The 11th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam, scheduled for Jan. 12-19, will deliberate and adopt a number of important documents and elect the Central Committee for the 11th tenure.

This information was announced by Nguyen Bac Son, member of the Party Central Committee, Vice Chairman of its Commission on Information and Education and member of the Sub-Committee on organisation of the 11 th National Party Congress, at a press conference in Hanoi on Jan. 10.

Following are main contents of the press conference:

1. On the 11 th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam and some information about the delegates at the Congress.

The 14 th Plenum (10 th Tenure) held from December 13-21, 2010 decided to convene the 11 th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam from January 12-19, 2011 at My Dinh National Convention Centre, Hanoi. The Congress will meet for a preparatory session one day earlier on January 11.

This National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam is a routine event held every 5 years. However, the Congress is also of great historical significance due to a number of reasons. This is the first Congress of the second decade of the 21 st century. At this Congress, on the basis of the experience drawn from the past 80 years of foundation, combat, growth, leadership of the revolution and the domestic and international situation, the Party will deliberate, supplement and develop the Platform for national construction in the transitional period to socialism, the Political Report of the 10 th Central Committee submitted to the 11 th Congress, the 10-year Socio-economic development strategy for 2011-2020, some supplements and amendments to the Party Statute as well as other important issues. The Congress will also elect the Central Committee for 11 th tenure.

The Congress is attended by 1,377 delegates representing over 3.6 million Party members in nearly 54,000 Party cells.

In addition to the official delegates, the Congress also invites formers General Secretaries, State Presidents, Prime Ministers, Presidents of the National Assembly, politburo members, Party Secretaries, Vice State Presidents, Vice Presidents of the National Assembly, Deputy Prime Ministers, representatives of the Vietnamese heroic mothers, representatives of eminent persons and intellectuals, representatives of the youths and member of the Inspection Commission of the 10 th Tenure. The invited guests also include members of the diplomatic corps and international organisations.

The theme of the 11 th Congress is “Continue enhancing the Party’s leadership capacity and combativeness, promoting the nation’s synergy, comprehensively boosting the doi moi (renewal) process, creating the fundamentals for Vietnam to become a basically modern – oriented industrial country by 2020”.
The 11 th Party Congress will deliberate and adopt the following documents:

- Platform for national construction in the transitional period to socialism (supplemented and developed in 2011)
- Political Report of the 10 th Central Committee submitted to the 11 th Congress (evaluation of the implementation of the orientations and tasks in the past 5 years; identify the objectives, orientations and tasks for the next 5 years)
- 10-year Socio-economic development strategy for 2011-2020.
- Report on the review of the Party Statute implementation with some proposals for supplements and amendments.
- Election of the Central Committee, 11 th Tenure, (2011-2015) – the highest leadership body of the Party between the two Congresses.

2. On the preparation for the Congress

Since early 2008, the Politburo has met and given instructions on the necessary preparations for the 11 th National Party Congress, party congresses at various levels and the establishment of sub-committees on the preparation of the 11 th National Congress.

In the process of drafting the documents, the Central Committee has given regular instructions so that the documents must represent the spirit of reform and a scientific, dialectical, comprehensive, historical, specific and developmental thinking. In the meantime, freedom of thinking must be promoted to listen to different views in research and deliberations, and a mechanism must be established ensure that all Party members, cadres and the people can provide inputs, thus creating a consensus in the Party and people.

The Plenums at the end of 2009 and 2010 have discussed and studied the draft documents of the 11 th Congress for further improvement and completion.

From May 2010 to November 2010, the Central Committee instructed Party Committees of all levels throughout the country to organise congresses with 4 major issues to be discussed and adopted, one very important of which is to provide inputs for the draft documents of the 11 th Party Congress.

In parallel with the process of soliciting views from the Party system, the Central Committee also brought the draft documents to the public for comments from the people living within and outside Vietnam . This process lasted for one and a half months, i.e. 15 days longer than that of the 10 th Party Congress.

Building upon the inputs of the whole Party and people, the sub-committee on documentations of the Party Congress has considered, supplemented and completed the drafts of the documentations to be submitted to the Party’s Central Executive Committee for consideration and recommendation to be presented to the 11 th Party Congress.

The process of making recommendations and considering the contributions has been thoroughly conducted in a scientific, serious and receptive manner, including the valuable inputs from intellectuals, managers, leading experts and entrepreneurs, and the Vietnamese people at home and abroad, and through various channels like letters, research results, articles and radio programmes, etc.

3. Main content of the draft documentations:

3.1 Draft Platform for National Construction in the transitional period toward Socialism, which is supplemented and developed in 2011: this draft basically inherited the contents of 1991 Platform, including major supplements and developments as follows:

The 2011 Draft Platform affirms that moving towards Socialism is the aspiration of the Vietnamese people, the right choice of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President Ho Chi Minh in line with the development trend of the history.

Characteristics of the socialist society developed by Vietnam: this is a society of a wealthy people, powerful country, a democratic, just and advanced society owned by the people; a society possessing a highly-developed economy based on an advanced production force and a public ownership regime on major production materials with a progressive culture imbued with national identity, a life of well-being, freedom, happiness and comprehensive conditions for development. The ethnic people within the Vietnamese community are equal, united, respect and help each other striving for development; a country, with a rule-of-law socialist State of the people, for the people and by the people led by the Communist Party, which established the friendship and cooperation with all peoples in the world.

The overall goal in the end of the transition stage is to fundamentally develop the foundations of socialism with an appropriate political, ideological and cultural superstructure, laying the groundwork for Vietnam to be a socialist country of greater prosperity and happiness. From now to the mid 21 st century, the Party and people of Vietnam will strive to build Vietnam into a modern industrial and socialist-oriented country.

Major orientations to achieve the above-mentioned goals are the followings: accelerating the national industrialisation and modernisation aligned with the development of a knowledge-based economy, protection of natural resources and environment; developing a socialist-oriented market economy; building an advanced culture imbued with national identity; developing human; improving people’s life, realising social progress and equality; safeguarding national security, defence and social safety; conducting a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation and development; actively participating in the international integration; building a socialist democracy; forming national unity, strengthening and expanding the unified people’s front; building up a rule-of-law socialist-oriented State of people, for the people and by the people; building a clean and healthy Party.

With respect to development of the socialist-oriented market economy, the 2011 draft Platform identifies that development of the socialist-oriented market economy includes various forms of ownership, multi sectors, forms of business and distribution. Economic sectors operating in accordance with the laws are important parts of the economy, equal before the laws for long-term development, cooperation and healthy competition. The State-owned sector plays a key role, the collective-owned sector continues to be strengthened and developed. The State-owned sector and the collective-owned sector increasingly become the foundations for the national economy. The private sector is one of the drivers of the economy. The foreign-invested sector is encouraged.

3.2 The Draft Political Report of the 10 th Party’s Central Executive Committee to be submitted to the 11 th Party Congress: The assessment and review of the five-year implementation of the Resolution by the 10 th Party Congress affirm that Vietnam has taken enormous efforts to overcome difficulties and challenges, recorded important achievements in implementing the objectives and tasks of the 10 th Party Congress. However, there are limitations and shortcomings that should be dealt with. The draft report reviews that the ten-year implementation of the 2001-2010 SEDS has obtained outstanding and remarkable achievements and 20 years of implementation of the Platform on National Construction in the transition period toward Socialism have also recorded outstanding and historic achievements.

The overall goal of the next five years is to continue to enhance leadership capacity and the strength of the Party, comprehensively promote the course of reform, build up a clean and strong political system, promote democracy and national unity’s strength; develop economy in a speedy and sustainable manner; improve the material and spiritual life of the people; keep political and social stability; strengthen external relations’ activities; safeguard national independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, laying the foundations for Vietnam to become a modern industrial country by 2020.

Initially, the Draft Political Report points out some major indicators from 2011 to 2015 including the average GDP growth of 7-7.5 percent per year; GDP per capita in 2015 is 2,000 USD, an increase of 1.7 times against 2010. GDP structure: agriculture (17-18 percent), industry and construction (41-42 percent), services (41-42 percent), high-tech products and products resulted from application of high-tech (35 percent of the total GDP) ; trained-laboured percentage (55).

On the factors ensuring the firm maintenance of the economy’s socialist orientation, the Draft Report stresses on: The leading role of the State economic sector in a multi-sector economy; The need to realise social progress and social equity, ensure social security; Sustainable economic, cultural and social development in tandem with environment protection; The economic governance role of the socialist Sate, the link between the State, the enterprise and the society in developing the market economy.

On the major tasks of the 11th tenure, the Draft Report identifies the following five key tasks:

1. Stabilise the macro economy, innovate the growth model and economic structure, raise the quality, efficiency and sustainability of development; mobilise and utilise efficiently all resources; build gradually modern economic structure. Further improve institutions of a socialist-oriented market economy.

2. Develop and raise the quality of education, training and human resources; develop science, technology and a knowledge-based economy. Focus on addressing the issue of employment and income of workers, improve the people’s material and mental life. Take a decisive step in exercising social progress and equity, ensure social security, reduce poverty rate; improve healthcare for the people. Continue building an advanced culture profoundly imbued with national identity, preserve and promote the nation’s fine cultural values while acquiring the cultural quintessence of mankind. Protect the environment, be proactive in coping with natural disasters and climate change.

3. Strengthen national defence and security potential; firmly maintain socio-political stability, national independence, sovereignty, unity, territory integrity, social order and safety; check and foil all hostile forces’ attempts at sabotage; broaden and raise the efficiency of external activities, engage actively and proactively in international integration.

4. Continue promoting democracy and the strength of the great all-nation unity; improve, raise the effectiveness and efficiency of the socialist law-governed state; renew and improve the operation of the National Assembly, the Government and local authorities; push forward administrative and judicial reforms; combat effectively red-tapism, corruption and wastefulness. Innovate and improve the performance of the Fatherland Front and people’s organisations.

5. Step up Party building and rectification politically, ideologically and organisationally; regularly “learn and follow Ho Chi Minh’s moral examples”; enhance the Party’s leadership and combativeness; build a clean and strong Party, raise the quality of cadres and Party members; further innovate the Party’s leadership mode.

3.3 Draft of the 2010-2010 Socio-economic Development Strategy identifies its theme as: Continue to press on with industrialisation, modernisation and fast, sustainable development, building on the strength of the whole nation, constructing a modern and industrialised Vietnam .

The Draft SEDS proposes the guidelines for national development for the next decade as: Fast and sustainable development is the enduring requirement; economically and politically appropriate and comprehensive reforms for the goal of building a wealthy people, strong country, democratic, equal and civilised socialist of Vietnam. Exercise democracy, making the most of the human factor, viewing individuals as the entity, the main source and goal of development; strongly develop the production force with ever greater levels of science and technology application while at the same time, perfecting the production relationship and market economy with socialist orientations; an ever independent and autonomous economy in the context of greater international integration.

Overall goal of the Strategy is: To make effort so as to turn Vietnam into an essentially modern, industrialised country by 2020 with political and social stability, a country of consensus, democracy and discipline; the spiritual and material life of the people markedly improved; national independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity firmly maintained; the country’s role on the international arena continually growing; creating firm foundations for higher development in later stages.

Strategic breakthroughs include:
+ Perfecting the socialist oriented market economy, with focus given to creating a level playing field and undertaking administrative reforms;
+ Quickly develop skilled human resource, focusing on comprehensive reform of the education system;
+ Construct integrated infrastructure with modern construction projects, focusing on transport and metropolitan infrastructure.

4. Concerning personnel preparations for the 11 th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

The 11th Party Congress will elect a new Central Committee comprising of exemplary representatives of the Party, with unyielding political attitudes, morally sound virtues, competent capacities to achieve assigned tasks, with high prestige in the Party and the community, with innovative minds, ability to approach, grasp and address new and complex arising issues, capacity to unite, and rally individuals with scientific, democratic working methods, practicing what they preach, dare to think, to do, to take responsibility.

We will strive to increase the ratio of young, female, ethnic minority, and scientific researcher representatives in the new 11 th Central Committee to ensure succession of the previous Committee with the new electives are no less than one third of the total members and there are three distinct age groups.

The current Central Committee has actively made preparations for the Party Congress to elect a new Central Committee, with extra candidates available for selection.

5. On the organisation of the Congress

The Congress will meet for one day (January 11) for the preparatory meeting to adopt the Agenda, working modality of the Congress, elect a presidium, a secretariat, Delegate Eligibility Committee, and adopt the report of this Committee. The official meeting will take place on January 12-19, 2011. The main agenda items (such as discussion and adoption of documents, discussion concerning personnel and election of the new CEC) will be discussed during the official Congress. There will also be a number of group discussions and plenary sessions.

Apart from the live broadcasts of the opening, closing and several other sessions, there will be press releases made public daily. Some 600 reporters from domestic newspapers and media and about 120 foreign reporters from international media agencies and press representatives of 12 foreign political parties which the Communist Party of Vietnam has close relations with. We have established the 11 th Party Congress Press Centre with modern communication equipment. Apart from the daily press releases and some thematic press conferences, we shall also facilitate all reporters to timely accurately and vividly cover the events at the Congress as well as other facets of a rapidly developing Vietnam .

We have informed the political parties with whom we have ties with about the Congress. To date, we have received about 40 messages of felicitation from other political parties and international organisations wishing our 11 th Communist Party of Vietnam Congress a success.

The Communist Party of Vietnam sincerely invites the diplomatic corps, representatives of international organisations in Vietnam to attend the opening and closing ceremonies of the 11 th Party Congress.

To date, preparations for the Congress have been on time, realised with the highest sense of responsibility, hugely contributing to the success of the 11 th Party Congress./.