Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Le Minh Hung on April 15 chaired the first meeting of the Central Emulation and Commendation Council for the 2026–2031 term, outlining key priorities and calling for stronger alignment between emulation movements and the country’s ambition of achieving sustainable double-digit economic growth.
Participants noted that emulation and commendation work has seen positive changes in recent years, becoming more substantive and closely aligned with political tasks at all levels. Patriotic emulation movements have been continuously renewed in both content and format, contributing significantly to socio-economic development, national defence, security, and improvements in people’s livelihoods. However, in the context of a new development phase, delegates stressed that higher demands are being placed on such efforts. Emulation movements must evolve into a comprehensive ecosystem that inspires dedication, fosters breakthroughs, and mobilises broad participation across society. Commendation, in turn, must be timely, accurate, and impactful, recognising exemplary individuals and models, and translating sound policies into concrete outcomes.
The council also reviewed a draft plan to launch a nationwide emulation movement calling on the whole country to join hands in socio-economic development for sustainable double-digit growth in the 2026–2030 period, and considered nominations for the titles “Hero of the People’s Armed Forces” and “Hero of Labour.”
In his concluding remarks, PM Hung emphasised that emulation initiatives must be closely linked to the goals and spirit of the 14th National Party Congress Resolution, particularly the target of achieving double-digit growth in a sustainable manner and improving living standards. He underscored that targets must be measurable, outcome-based, and free from formalism, with effectiveness serving as the key metric. He called on ministries, sectors, and localities to prioritise the fulfillment of core tasks outlined in their action programmes, including institutional reform, administrative simplification, and digital transformation. Rather than spreading efforts thinly across numerous indicators, emulation movements should focus on essential, clearly defined objectives tied to tangible results.
To ensure breakthroughs, the Government leader highlighted the need for unified awareness and coordinated action across the political system, as well as active engagement from the business community and the public. The Ministry of Home Affairs was tasked with streamlining existing movements to avoid duplication and designing a concise, representative national programme.
Priority areas include science and technology development, innovation, productivity enhancement, and national competitiveness improvement. Special attention will also be given to grassroots governance, particularly strengthening the effectiveness of two-tier local administrations at commune and ward levels.
The Prime Minister further stressed the importance of thrift practice and wastefulness prevention, noting that savings of at least 10% in recurrent expenditures have already been achieved, with an additional 5–10% reduction targeted. If total savings reach 20%, the state budget could gain an additional 360 trillion VND (13.6 billion USD) for national priorities.
He concluded by calling for stronger administrative reforms, reduced business conditions and procedures, and a focus on grassroots implementation to identify and replicate best practices. Leaders at all levels, he stressed, must take direct responsibility for addressing bottlenecks and ensuring the effectiveness of emulation movements throughout the term./.
