Vietnam always considers India a strategic partner and an indispensable part of the world’s current development as the country has actively participated in regional and international forums, said a Vietnamese leader.
National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong made these remarks in an interview granted to India ’s Express newspaper during his ongoing visit to India as a guest of the House of the People (the Lok Sabha) Speaker Meira Kumar.
Asked about India’s role in Vietnam’s foreign policy, Trong said Vietnam and India have a time-honoured friendship, that has its roots in age-old culture and trade ties.
In modern history, President Ho Chi Minh and Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru laid a firm foundation for the relations that have now grown into a comprehensive cooperative and strategic partnership, he said.
Regarding Vietnam’s experience in shifting its centralised economy to a market economy, Trong said Vietnam has built a socialist-oriented market economy, which operates in line with the rules of the market economy while following the socialist orientation.
This means that economic growth must go hand in hand with addressing social issues to ensure social equality and narrow the gap between the rich and the poor, the lawmaker elaborated.
He explained that Vietnam’s market economy is neither a free market economy nor a socialist market economy as the country is in a transitional period.
Vietnam has to deal carefully with issues related to supply and demand and State policies and strategies, the relationship between economic growth and social progress, the preservation of national cultural identity amid international integration, and environmental protection. By doing so, Vietnam will be able to ensure sustainable development and the socialist orientation.
Vietnam has reaped initial results, particularly in ensuring social policies and reducing the number of poor households to under 10 percent from 48 percent previously, which can be said to be the success of the country’s renewal process over the past 20 years. Vietnam has shed its underdeveloped status and greatly improved the people’s living standards.
After being closed for many years, Vietnam has opened its doors to nations around the world. Vietnam has to date established diplomatic ties with 177 countries and relations with 224 economic and trade organisations. The country’s status in the international arena is increasingly rapidly.
In reply to the question that whether it is time now for Vietnam to have a multiparty system, Trong said Vietnam ’s policy is economic development should go along with step-by-step and firm reform of the political system. “It is our experience that economic reforms should synchronise with the renovation of the political system,” he said.
According to Trong, a socialist-oriented market economy requires a corresponding political system. Vietnam is now in the renewal process and has to well deal with the tripartite relationship between renewal, stability and development, of which stability is the prerequisite, renewal provides the driving force and development is the target.
He went on to say that in Vietnam there is political and social stability and the citizens are the real masters of the country. The National Assembly operates democratically. Mass organisations are monitoring the society and the country is developing strongly. “Seen from the real situations in the country, we think the one-Party system is the most effective way,” Trong said.
“I do not think that the more parties there are the more democratic a country is. Different countries have different histories and situations. The most important thing is whether society improves, whether citizens have prosperous and happy lives, and whether the country is stable to facilitate development,” the chairman said.
“I do not think that the market economy must have a multiparty system and in Vietnam , such a system is not necessary,” Trong stressed.
As part of his visit, NA Chairman Trong on February 26 visited Bodh Gaya in the state of Bihar and Bangalore in Karnataka sate – an IT and software industry centre of India./.
National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong made these remarks in an interview granted to India ’s Express newspaper during his ongoing visit to India as a guest of the House of the People (the Lok Sabha) Speaker Meira Kumar.
Asked about India’s role in Vietnam’s foreign policy, Trong said Vietnam and India have a time-honoured friendship, that has its roots in age-old culture and trade ties.
In modern history, President Ho Chi Minh and Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru laid a firm foundation for the relations that have now grown into a comprehensive cooperative and strategic partnership, he said.
Regarding Vietnam’s experience in shifting its centralised economy to a market economy, Trong said Vietnam has built a socialist-oriented market economy, which operates in line with the rules of the market economy while following the socialist orientation.
This means that economic growth must go hand in hand with addressing social issues to ensure social equality and narrow the gap between the rich and the poor, the lawmaker elaborated.
He explained that Vietnam’s market economy is neither a free market economy nor a socialist market economy as the country is in a transitional period.
Vietnam has to deal carefully with issues related to supply and demand and State policies and strategies, the relationship between economic growth and social progress, the preservation of national cultural identity amid international integration, and environmental protection. By doing so, Vietnam will be able to ensure sustainable development and the socialist orientation.
Vietnam has reaped initial results, particularly in ensuring social policies and reducing the number of poor households to under 10 percent from 48 percent previously, which can be said to be the success of the country’s renewal process over the past 20 years. Vietnam has shed its underdeveloped status and greatly improved the people’s living standards.
After being closed for many years, Vietnam has opened its doors to nations around the world. Vietnam has to date established diplomatic ties with 177 countries and relations with 224 economic and trade organisations. The country’s status in the international arena is increasingly rapidly.
In reply to the question that whether it is time now for Vietnam to have a multiparty system, Trong said Vietnam ’s policy is economic development should go along with step-by-step and firm reform of the political system. “It is our experience that economic reforms should synchronise with the renovation of the political system,” he said.
According to Trong, a socialist-oriented market economy requires a corresponding political system. Vietnam is now in the renewal process and has to well deal with the tripartite relationship between renewal, stability and development, of which stability is the prerequisite, renewal provides the driving force and development is the target.
He went on to say that in Vietnam there is political and social stability and the citizens are the real masters of the country. The National Assembly operates democratically. Mass organisations are monitoring the society and the country is developing strongly. “Seen from the real situations in the country, we think the one-Party system is the most effective way,” Trong said.
“I do not think that the more parties there are the more democratic a country is. Different countries have different histories and situations. The most important thing is whether society improves, whether citizens have prosperous and happy lives, and whether the country is stable to facilitate development,” the chairman said.
“I do not think that the market economy must have a multiparty system and in Vietnam , such a system is not necessary,” Trong stressed.
As part of his visit, NA Chairman Trong on February 26 visited Bodh Gaya in the state of Bihar and Bangalore in Karnataka sate – an IT and software industry centre of India./.
