Immediately after its inception in February 3, 1930, and throughout the revolutionary struggle, through steadfastness and firmness built on Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh’s thought, the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) has consistently affirmed socialism to be the ultimate goal of the Party, as well as the aspiration of the Vietnamese nation and people. Embarking on socialism is an objective requirement that is an inevitable path of the Vietnamese revolution for national independence and for people’s happiness.
Over the course of more than nine decades, the CPV has led Vietnamese people to persevere through numerous struggles with countless difficulties, hardships, and sacrifices, during which it strived to carry out an unprecedented historical mission that is simultaneously conducting the people’s democratic revolution and the socialist revolution, recording plenty of glorious victories and great development achievements of historical significance.
A notable example of this is the victory of the August 1945 Revolution, culminating in the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, the first people's democratic state in Southeast Asia. It was also the resounding Dien Bien Phu victory over French colonialists in 1954 that shook the world, and the great victory of the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign over the US imperialists in 1975 completely liberating the South and reunifying the nation.
Faced with new development requirements in the context of global complications, the CPV has gradually renewed theoretical thinking on socialism and set out a reform policy, marking a huge and extremely important step towards building socialism in Vietnam. The Đổi Mới (Renewal) process launched by the CPV in 1986 was a historical choice, a process of profound and comprehensive change in perception, theoretical thinking, policy line and direction of national construction, development, and defence, seeking to bring about great achievements of historical significance and helping to raise the country’s position and prestige globally.
Reality shows that the leadership of the Party is a decisive factor in the victory of pushing forward the cause of socialism. As such, the process of building socialism will overcome difficult challenges and gain victory if the Party persists in correctly applying and creatively developing Marxism-Leninism under any circumstances.
Through carrying out the Renewal process, the Party has drawn five great lessons from its experience, which can also be considered five fundamental theoretical issues of the present-day Vietnamese revolution. Among the lessons, the Party emphasises the need to comprehensively, synchronously, and regularly implement the Party building and rectification work, place people at the centre of the Renewal process, and build a synchronous development institution in order to serve the goal of rapid and sustainable development of the country, with a focus on the socialist-oriented market economy institution.
In order to successfully develop socialism in the country, the CPV maintains it’s imperative to consistently and creatively apply and develop Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh’s Thought, steadfastly embark on the goal of national independence and socialism, promote the Party’s Renewal process and stick to the principles of Party building.
To realise its goal, the Party aims to accelerate the cause of national industrialisation and modernisation in association with the development of the knowledge-based economy and the protection of natural resources and the environment. It vows to develop a socialist-oriented market economy, build an advanced culture fused with national identity, promote social progress and justice, as well as to strive to improve people’s lives.
Another important task is to firmly ensure national defence and security, social order and safety, implement the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation and diversification of external relations, along with proactive international integration. This should be done whilst promoting the will and strength of national unity, and building a law-governed socialist state of the people, by the people, for the people.
The more the Party presses ahead with the Renewal process, the more difficulties and challenges it faces. Acquiring such experience, the Party is more and more aware of the importance of the task of building a healthy and strong Party that is capable of undertaking the mission of leading the cause of national construction, development, and defence entrusted by the people.
Over the course of more than three decades, the CPV has gradually realised the theory of Vietnam’s Renewal policy by outlining the country’s vision, goals, and development orientations, as well as drawing lessons from experience in order to continue to perfect the theory of socialism and the path to socialism in Vietnam moving forward.
Amid the world and humanity facing great changes, the great achievements Vietnam has recorded in the cause of national construction and development under the leadership of the CPV have created a great source of encouragement for the steadfastness of the Vietnamese nation’s path to socialism. It is therefore expected the CPV will continue to lead the Vietnamese people to many more significant and historical achievements as it seeks to realise the aspiration of developing a prosperous and happy Vietnamese nation as set out by the 13th National Party Congress.
