Hanoi (VNA) – Ahead of the New Year 2026, which marks the start of the 14th National Party Congress term, Party General Secretary To Lam has granted an interview to the Vietnam News Agency, affirming the country’s resolve to harness its intellect and fortitude as Vietnam moves confidently into a new era of development.
The following is the content of the interview:
Reporter: During 2020–2025, the country faced many unprecedented difficulties and challenges, however, under the Party’s leadership and thanks to the concerted efforts of the entire political system, people and armed forces, Vietnam has achieved many significant and comprehensive results in implementing the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress. Could you please share the most notable achievements so far?
Party General Secretary To Lam: First and foremost, it must be affirmed that the achievements the country obtained during the past tenure are the crystallisation of the Party’s talented leadership, the resolute engagement of the entire political system, and, above all, the unity, determination, resilience and deep sense of solidarity shown by the people in the most challenging moments.
The 13th National Party Congress term witnessed unprecedented challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters, climate change, global turbulence, economic headwinds, supply-chain disruptions, employment pressures, and financial and banking strains struck in rapid succession, posing complex challenges that required swift, accurate and decisive policies, countermeasures, and responses. The difficulties were immense, yet the country overcame them and reached its goals. Notably, amid hardships, national stability was maintained, social order and public confidence were preserved, while the vital arteries of the economy – production and circulation – were restored in a timely manner, enabling the country to continue moving forward.
On the economic front, Vietnam made extraordinary efforts to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic while safeguarding major macroeconomic balances, preventing the economy from being destabilised by external shocks. Many sectors, localities and businesses adapted swiftly, innovated, sought new markets, created jobs and sustained production. As a result, the national economy demonstrated its strong resilience, endurance and a steadfast refusal to retreat.
On the social front, we always defined that development was guided not only by growth targets but by the goal of ensuring a stable and improved life for the people. In times of hardship, the spirit of solidarity and mutual support, the tradition “the good leaf covers the torn ones”, along with the quiet yet immense sacrifices of frontline forces, including the military, public security, healthcare workers, teachers and workers, underscored profound lessons about the power of national solidarity. Social welfare policies, poverty reduction programmes, and care for vulnerable groups and disadvantaged areas continued to be implemented with a clear objective: leaving no one behind.
Regarding the external affairs, Vietnam consistently pursued the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, and being a friend, a trustworthy partner, and a responsible member of the international community. Amid growing global fragmentation and intense competition, preserving a peaceful and stable environment, expanding cooperative relations, and mobilising resources for development stand out as highly valuable achievements. Vietnam’s diplomacy goes beyond the goal of “making more friends and fewer foes”, instead focusing on expanding development space, elevating the country’s position, and promoting shared development based on peace, friendship, cooperation and equality.
For Party and political system building, Vietnam has remained steadfast in core principles – upholding discipline and integrity, keeping the contingent of officials clean; and strengthening public trust. The fight against corruption, wastefulness and misconduct has been intensified with a resolute approach – no avoidance, no forbidden zones, and no exceptions. The aim is not only to address violations, but also to raise awareness, improve mechanisms, safeguard what is right, encourage virtuous conduct, and enable officials to work confidently for the people and the country.
In summary, the most notable achievements of the term lie in overcoming challenges through determination, resilience and solidarity; maintaining stability for development; and persisting in self-correction and improvement to advance faster and more securely. While these accomplishments are significant and worthy of recognition, we must remain humble and vigilant, not ‘resting on our laurels’. The road ahead remains filled with major and difficult tasks, and to travel far and reach our goals, it is essential to uphold trust and discipline, and place national interests and the well-being of the people above all else.
Reporter: How do you assess the fight against corruption, wastefulness and negative practices during the past term, and what are the orientations for the next term to build an increasingly clean and strong Party capable of leading the country confidently into the new era?
Party General Secretary To Lam: Combating corruption, wastefulness and negative practices is a crucial task, essential for preserving the Party’s credibility, upholding the rule of law, and, most importantly, maintaining the trust of the people.
Looking back over the past term, it can be affirmed that the “battle against internal enemies’ has seen significant and substantive progress, becoming more systematic, resolute, scientific and determined. It has evolved from a political commitment into sustained action across the entire system, gaining broad public support. At the same time, the focus has expanded from combating corruption to also addressing wastefulness and misconduct, as wastefulness, though often silent, can severely deplete national resources and slow development.
Encouragingly, this process has reinforced a key truth – cleansing the system does not hinder development, but rather ensures healthier and more sustainable development. Addressing violations does not weaken the system, it upholds discipline and order, strengthens the workforce, provides support for upright and competent officials, and eliminates ‘corruption and rot’ within the political system”.
However, we must also frankly acknowledge that corruption, wastefulness, and negative practices are "inherent defects," "internal enemies" hidden within the system. In some places and at certain times, there has been a lack of vigilance, avoidance of responsibility, and mechanism loopholes. Poorly monitored public assets, investment projects, land, and bidding processes remain prone to violations. In other words, the results are commendable, but we must absolutely not be complacent. We need "vaccines," "antibiotics," “preventive medicine" and "community medicine” to detect, prevent, and address issues promptly and effectively.
Looking ahead to the next term, I would like to emphasise several key directions, guided by both determination and perseverance, ensuring thorough and solid implementation at every step.
First, the interests of the nation and the people must be placed above all else. Efforts to combat corruption and misconduct must be determijed, persistent, and continuous; enforcement should be strict yet fair and humane, with no prohibited zones or exceptions. At the same time, mechanisms must protect officials who dare to think, act, and innovate for the common good, so that those who do the right thing are not at disadvantage, and those who do good are not left alone.
Second, we must shift strongly toward prevention, treating it as the foundation. While enforcement is necessary, it is even more important to prevent wrongdoing from taking root. This requires continued improvement of institutions, regulations, and procedures; clear delineation of responsibilities and authority, and stronger oversight; and greater transparency, especially in areas prone to negative practices.
Third, it is necessary to focus on perfecting the legal framework to close loopholes and establish a “solid foundation” for integrity. The Party’s correct policies and guidelines must be fully institutionalised into laws; decentralisation and delegation of authority should be paired with strict oversight; granting power must be linked to accountability, leaving no gaps that could become blind spots. Comprehensive measures are needed so that no one can, dares, or feels the need to engage in corruption, embezzlement, or misconduct.
Fourth, the prevention of waste must be considered as a very important front. It is not only about the waste of money, but also about time, opportunities, resources, and even trust. Therefore, it is necessary to review and decisively address projects that are behind schedule, prolonged, or inefficient; to rectify financial and budgetary discipline; and to improve the quality of public governance, so that every Vietnamese dong, every parcel of land, and every public asset truly serves national development and serves the people. We prioritise resources for development, and this is also an area where waste may arise. Therefore, we need to issue warnings and adopt preventive measures to ensure that waste does not occur.
Fifth, the role of grassroots Party organisations and the supervision of the people must be promoted. Where Party organisations are strong, discipline is strict, and the people are informed, consulted, and able to exercise effective supervision, negative practices find it difficult to take root. The prevention and combat of corruption, waste, and negative phenomena cannot be the task of functional agencies alone; it must become a way of thinking and a cultural norm of conduct of the entire system, in which the exemplary role of the head is decisive.
I would like to further emphasise that, as we enter a new stage of development, we need a clean and accountable apparatus so that the people have confidence, we need a strong apparatus so that it can perform its tasks, and we need a humane apparatus so that it can strengthen the trust of the people. This work must be carried out with great prudence: being resolute against wrongdoings, while at the same time creating an environment for what is right to spread; handling violations strictly to deter, while simultaneously improving mechanisms so that good people have favourable conditions to work, and so that society operates in a transparent and orderly manner.
Reporter: On the threshold of the 14th Party National Congress, can you please share your views on the significance of this congress, its guiding thoughts, strategic vision, and the aspiration to develop a strong, prosperous, civilised, and happy Vietnam?
Party General Secretary To Lam: Each Party Congress is a very important milestone, but the significance of the 14th National Party Congress is even more profound, as it takes place amid a rapidly changing, highly volatile and unpredictable world context. At the same time, after many decades of renewal, our country has attained new fortune, potential and position, while also facing new, higher and more pressing development requirements. This is the moment for us to look straight at reality, correctly identify opportunities and challenges; to comprehensively review what have been achieved, clearly point out existing obstacles, and, most importantly, to unify will and action so as to move forward with steadiness and confidence.
In my opinion, there are three major points regarding the guiding thoughts and strategic vision that this Congress needs to clearly define and strongly spread.
The first is unity and confidence. Unity is not merely a slogan or a call. Unity must become a mode of conduct of the entire system and of every Vietnamese person: unity within the Party, unity among the people, unity between the Party’s will and the people’s aspirations; knowing how to put the common interest first and set aside personal interests when necessary. Along with unity is confidence: confidence in the path we have chosen, confidence in the strength of the nation, and confidence that good outcomes will come if we work persistently for the country and for the people.
The second is discipline and breakthroughs. For the country to move fast, breakthroughs are required; but to go far, discipline is indispensable. Therefore, the action motto of the Congress has been clearly defined as: “Unity – Democracy – Discipline – Breakthrough – Development.” Breakthroughs here do not merely mean undertaking a few “new tasks”, but rather renewing mindset so as to dare to address the real bottlenecks, including institutions, organisational apparatus, quality of human resources, governance capacity, and public service discipline; thereby enabling the country to operate more smoothly, more fairly, more transparently, and more effectively.
The third is development for people and by knowledge. The aspiration for a “strong, prosperous, civilised and happy” country must first be measured by very practical, everyday realities: whether people have better jobs, more stable incomes; whether they have more decent and better housing; whether their children enjoy better access to education; whether illnesses are better cared for; whether the elderly have support; and whether disadvantaged areas receive timely assistance. For everything to become “better”, we must regard knowledge, science, technology, innovation and digital transformation as the key driving forces of the new growth model, while strongly mobilising all social resources, in which the private economic sector is an important driver.
The strategic vision of the Congress is also closely linked to clearly defined milestones: selecting sound policies to successfully achieve the goals by 2030 and to realise the vision to 2045. These are “milestone markers” to strive for, so that every sector, every locality, every agency and each person can see their specific role and responsibility in the shared journey.
According to the plan, the 14th National Party Congress will be held from January 19 - 25, 2026 in the capital city of Hanoi. This is a major political event of our Party and our nation, a historic milestone of the country in the Ho Chi Minh era, marking the convergence of the nation’s thousand-year tradition of culture and civilisation as it rises to enter a new era. Cadres, Party members and the people are paying due attention, following closely, and placing high expectations on the success of the Congress. I firmly believe that the 14th Party National Congress will truly be a convergence of wisdom, mettle and aspirations; a congress that speaks the truth, discusses the right issues, and makes the right decisions.
Reporter: On the occasion of the New Year 2026, what message would you wish to convey to the Vietnamese people and the international community?
Party General Secretary To Lam: On the occasion of the New Year 2026, I would like to send a brief and heartfelt message.
To the Vietnamese people, I would like to express my deep gratitude for your trust, for your silent sacrifices, for the patience and solidarity that our compatriots have shown to one another and to the country during years marked by many fluctuations. I hope that every family will welcome the new year in peace and safety; that every individual will step into the new year with a simple aspiration: to perform their jobs better, and to see their material and spiritual lives improve day by day. When millions of such “better” things come together, the country will grow stronger in a sustainable manner.
I also hope that cadres and Party members at all levels will always bear in mind that the higher the position, the greater the responsibility; the greater the power, the more one must bind oneself with discipline, integrity, and exemplary conduct. Whatever benefits the people must be pursued to the utmost; whatever causes inconvenience to the people must be avoided to the utmost; whatever is wrong must be corrected, and whatever is right and good must be protected.
To friends and the international community, I would like to affirm that Vietnam always treasures the goodwill, trust and cooperation. We wish to work together with countries, organisations, and people around the world to build an environment of peace, stability, and cooperation for shared development. Vietnam is always a reliable partner and a responsible member of the international community, joining hands to address common challenges such as climate change, non-traditional security issues, inclusive development, digital transformation, and innovation. We believe that the best outcomes always begin with mutual respect, sincere dialogue, and cooperation that brings tangible benefits to the people and nations around the world.
I wish our compatriots, soldiers nationwide, and international friends good health, peace, safety, cooperation, and development in 2026.
Happy New Year 2026!/.
