The solemn opening of the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam

On the morning of January 20, the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam was solemnly inaugurated at the National Conference Center in Hanoi, the capital. The Congress is attended by 1,586 delegates, representing over 5.6 million party members nationwide.

The scene of the opening session of the 14th National Congress of the Party (Photo: VNA).

Present at the solemn opening session were leaders and former leaders of the Party, the State, the Vietnam Fatherland Front, veteran revolutionaries, heroic mothers of Vietnam, intellectuals, artists, religious dignitaries, and representatives of exemplary youth; ambassadors, representatives of countries, and heads of international organizations both resident and non-resident in Vietnam. A large number of reporters from domestic and international press agencies were present to cover the Congress.

The Presidium of the Congress consists of 16 members of the Politburo of the 13th term: General Secretary To Lam, Chairman of the Presidium; President Luong Cuong; Secretary of the Government Party Committee, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh; Secretary of the National Assembly Party Committee, Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Thanh Man; Permanent Secretary of the Central Party Secretariat, Secretary of the Party Committee of Central Party Agencies Tran Cam Tu; Head of the Central Organization Commission Le Minh Hung; Head of the Central Internal Affairs Commission Phan Dinh Trac; Director of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council Nguyen Xuan Thang; Secretary of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Party Committee, Central Mass Organizations, Chairwoman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Bui Thi Minh Hoai; Permanent Deputy Secretary of the Government Party Committee, Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh; Permanent Deputy Secretary of the National Assembly Party Committee, Permanent Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly Do Van Chien; Permanent Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission, Minister of National Defense, General Phan Van Giang; Secretary of the Central Public Security Party Committee, Minister of Public Security, General Luong Tam Quang; Permanent Secretary of the XIV Congress Document Subcommittee Nguyen Van Nen; Secretary of the Central Party, Member of the Standing Committee of the Central Military Commission, Chief of the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People's Army, General Nguyen Trong Nghia; Secretary of the Hanoi City Party Committee Nguyen Duy Ngoc.

President Luong Cuong delivered the opening speech of the Congress (Photo: daihoidangtoanquoc.vn).   

According to the assignment of the Presidium, Comrade Pham Minh Chinh - Member of the Politburo, Prime Minister, presided over the opening session of the Congress. President Luong Cuong delivered the opening remarks. General Secretary To Lam presented the report of the 13th Central Committee of the Party to the 14th Congress. 

The 14th National Congress of the Party is guided by the principles of: “Unity - Democracy - Discipline - Breakthrough - Development.” With the theme: “Under the glorious flag of the Party, united and determined to successfully achieve the national development goals by 2030; strategic autonomy, self-reliance, confidence, and advancement in the era of national resurgence, for peace, independence, democracy, prosperity, civilization, happiness, and a steady march towards socialism,” the 14th Congress of the Party strongly evokes the will and intellect of the entire Party and the determination of the whole nation. 

In his opening remarks, Comrade Luong Cuong - Member of the Politburo, President, affirmed that the 14th Congress of the Party is a significant political event of the country, marking a historical turning point, in anticipation of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of Vietnam (February 3, 1930 - February 3, 2030), concentrating the will, aspirations, and determination of the entire Party, people, and armed forces.

On behalf of the Presidium, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh presided over the opening session of the Congress (Photo: daihoidangtoanquoc.vn).   

After 40 years of implementing the Renovation policy, our country has achieved significant, comprehensive, and historically meaningful accomplishments, continuously improving the lives and happiness of the people, and enhancing the country's prestige and position on the international stage. However, the nation still faces numerous difficulties, challenges, and limitations. 

In this context, the 14th Congress of the Party bears a tremendous historical responsibility, not only to set goals and directions for the tasks in the 2026-2030 term but also to decide on strategic issues concerning the future and destiny of the nation for many decades to come. This aims to continue to strongly awaken the aspiration for development, pride, and the self-reliance of the nation, mobilize all resources and development drivers, promote the strength of the people and the great national unity combined with the strength of the era, and comprehensively and synchronously accelerate the Renovation process, build and protect the Fatherland, successfully achieve the goal of building a prosperous nation, standing shoulder to shoulder with the great powers of the world. 

The 14th Congress of the Party marks the beginning of a new development era for the nation, demonstrating the steadfastness, determination, and spirit of national unity for the goal of building a peaceful, independent, democratic, prosperous, civilized, and happy Vietnam, steadily advancing towards socialism.

General Secretary To Lam presented the report of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, 13th term, to the 14th National Congress (Photo: daihoidangtoanquoc.vn).   

At the Congress, Comrade To Lam - General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party, approved the report of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, 13th term, regarding the documents for the 14th Congress of the Party. He emphasized that the 14th Congress marks a new development phase for the country in the context of new circumstances and objectives; it is a Congress of strategic self-reliance, self-strengthening, national pride, aspirations for advancement, and unwavering faith in the path chosen by the Party, President Ho Chi Minh, and our people. 

The Congress is taking place at a historically significant time, with the entire Party, people, and military united and determined to steadfastly advance towards two strategic goals: 100 years of the country under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam (1930-2030) and 100 years since the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (1945-2045). This sets forth the requirement to confront the truth, accurately assess the situation; to be resolute in renewing thinking, improving institutional frameworks, and enhancing national governance capacity; to act decisively, vigorously, and effectively for a peaceful, independent, democratic, prosperous, civilized, and happy Vietnam, steadily progressing towards socialism. 

The system of draft documents presented at the Congress includes: Draft Political Report of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, 13th term; Draft Report summarizing some theoretical and practical issues regarding the socialist-oriented renewal process over the past 40 years in Vietnam; Draft Report summarizing 15 years of implementing the Party's Charter (2011-2025) and proposing directions for amending and supplementing the Party's Charter. Notably, the Draft Political Report integrates three reports (Political Report, Socio-Economic Report, and Report summarizing Party building work) into a unified, comprehensive, focused, concise, easily understandable, memorable, and implementable whole. The action program for implementing the Resolution of the 14th Congress is a "breakthrough" compared to previous congresses, clearly outlining the "subjects, roadmap, resources, and destinations" for executing the Resolution of the 14th Congress. 

The preparation process for the documents was conducted meticulously, seriously, rigorously, scientifically, and modernly; inheriting the essence of previous congresses, steadfast in principled viewpoints, while clearly reflecting a strong renewal of development thinking, closely aligned with reality, and respecting objective laws; each assessment, goal, and solution is based on practical circumstances. This document sets forth the requirement for action: to align words with deeds; to clearly define goals, tasks, and solutions; to link responsibility with results; to connect breakthroughs with sustainability; and to associate the discipline of implementation with the satisfaction of the people. In the process of finalizing the documents, the Central Committee of the Party, the Politburo, and the Secretariat particularly emphasized the importance of promoting collective intelligence, expanding democracy, and deeply listening to the voices of Party members, the people, intellectuals, scientists, entrepreneurs, artists, and military personnel, as well as our compatriots both at home and abroad. 

 In the framework of the opening session program, Comrade Tran Cam Tu - Member of the Politburo, Permanent Secretary of the Party Central Committee, also presented the report on the self-assessment of the leadership and direction of the XIII Party Central Committee.

In the afternoon of January 20, the Congress continued its sessions, with delegates working in groups to discuss the documents of the 14th Party Congress.

Minh Hue