The 11th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) adopted its Resolution at the closing session on January 19.

After deliberating the documents submitted by the 10th CPV Central Committee, the 11 th Congress which convened in Hanoi from January 12-19 resolved to:

I. Adopting the draft Platform for national construction during the transitional period towards socialism (supplemented and developed in 2011).

Assigning the CPVCC of the 11 th tenure to direct the Political Bureau, based itself on the Congress Presidium’s report appraising opinions gathered from delegates on Party draft documents and vote results to perfect the Platform for official publication.

II. Adopting the draft Socio-economic Development Strategy for the 2011-20 period.

Assigning the CPVCC of the 11 th tenure to guide the Political Bureau, based itself on the Congress Presidium’s report appraising opinions gathered from delegates on Party draft documents and vote results to perfect the Strategy for official publication.

III. Approving the fundamental contents appraising the five years’ implementation of the 10 th Congress’s Resolution (2006-2010) and orientations and tasks for the 2011-15 period stated in the 10 th tenure CPVCC’s political report, which was submitted to the 11 th Congress:

1. Regarding the appraisal of the past five-year period (2006-2010)

Facing international and domestic difficulties and challenges, especially those posed by the global financial crisis and economic downturn, the entire Party, people and army did their best to accomplish goals and tasks set by the 10 th Congress; efficiently deal with complicated economic developments globally and domestically; steadily maintain macro-economic stability and a rather good economic growth rate with many sectors seeing steps of development and the enlarging scale of the economy. The people’s living conditions saw improvements while socio-economic stability maintained; national defence and security strengthened, independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity safeguarded, external activities expanded and international position and prestige enhanced; democracy and national unity promoted; and Party-building work and the political system attained positive progress.

Outcomes gained after five years of implementing the 10 th Congress’s Resolution made an important contribution to the successful implementation of the Socio-Economic Development Strategy for the 2001-10 period and 20 years of implementing the Platform for national construction in the transitional period towards socialism.

However, there remain limitations and shortcomings that need to be addressed. Several targets and tasks set by the 10 th Congress have not been fulfilled. The economy has yet developed sustainably with low quality, efficiency and competitiveness, slow economic restructuring towards industrialisation and modernisation, an irrational distribution system and increasing gap between the rich and the poor.

Weaknesses and shortcomings remain in education, training, science, technology, socio-culture and environmental protection; bureaucracy, corruption, waste, crime, social evils, moral and lifestyle degradation have still not been prevented. Economic institutions, human resource quality and infrastructure are still weak that need to be addressed. The socialist democracy and national unity strength were also not fully upheld. Work to build the Party, the State of law, the quality of the operations of the Fatherland Front and mass organisations were seeing slow change and there remain factors that may cause socio-political instability.

The above said shortcomings and weaknesses were attributable to objective reasons, including the global financial crisis and economic downturn; disasters and epidemics; sabotage by hostile forces and the inner weaknesses of the economy. However, subjective reasons were decisive and direct. Theoretical research and practical evaluation have failed to meet the requirements; awareness on a number of concrete issues of the renewal process remained limited without unanimity; the forecasts in many fields remained weak; the Party leadership and guidance and State management in a number of fields lacked consistency, resoluteness and definitiveness; disciplines and laws lacked stringency and the capabilities and virtues of a section of cadres, Party members, public servants and officials have failed to meet the new requirements.

2. From the leadership and guidance of implementing the Resolution of the 10 th Congress, it is possible to draw a number of experiences:
First, in any circumstance, it is a must to pursue the implementation of the renewal policy and its targets, consistently and creatively applying and developing Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh Thought, steadily striving for the target of national independence and socialism. Comprehensive and synchronous renovation must be conducted in suitable steps and manner. Active and proactive international economic integration must be attached to building an independent and self-reliant economy while maintaining the nation’s cultural traditions and identity. Expanding and upholding democracy must be bonded with sense of responsibility to strengthen disciplines and law respect in each citizen, agency, business and the whole community.

Secondly, it is a must to attach importance to the quality and effectiveness of sustainable growth and development while improving the quality and efficiency of the economy with a practical growth rate and maintaining macroeconomic stability; increasing the mobilisation of both domestic and foreign resources, economically and effectively utilising every resource to boost the economic growth rate. The work force development should also be carried out at the same time with building and perfecting suitable production relations, consolidating and enhancing every factor to ensure socialist orientation in the economy.

Thirdly, it is necessary to attach more importance to combining economic growth with social equality and progress; ensuring social welfare and taking care of people’s spiritual and material lives, particularly the poor and those living in remote and mountainous areas, especially in the difficult economic situation; combining the economic development with cultural development, consolidating defence and security, enhancing external relations, thus well performing the two closely-bonded strategic tasks of national construction and defence.

Fourthly, fostering the consolidation and building of a strong Party in terms of politics, ideology and organisation; upholding democracy in couple with discipline and order; firmly maintaining the principle of concentralised democracy, enhancing solidarity and unity, keeping close bond with the people, respecting and bringing into play the people’s right to mastery and relying on the people in building the Party; building a contingent of cadres and Party members with political and ideological firmness, good ethics and lifestyles, high combat capacity and professional proficiency, increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of State management and activeness, pro-activeness and creativeness of the Fatherland Front and other mass organisations.

Fifthly, in leadership and guidance work, it is a must to be sharp, resolute, creative and closely adhered to the country’s situation; attach importance to the forecast work to put in place suitable solutions in time; enhance dissemination work, creating a high consensus and bringing into play the strength of the whole political system and society.

3. Forecasting the global and domestic situation in the coming years:

Around the world, peace, cooperation and development are still being the major trends but there will be new complicated developments with unpredictable risks. Religious and racial tensions and conflicts, secession, civil wars, territorial disputes, political riots, political interventions and subversion and terrorism will continue to take place. Non-traditional factors threatening security and hi-tech crimes in the fields of monetary-finance, electronic- telecommunications, biology and environment will also continue to rise.

The multi-polar world will take shape more clearly. The trend of democratisation in international relations will continue developing but powerful nations will still dominate international relations. The strong process of globalisation combining with scientific and technological development will boost the formation of an information society based on a knowledge-based economy.

The global economy, despite signs of recovery, will still face many difficulties and instabilities; protectionism will develop in different forms; the restructuring of institutions, industries and economic sectors will happen in many countries; the balance of economic strength among countries, especially among large ones, will see many changes. Economic-trade competition and the fight for natural resources, energies, markets, technologies, capital resources, high-quality human resources among countries will become even more severe. Global issues such as financial, food and energy security, climate changes, rising sea water levels, natural disasters and epidemics will also continue to see complicated developments. The struggle for peace, national independence, welfare, democracy and social progress will continue to develop. Meanwhile, more class and racial conflicts will happen.

The Asia-Pacific, including Southeast Asia , will remain a region of dynamic development but also contain many factors possibly leading to instabilities. More territorial, sea and island disputes will occur. New forces and intertwining interests will take shape. ASEAN will continue to speed up regional connectivity and building a community with a more important role in the region. However, many difficulties and challenges lie ahead for the bloc.

In Vietnam , the achievements and experiences of the 25-year renewal process (1986-2011) have created a more secure position and great strength for the country. The next five years will see the Vietnamese economy continue to recover and return to its growing impetus after the recession. The country will implement more bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements, overcome shortcomings and weaknesses in the fields of socio-economics, culture, Party and political system building. However, it will face many major and intertwined challenges that cannot be ignored. Vietnam is at risk of lagging behind in economic development with other countries in the region and the world. The degradation in political ideology, thought, morality and lifestyle of a number of cadres and Party members who are involved in bureaucracy, corruption and waste will still be serious, lowering the people’s confidence in the Party and State. Hostile forces will continue implementing the “peaceful evolution” scheme, causing disturbances and using the so-called “democracy” and “human rights” in order to change the political system in Vietnam .

Inside the Party, manifestations of distancing oneself from the objectives of socialism, “self-changing” and “self-transforming” will become more complicated.

In general, the above-mentioned situations and trends will bring in both opportunities and challenges to the country’s development in the next five years.

4. Development goals and tasks for the 2011-15 period

Overall goals set forth for the country in the next five years are: Continue to raise the Party’s leadership and combat capacity; step up the renewal process in a comprehensive manner; build a strong and pure political system; promote democracy and the entire people’s great unity; develop the economy in a fast and sustainable manner; further improve the people’s living conditions both materially and spiritually, maintain socio-economic stability, enhance external activities; firmly defend national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity; thus creating a foundation for the nation to become a modern-oriented industrialised country by 2020.

Main tasks include:

- Stabilising the macro-economy, renewing the growth model and restructuring the economy from extensive development to the harmony between extensive and intensive development; improving the quality and effectiveness of the economy, ensuring rapid and sustainable development and increasing the independent and self-reliant characteristics of the economy; mobilising and effectively using all resources, step-by-step building a system of modern infrastructure facilities and continuing to perfect the socialist-oriented market economic institution.

- Developing and raising the quality of education and training as well as the quality of human resources, promoting the development of science and technology for a knowledge-based economy; focusing on dealing with issues like jobs and income for people and improving their material and spiritual lives; making obvious changes in social advancement and equality, ensuring social welfare, reducing the number of poor households; improving healthcare services for the people; continuing to build the advanced culture imbued with traditional identities; preserving and promoting the traditional cultural values and absorbing the humankind’s cultural quintessence; protecting the environment, taking the initiative in preventing and mitigating natural disasters and dealing with the impacts of climate change.

- Intensifying the national defence and security strength and power; maintaining socio-political stability, independence, sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity, social order and security; preventing and foiling all schemes and plots of hostile forces; comprehensively and effectively carrying out external activities and proactively taking part in international integration.

- Continuing promoting democracy and the strength of national great unity; perfect and enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of the operation of the socialist law-governed state; renewing and improving the operational effectiveness of the National Assembly, the Government, and local administrations; boosting administrative and judicial reforms; efficiently carrying out the fight against bureaucracy, corruption and waste; renewing and raising the quality and operation of the Fatherland Front and other mass organisations.

- Stepping up the building and rectification of the Party in terms of politics, ideology and organisation; continuing the work of renewing and raising the effectiveness of personnel, supervision, inspection and ideology; making the learning and following the moral example of President Ho Chi Minh a matter of routine; raising the Party’s leadership and combat capacity; building the Party really pure and strong and improving the quality of Party organisations at the grass-roots level and the contingent of Party staff and members.

Major targets

Economic growth is set to reach between 7 and 7.5 percent annually during the 2011-15 period. Industrial and construction value growth is to rise between 7.8 and 8 percent in each of the next five years while agricultural growth is to increase 2.6-3 percent. Agriculture is set to make up 17-18 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP); the industry-construction sector, 41-42 percent and services, 41-42 percent. Hi-tech and hi-tech applicable products are expected to account for 35 percent of GDP. Trained workers will account for 55 percent of the national workforce. Export revenues are set to increase by 12 percent annually while trade deficits are reduced gradually to reach the balance of trade by 2020. Social investment is set to contribute to 40 percent of GDP on average in the next five years. Tax collection for the State budget is to reach 23-24 percent of GDP while the budget deficit is to decrease to 4.5 percent of GDP by 2015. Eight million jobs will be generated while the agricultural, forestry and fisheries sector will make up 40-41 percent of the workforce by 2015. Rural incomes are set to increase between 1.8 and 2 times over the 2010 figures. Population growth rate is set at 1 percent while life expectancy is to reach 74 years by 2015. Per-capita GDP is to reach 2,000 USD by 2015, while the poverty rate under the new criteria is to be lowered by 2 percent annually. Forest cover is to expand to between 42 and 43 percent by 2015.

The Party of the 11th term aims to focus leadership on major tasks and generate radical changes. They are:
- To strengthen the Party’s leadership and combat capacity;
- To speed up administrative reforms, especially administrative procedures pertaining enterprise mechanisms and operation as well as ordinary people’s daily life.
- To improve the quality of human resources in order to meet demands for industrialisation, modernisation and global integration of the nation.
- To build a synchronous infrastructural system, especially an efficient traffic system to replace an inadequate system which has caused rampant traffic jams, hampered economic growth and stirred public anxiety.
- To improve policy of salary, distribution and incomes of public employees, white and blue-collar workers, while overcoming the current unfair reality and negative impact caused by the existing policy of salary and incomes.
- To focus on solving several hot social issues (degrading morality and lifestyle, social evils, social orders and discipline);
- To strengthen and increase efficiency in the fight against corruption and waste in order to prevent and push back these evils.

IV- Approving the report on self-criticism of the leadership by the Party Central Committee, the 10th tenure, submitted at the 11th National Party Congress. Assigning the Party Central Committee, the 11th term, with a task to study opinions voiced by the Congress in order to promote strong points and adjust weak points, improve the quality and efficiency of the leadership in the coming term.

V- Approving the entire CPV Statute which has been revised.

VI- Approving the 200-strong line-up of the Party Central Committee, the 11th term, including 175 official members and 25 alternate members.

VII- Assigning the Party Central Committee, 11th term, and Party committees and organisations at all levels to work out programmes of action and plans in order to make details and materialise policies and guidelines set forth in the 11 th Party Congress documents.

VIII- The 11th National CPV Congress calls on the entire Party, people, army and overseas Vietnamese to further uphold the glorious tradition of the nation and Party and promote patriotism, self-reliance and persistence in pursuing national independence and socialism. The Congress also calls for dynamism and innovation as well as great efforts to fulfil the 11 th Party Congress resolution. Party leadership and combat capacity should be promoted, national unity strengthened, the renewal process accelerated in a comprehensive way in order to lay a foundation for the nation to basically become a modern-oriented industrialised economy by 2020 for the sake of a wealthy people, a strong nation, democracy, justice, civilisation and firm advance towards socialism./.