With absolute faith in the last words of the great late President Ho ChiMinh and a never-ending affection for him, the Vietnamese nation hasworked together incessantly to make his sacred testament a reality.
Looking back over the past 45 years, his testament has acted as asource of spiritual power guiding the nation to victory, again andagain: from the liberation of the South to national reunification andmoving the country closer to socialism. The testament also outlined themajor orientation for the Vietnamese revolution.
Following hislast words of advice, the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) hasmobilised its full strength and brainpower to lead the country down thepath set out by President Ho Chi Minh, building Vietnam into a socialistcountry of peace, unification, independence, democracy and prosperity.
Resolute in its objectives and ideals of nationalindependence and socialism, the CPV has led the process of renovationover the last 30 years, with the economy now geared towardsindustrialisation and modernisation.
From its humblebeginnings as an importer of food, Vietnam has now emerged as one of thetop rice exporters in the world. Its economy has expanded at a rapidpace, with an annual average growth rate of 7.26 percent for 2001-2010and approximately 6 percent for 2011-2015.
Many social andcultural achievements were recorded while the general standards ofliving have remarkably improved. The country has already achieved amajority of the United Nations Millennium Goals for 2015. In 2008, realincome per capita was 2.3 times higher than in 2000. Vietnam is amongthe upper middle group in the Human Development Index ranking, and thecountry’s poverty rate decreased from 26 percent in 2000 toapproximately 10 percent in 2010.
In the past 15 years, drivenby a desire to create a progressive culture imbued with the nationalidentity, a multitude of resources has been made available for culturalprojects in line with the country’s development trajectories for theeconomy, national defence and human resources.
The politicalleadership has stuck to its principle of keeping State power in thehands of the people, promoting democracy and the public interest, andcreating and perfecting the State of Vietnam as a state of the people,run by the people and for the people.
External relations andinternational integration have expanded successfully, contributing to anenvironment of peace and stability whilst mobilising resources fornational development.
Vietnam has become an active andresponsible member of international organisations and global forums. As amember of 63 international and regional bodies and a partner of over500 non-governmental organisations, Vietnam has established diplomaticties with over 180 countries, not to mention the country’s economic andtrade partnerships with more than 200 countries and territories.
Vietnam has actively participated in United Nations (UN) forums, andwas elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the2008-2009 period, as well as a member of the UN Human Rights Councilfor the 2014-2016 period.
The country has also joinednegotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the free tradeagreement with the European Union. At the same time, Vietnam activelyparticipates in the settlement process for territorial and maritimeissues with all countries concerned, contributing to maintaining apeaceful environment in the region and the world as a whole.
While being proud of the large successes achieved so far, the nation isaware that it is facing major challenges since its economic andtechnological competencies are still limited, which means Vietnam stillhas a long way to go in terms of competitiveness. The development gapbetween Vietnam and developed economies remains substantial, whilefactors destabilising the economy and society as well as threateningnational sovereignty remain a potential risk.
In light ofthese challenges, the whole Party, armed forces and people bear all themore responsibilities, prompting them to make the most of the nation’sstrengths and opportunities to overcome difficulties and move towardsthe goal of a “wealthy people, strong nation, democratic, equitable andcivilised society”.-VNA