Hanoi (VNA) – General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and President To Lam has called for clearer rules governing Party members engaged in private business, saying the new regulations should encourage lawful economic activity and help mobilise resources for national development.
The top leader made the request while chairing a working session with the Party Central Committee's Commission for Policy and Strategy in Hanoi on September 14 to discuss a draft project on new regulations concerning Party members engaged in the private sector.
After hearing a report on the project and opinions from participants, the leader said the policy allowing Party members to engage in private economic activity reflects the Party’s process of renewing its thinking, reviewing practical experience and developing its theory.
The new regulations should retain principles that remain valid while addressing new issues related to ownership, production organisation, distribution and the responsibilities of Party members in a socialist-oriented market economy, he said.
He stressed that Party members’ right to engage in lawful economic activities must be clearly recognised together with their legal status, responsibilities and obligations. The status of Party membership should mean higher standards of responsibility and exemplary conduct, not business privileges.
Support policies must be based on transparent and equal criteria, he said, stressing that businesses must not face discrimination based on whether their owners are Party members.
The working-class nature and the Party's goal of serving the people should be reflected in the practical activities of Party members, the top leader said. The new rules should take into account the origin of assets, business practices, treatment of workers and the use of business results.
Financial contributions cannot substitute for compliance with the law and Party discipline, he said, adding Party members with strong capabilities should be encouraged to take the lead in technological innovation, productivity improvement, development of Vietnamese brands and sustainable business.
General Secretary and President Lam asked the drafting body to clearly assess the current situation and define the scope of the new regulations. The regulations should be concise and clearly set out principles, regulated groups, limits, responsibilities and authority. Matters determining what Party members may and may not do must be specified.
He also called for clear distinctions among different groups, including Party members outside the public sector, incumbent officials and civil servants, public employees, members of the armed forces, leaders of State-owned enterprises and representatives of State capital, as well as former officials and retirees.
Effective measures are also needed to prevent conflicts of interest while protecting lawful business activities, he said.
The new regulations should be linked with Directive No. 12-CT/TW, issued by the Party Central Committee's Secretariat on August 19, 2026, on renewing and improving Party building in the private sector.
The leader called for efforts to recruit outstanding entrepreneurs into the Party while also paying attention to skilled workers, engineers, scientists and other outstanding employees. Recruitment should focus on political motivation, qualities, reputation and the process of personal development, rather than numbers or financial contributions.
He said Party organisations in private enterprises must effectively perform their political, educational and supervisory roles and contribute to building progressive labour relations. Coordination rules should clearly define the responsibilities of Party organisations, business owners and management, without one body taking over the functions of another.
The performance of Party members engaged in business should be assessed based on productivity, innovation, tax compliance, wages, social insurance, occupational safety and environmental protection, the leader said.
Social responsibility must begin with proper treatment of workers who create value together with the business, he added, stressing that donations and charity cannot compensate for violations of workers’ rights and obligations.
The leader assigned the Commission for Policy and Strategy to lead efforts to finalise the project, working with relevant Party bodies to clarify the management of different groups of Party members and mechanisms for supervision and accountability.
The Government Party Committee was asked to review relevant laws and propose a roadmap for institutionalising the new regulations, while coordinating with the National Assembly Party Committee on matters under the legislature’s authority.
The top leader said the new regulations should enable Party members to contribute and conduct business lawfully, strengthen effective Party management, and build public and business confidence in a fair and integrity-based system.
They should also help mobilise resources for development while making the Party cleaner, stronger and closer to the people, he said./.
