other throughout the process of dissemination and implementation. All share a common goal of building a solid foundation for Vietnam to achieve fast, sustainable development and become a developed, high-income nation by 2045.
📝OP-ED: Vietnam to enter new era with power, strength, belief
In his closing speech at the 10th plenum of the Party Central Committee in September 2024, Party General Secretary Lam declared: “With the position and strength accumulated over 40 years of renewal, and with the unity of the entire Party, people, and army, alongside new opportunities under the sound Party leadership, we now possess the essential conditions to enter a new era."
Also at the May 18 national conference, the Party chief called upon the entire political system, Party, people, and army to unite their efforts and determination to overcome all difficulties, and turn aspirations into actions, and potential into real strength, so as to lead the country into the new era — the era of strong development and prosperity for the Vietnamese nation.
It can be said that the new era is not a vague slogan, nor is it blind faith. It is the culmination of a continuous, persistent development process, grounded in scientific evidence and vivid practical experience, from the aspiration for national independence and construction to the comprehensive renewal and deep integration as seen today. The great and historically significant achievements of nearly 40 years have proven the correctness and wisdom of the path chosen by the Party, President Ho Chi Minh, and the people.
Hostile forces have always sought to distort and deny the Party’s leadership role, sow doubt, and undermine the great national unity bloc with demagogic and reactionary allegations. They have deliberately ignored the fact that it is precisely under the Party’s steadfast, innovative, and decisive leadership that Vietnam has overcome countless severe challenges, and risen from poverty and backwardness to become a dynamic developing country with an increasingly prominent position on the international stage.
At this pivotal moment of history, it is essential to stay confident and vigilant. Refuting false allegations is not only the responsibility of theory agencies and the media but also the duty of every patriotic citizen, as defending political faith is not conservatism, but rather protecting the correct ideological foundation where Vietnam’s intellect, resolve, and aspirations converge.
This is the era of those who are willing to take bold actions, make decisions, and serve the nation. Vietnam does not choose the easy path but the right path. And it is this path, with the Party as the guide and the people as the creators, that will lead the country to its glorious destination: A strong, prosperous, and happy Vietnam, capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with world powers, as President Ho Chi Minh had always wished./.
