Party Central Committee opens ninth session in Hanoi

At the plenum, the Central Committee will discuss the outline of documents to be presented at the 14th National Party Congress, preparations for the congresses of party committees at all levels at the 14th Congress, and other important issues.

In his opening speech, the Party chief said that the 14th National Party Congress will take place in early 2026, marking a full five-year term during which the entire Party, people, and army will strive to carry out the Resolutions of the 13th national Party Congress and the 10-year Socio-Economic Development Strategy of 2021 to 2030.

This congress coincides with the commemoration of 40 years of (Doi Moi) renovation which began in 1986, 50 years of the complete liberation of the South and reunification of the country in 1975, and will be looking ahead to the 100th anniversary of the Party's founding in 2030.

This will be a significant political event and an important milestone in the country's path to prosperity and sustainability, the Party leader said.

He said it would serve to inspire and motivate the entire Party, people, and army to "confidently push ahead under the Party's glorious flag, remain steadfast in the goals of national independence and socialism, promote comprehensive and sustainable national development, resolutely protect the fatherland and build an increasingly rich, democratic, prosperous, civilised and happy Vietnam." 

The Party General Secretary said that in recent times, the Economic-Social Subcommittee and the Party Charter Subcommittee have been efficient in preparing drafts of the Political Report, Socio-Economic Report, Party Building Report, and Party Charter Implementation Report, seeking opinions from the Politburo for further refinement in order to present to the Party Central Committee at this plenum.

He therefore asked the Party Central Committee to thoroughly study the documents and discuss and provide feedback on specific proposals outlined in the submissions and to draft outlines, particularly on major issues highlighted in the detailed draft Political Report and the Subcommittee's submissions.

During the course of discussions, he underlined the need to clarify the nature, objectives, requirements, and scope of each report and their interrelationships.

The Political Report, as Congress's central document, must fully encapsulate the Party's viewpoints, policies, and directives.

Regarding the Socio-Economic Report, Party Building Report, and the Party Charter Implementation Report, they should all consistently align with the major orientations in the Political Report, but without overlaps or redundancy. Specifically, the Party Building Report and the Party Charter Implementation Report should elucidate the theoretical and practical basis for any amendments to the Party Charter (if any) and draft a new Party Charter for consideration at the 14th Congress.

The document presented at this plenum must be instructional and open-ended, with multiple options for the Party Central Committee to both consider and select, followed by further research and preparation through discussions at various party committee congresses. This should all be done to lead up to a decision made by the Party Central Committee to present to the National Party Congress, General Secretary Trọng emphasized.

Regarding the guidance for preparing the congresses of party committees at all levels leading up to the 14th National Party Congress, the Party leader stressed the need for unified leadership during preparation for these congresses.

The Politburo should issue a directive on this matter as a means of ensuring the success of the congresses at all levels, thereby contributing to the success of the 14th National Party Congress.

Recently, the Politburo has ordered an assessment of the implementation of Directive No.35, dated May 30, 2019, of the 13th Politburo, reaffirming the results and lessons learnt which will be inherited and promoted, whilst also identifying limitations and shortcomings to be addressed and promptly adjusted.

Based on this, a new draft directive has been developed and presented to the Central Committee for feedback before being made final and then issued.

The Party chief suggested that the Central Committee focus on discussing the submission and draft directive, clarifying the requirements of the congresses at all levels, as well as personnel preparation and election for Party committees. Indeed, this should especially focus on the structure, number, and composition of provincial and city party committees; the proportion of young, female, and ethnic minority members; the standards and ages for re-election and first-time participation in Party committees considering the increased retirement ages, 60 for women and 62 for men; and the election of party committees and delegates to higher-level party congresses.

The Party leader urged the Party Central Committee to use all their intellect to study, discuss, and provide feedback to finalise reports and projects before reviewing and coming to a decision at the end of the session.

The ninth session is set to run until May 18.