Vietnam makes big leaps after 35 years of renewal under Party leadership

Nhat Tan Brige in Hanoi (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam has made tremendous achievements since the Doi Moi (renewal) policy was launched at the 6^th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) in 1896, agreed foreign friends who are interested in Vietnam and the country’s development journey.

Having worked in the Southeast Asian country for three and a half years, Alberto Salazar, a resident reporter of the Latin American News Agency Prensa Latina in Vietnam, said he has witnessed a number of positive changes, especially in economy, and he feels safer here than anywhere else in the world.

During the past 35 years, the Vietnamese economy posted impressive growth, hitting 6.8 percent a year in the 2016-2019 period.

Despite the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Vietnam was still among countries with the highest GDP growth in the world.

The Cuban reporter attributed the attainment to the CPV’s direct and consistent efforts in harmoniously coordinating with the Government to steer the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and recover the economy.

“The Communist Party has exerted every effort to ensure that even in the most trying of times, like fighting the pandemic, Vietnam remains among very few countries to post positive growth and guarantee social security,” he said in an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency on the occasion of the 13^th National Congress of the CPV.

Vietnam’s economy grew 2.91 percent in 2020 despite the pandemic - a pace many countries would envy even in normal times, Salazar noted, adding that most international organisations predict it will expand 6 percent this year.

Alberto Salazar, a resident correspondent of Prensa Latina in Vietnam, in an interview with the Vietnam News Agency (Photo: VNA)

The Prensa Latina correspondent also highlighted Vietnam’s success as ASEAN Chair in 2020 despite the COVID-19 crisis. It held many teleconferences and phone talks with leaders of countries in the region and the world to coordinate the pandemic response strategy and maintain contact.

Vietnam also proposed many initiatives during the first year of its non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council for the 2020-2021, including securing recognition of December 27 as the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness, which was supported by all member states.

Its already high position on the international arena was enhanced after the successful fulfilment of those dual roles last year, he said.
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“The Vietnamese people can be proud of their Communist Party,” Salazar said. “Likewise, the Communist Party can be proud of its people,” the reporter stressed.

Also highlighting the CPV’s introduction of the Doi Moi policy in 1986, Lao Ambassador to Vietnam Sengphet Houngboungnuan held that it played a crucial part in the country’s stable politics, impressive economic growth, and improved living conditions of people.

Despite rapid and complicated developments in the global and regional situation in the past five years, Vietnam has attained remarkable achievements in various sectors thanks to the Party, State and people's high determination and efforts, the ambassador said.

Vietnam was one of the 10 countries in the world posting the highest economic growth in the past five years, he said, adding that without the COVID-19 pandemic, the nation’s economy could have expanded by over 7 percent.

Along with resounding successes in the fields of culture-society, healthcare, education and science-technology, Vietnam has seen breakthrough progress in external affairs and international integration, helping improve the nation’s prestige in the region and the world, he stressed.

Vietnam has made tremendous achievements since the Doi Moi (renewal) policy was launched in 1986 (Photo: VNA)

Despite COVID-19 and natural disasters in 2020, Vietnam successfully fulfilled its roles as the ASEAN Chair 2020 and AIPA-41 Chair, and did a good job as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2020-2021 tenure.

Furthermore, the country’s economy size topped 343 billion USD in 2020 with per capita GDP of more than 3,500 USD.

These achievements are a vivid illustration of the CPV’s sound and ingenious leadership in the past year, he underscored.

From Beijing, Hantao, a reporter of the multilingual media platform Asia-Pacific Daily (APD), said the renewal process, along with the market economy and open-door policies, has helped lift Vietnam from being isolated to an economy opening to and widely interacting with outside.

“Vietnam’s Doi Moi that introduced the market economy and opening-up policies has changed the situation in which Vietnam has been closed to the outside world for a long time, and made the country open to the world,” she said.

At the same time, the living standards of the local people have been greatly improved, and Vietnam has entered a period of rapid economic development, she added.

She attributed the achievements of Vietnam during its renewal process to the leadership role of the CPV. “The Communist Party of Vietnam’s right decision to make Vietnam open to the world contributes to the country’s economic prosperity and enhanced international status,” she noted.

The rise of Vietnam’s prestige and position is closely related to the nation’s economic development brought by Doi Moi, she said, suggesting that the country should continue to deepen reform and opening-up to achieve greater economic success.

Echoing Hantao’s views, Yimel Díaz Malmierca from Cuba’s Trabajadores newspaper, who is covering the 13th National Congress of the CPV online, said that the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam in the economic reforms undertaken by the nation since 1986 has been vital in order not to lose the socialist essence in the national development process.

“The sustained growth of the Vietnamese economy between 7 percent and 9 percent in the last 20 years says a lot about the country and how hard it has worked to bring well-being to its people,” she said.

Meanwhile, Stefan Kühner from the German Communist Party’s Unsere Zeit newspaper said he is amazed by what Vietnam has achieved under the leadership of the CPV over the last 35 years, especially those in poverty reduction and improvement of the lives of people.

“Doi Moi has grown up at 35! I remember very well the difficult situation of Vietnam due to the war and the boycott of Vietnam by the US and other countries. It is amazing what Vietnam has achieved under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam in the last 35 years to eradicate poverty to make people's lives better”, the 69-year-old German journalist said.

Referring to Vietnam's position in the world, Kühner said Vietnam is actively participating in activities of the UN Security Council to seek peaceful solutions to international issues, and it has demonstrated how important the cohesion of ASEAN member nations is.

Vietnam's increasing prestige and position is closely related to its economic development thanks to the renewal process, he said, suggesting that the country needs to continue its reform policy and open its door wider in order to reap more success.

According to Hussain Janjua, a senior media professional and analyst having experience of research and broadcast journalism in different organisations, Doi Moi is the multidimensional reform in Vietnam as a result of the 6th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam in December 1986.

Hussain Janjua, a senior media professional and analyst having experience of research and broadcast journalism in different organisations (Photo courtesy of Hussain)

The motto at that time was "look straight at the truth, appreciate the truth, tell the truth", he said, noting that it was the first time the Communist Party of Vietnam publicly admitted that because of the previous policies of the Party and State, the agricultural and industrial production became stagnant, inflation was at three digits, and millions of farming families are short of food.

It's a brave act of the Communist Party of Vietnam at that time, he stressed, saying that the Party played an important role in starting the 35-year cause of Doi Moi. 

Thanks to the tireless efforts by the CPV, Vietnam has recorded gigantic attainments in all aspects, especially in economy. For example, in the early years of Doi Moi, the country had a GDP of 14 billion USD and a GDP per capita of only about 250 USD. In 2020, the figures reached 343 billion USD and 3,521 USD, ranking fourth and sixth in ASEAN, respectively.

Besides that, Vietnam signed 15 free trade agreements (FTAs), has 16 strategic partners and 11 comprehensive strategic partners, and joined more than 500 bilateral and multilateral agreements in many fields, he added.

In 2020, although heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the growth rate of Vietnam still reached 2.91 percent, making it one of the fastest growing economies in the region and the world.

Regarding diplomacy, last year Vietnam successfully assumed the roles of ASEAN Chair, Chair of the 41st ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA 41), and non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, thus raising its global prestige and position, said Hussain, who is now a non-resident fellow of the Chengdu Institute of World Affairs.

He concluded by quoting Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong as saying at the 13th Congress that "Vietnam has never had such a solid position and power as today".

Delegates attend the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (Photo: VNA)

After 35 years of implementing the renewal process, Vietnam has made great, comprehensive and historic achievements in all aspects, with relatively high economic growth, constantly improved people’s living conditions, stable political and social situation, expanded external relations, and increasingly enhanced position in the international arena.

Vietnam has grown itself into a developing nation with middle income and a dynamic market economy that is rapidly integrating into the world.

The achievements of the aforementioned reform process are the result of the continuous and persistent efforts of the entire Party, people and army through many congress terms, under the right leadership and effective and timely direction of the Party. This is an important premise, creating potentiality, strength and confidence in the country's rapid and sustainable development in the future./.