General Secretary of the Communist Party and State President of Vietnam To Lam writes an political editorial titled “Further strong renewal of the Party’s Leadership and Ruling methods: Urgent requirement of the New Revolutionary Stage”. This editorial can be seen as To Lam’s vision on the Communist Party of Vietnam’s leadership role and methods to maintain this role in new era, thus providing an overview of the political situation in Vietnam in at least 10 years. Following is the full text of the editorial:
1. In over 94 years of leading the revolution, our Party has continuously sought, developed, supplemented, and perfected its leadership methods, improving both its leadership and ruling capacities. These factors have been key in ensuring the Party remains pure and strong, guiding the revolutionary path to overcome challenges and achieve one success after another. The country now stands at a new historical juncture, a new era, and the urgent need to innovate leadership methods, while enhancing leadership and ruling capacities, to continue advancing the nation is becoming critical.
The concept of a “ruling party” was first introduced by V.I. Lenin in 1922. Between 1925 and 1927, in his work “The Revolutionary Path,” President Ho Chi Minh discussed the ruling party concept. He emphasized the Communist Party of Vietnam’s leadership over the state and society as a principle that manifests the Party’s ruling role. The Party holds this significant responsibility because its goal is to “lead the laboring masses in their class struggle to abolish imperialist capitalism and to establish a communist society”[1], and the Party has “no other interests beyond those of the nation and the Fatherland”[2]. President Ho Chi Minh stressed, “The Party is not an organization for power or wealth; its duty is to liberate the nation, make the country prosperous, and bring happiness to the people”[3]. In his Will, he wrote: “Our Party is a ruling party”[4]. In his work Correcting the Way of Work, Ho Chi Minh dedicated a section to leadership, asking: “What does proper leadership mean?”[5], and answering: “Proper leadership means: 1) Deciding all matters correctly. 2) Organizing the execution of decisions properly. 3) Organizing proper supervision.” And to achieve all three correctly, he emphasized relying on the people.
Based on Marxist-Leninist theory and Ho Chi Minh’s thought, the 7th Party Congress first addressed the need to “renew the content and methods of the Party’s leadership,” emphasizing the need to define the relationship and working style between the Party, the State, and mass organizations at all levels, especially at the Central level. The 1991 Platform for national construction during the transitional period to socialism established the Party’s leadership method: “The Party leads society through its platform, strategy, policies, and working directives; through propaganda, persuasion, mobilization, supervision, and the exemplary actions of Party members. The Party introduces competent and morally upright members into leadership roles within state and mass organizations, but the Party does not take over the work of other organizations within the political system.” Furthermore, “The Party leads the political system while being part of it, maintaining close ties with the people, and being subject to public oversight, operating within the framework of the Constitution and the law.” The midterm National Conference of the 7th Congress reaffirmed that “The Party leads based on the principles of democratic centralism, collective leadership, and individual responsibility, through Party organizations rather than individual members; it leads through collective decisions and supervision to ensure the effective role of the State, rather than replacing it.” Subsequent Party Congresses from the 8th through the 12th continued to develop and supplement these leadership methods, with the 13th Congress emphasizing the need to “strongly innovate the Party’s leadership methods under new conditions.”
Building on the 15-year review of Resolution No. 15-NQ/TW of the 10th Central Committee, the 6th Central Committee of the 13th Congress issued Resolution No. 28-NQ/TW on November 17, 2022, regarding the continued innovation of the Party’s leadership and ruling methods over the political system in the new era. The leadership and ruling role of the Party over the state and society has been affirmed in the Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The mechanism of “Party leadership, state management, and people’s ownership” has been firmly established and implemented through the Party’s Charter, the Constitution, laws, and the regulations of other organizations within the political system and mass associations.
Under the Party’s leadership, through democratic, scientific, and continuously evolving methods, Vietnam’s revolutionary cause, especially the Renewal process, has achieved tremendous success. From a war-torn country that barely appeared on the world map, Vietnam has risen to become a symbol of peace, stability, and hospitality, attracting international investors and tourists. From a backward economy, Vietnam has emerged among the top 40 global economies, ranking among the top 20 countries in trade volume, and playing a key role in 16 Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) involving 60 major global economies. From being isolated, Vietnam now has diplomatic relations with 193 United Nations member states, strategic and comprehensive partnerships with 30 countries, including all major powers, and is an active member of over 70 regional and international organizations. With the happiness and well-being of the people as its goal, Vietnam is recognized by the United Nations and the international community as a success story in poverty reduction, continually improving the material and spiritual life of its people.
At the same time, a stable political system has been established, with the mechanism of “Party leadership, state management, and people’s ownership.” The Party’s organizational apparatus has been streamlined through reforms and is continuously being reorganized. The political system, with the socialist rule-of-law state as its core, has been built and perfected, asserting its role in managing all societal activities. The Vietnam Fatherland Front genuinely represents and protects the legitimate rights and interests of the people, uniting and promoting national solidarity, ensuring democracy, strengthening social consensus, supervising, engaging in social critique, and participating in the construction of the Party and the State. Political-social organizations represent the legitimate rights and interests of various classes and social strata, uniting and mobilizing the people to implement the Party’s policies. This system has been proven to be appropriate and superior, trusted and supported by the majority of cadres, Party members, and the people, and highly regarded by international friends.
However, the innovation of the Party’s leadership methods still faces many shortcomings. Many documents have been issued, some of which are vague, overlapping, or slow to be amended or replaced. Several major Party policies have not been fully institutionalized, or when they have been, their feasibility remains low. The overall model of the political system is incomplete; the functions, tasks, powers, and working relationships of organizations and individuals, especially leaders, are not clearly defined; decentralization and delegation of authority are weak. The organizational model of the Party and the political system still has shortcomings, blurring the lines between leadership and management, which may lead to either overstepping or neglecting the Party’s leadership role. Administrative reforms and innovation in the Party’s working style have been slow; meetings remain frequent.
2. To continue innovating leadership methods, enhancing leadership capacity, and ensuring the Party remains the great leader that propels our nation forward, several key tasks are prioritized:
First, there must be a unified understanding and strict implementation of the Party’s leadership and ruling methods. The Party must lead through the political system where it serves as the nucleus. Leadership is exercised through ideology, policies, and the exemplary behavior of Party members. Regular self-criticism and criticism are vital. The Party institutionalizes its policies into state law and motivates the people to implement the Party’s guidelines. By introducing capable representatives into the state apparatus, and conducting inspections and supervision, the Party exercises its leadership while ensuring strict adherence to its policies. The Party governs through laws, leads in creating the Constitution and legislation, and operates within these legal frameworks. Party cadres and members respect and uphold the rule of law. The Party leads the state; its political power involves setting policies and guidelines, while state power is about managing society based on the law. The Party’s leadership ensures that power truly belongs to the people, and the state serves the people. The Party leads the entire nation comprehensively, bearing responsibility for both the successes and shortcomings in the cause of building and defending the Fatherland.
Second, efforts must focus on streamlining the Party’s organizational apparatus to make it the intellectual nucleus and the “general staff” leading state agencies. Party advisory bodies at all levels must be streamlined; staff members should possess high political qualities, competence, expertise, and accountability. Research and promote the merging of some Party advisory bodies to enhance efficiency. Party leadership responsibilities must not overlap with management roles. Clear distinctions must be made between leadership and management at all levels to avoid overstepping roles or duplicating functions. Strongly innovate work styles toward scientific and professional approaches, adhering to the motto “right role, clear understanding.”
Third, strongly innovate the issuance, dissemination, and implementation of Party resolutions, making grassroots Party organizations and members truly the “cells” of the Party. Resolutions must be concise, easy to understand, and clearly identify the development path of the country, nation, and individual localities, ministries, and sectors. They must be scientifically grounded, practical, and feasible, while inspiring motivation among cadres, Party members, businesses, and the people to implement the Party’s policies. The process of disseminating and implementing resolutions must foster deep understanding, especially regarding new policies and solutions. Focus on building strong grassroots organizations and exemplary Party members, improving the quality of Party meetings, and bringing the Party’s policies into real life.
Fourth, continue innovating Party inspection and supervision work, while promoting the application of information technology and digital transformation in Party activities. Inspections and supervision ensure better implementation of resolutions and effective operations of the Party and the state. They help to promptly identify new factors, innovative methods, and deviations from Party guidelines, correcting wrongdoings. The role of inspection and supervision within Party committees must be fully utilized. New regulations on the decentralization of inspection and supervision powers must be enacted, with strict punishments for those who misuse inspections for corruption. Focus on digital transformation in Party activities, building databases on Party organizations, members, and documents. These databases should be connected from central to grassroots levels, integrated with the national population database and other databases to support effective political and Party-building efforts.
V.I. Lenin once taught, “When the situation has changed, and we are faced with new tasks, we must not look backward and apply yesterday’s methods.” The reality of renewal is constantly moving and evolving, requiring continuous innovation in the Party’s leadership and ruling methods, while steadfastly adhering to the Party’s principles. We must internalize the words of General Secretary Le Duan: “Leadership must be firm and principled, never wavering in the face of revolutionary difficulties and challenges.”