On the economic front, Vietnam made extraordinary efforts to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic while safeguarding major macroeconomic balances, preventing the economy from being destabilised by external shocks, Party General Secretary To Lam said.

Ahead of the New Year 2026, which marks the start of the
14th National Party Congress term, Party General Secretary To Lam has granted
an interview to the Vietnam News Agency, affirming the country’s resolve to
harness its intellect and fortitude as Vietnam moves confidently into a new era
of development.

The following is the content of the interview:

Reporter: During
2020–2025, the country faced many unprecedented difficulties and challenges,
however, under the Party’s leadership and thanks to the concerted efforts of
the entire political system, people and armed forces, Vietnam has achieved many
significant and comprehensive results in implementing the Resolution of the
13th National Party Congress. Could you please share the most notable
achievements so far?

Party General
Secretary To Lam: First and foremost, it must be affirmed that the
achievements the country obtained during the past tenure are the
crystallisation of the Party’s talented leadership, the resolute engagement of
the entire political system, and, above all, the unity, determination,
resilience and deep sense of solidarity shown by the people in the most
challenging moments.

The 13th National Party Congress term witnessed
unprecedented challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters, climate
change, global turbulence, economic headwinds, supply-chain disruptions,
employment pressures, and financial and banking strains struck in rapid
succession, posing complex challenges that required swift, accurate and
decisive policies, countermeasures, and responses. The difficulties were
immense, yet the country overcame them and reached its goals. Notably, amid
hardships, national stability was maintained, social order and public
confidence were preserved, while the vital arteries of the economy – production
and circulation – were restored in a timely manner, enabling the country to
continue moving forward.

On the economic front, Vietnam made extraordinary efforts to
recover from the COVID-19 pandemic while safeguarding major macroeconomic
balances, preventing the economy from being destabilised by external shocks.
Many sectors, localities and businesses adapted swiftly, innovated, sought new
markets, created jobs and sustained production. As a result, the national
economy demonstrated its strong resilience, endurance and a steadfast refusal
to retreat.

On the social front, we always defined that development was
guided not only by growth targets but by the goal of ensuring a stable and
improved life for the people. In times of hardship, the spirit of solidarity
and mutual support, the tradition “the good leaf covers the torn ones”, along
with the quiet yet immense sacrifices of frontline forces, including the
military, public security, healthcare workers, teachers and workers,
underscored profound lessons about the power of national solidarity. Social
welfare policies, poverty reduction programmes, and care for vulnerable groups
and disadvantaged areas continued to be implemented with a clear objective:
leaving no one behind.

Regarding the external affairs, Vietnam consistently pursued
the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, and being a friend, a
trustworthy partner, and a responsible member of the international community.
Amid growing global fragmentation and intense competition, preserving a
peaceful and stable environment, expanding cooperative relations, and
mobilising resources for development stand out as highly valuable achievements.
Vietnam’s diplomacy goes beyond the goal of “making more friends and fewer
foes”, instead focusing on expanding development space, elevating the country’s
position, and promoting shared development based on peace, friendship,
cooperation and equality.

For Party and political system building, Vietnam has
remained steadfast in core principles – upholding discipline and integrity,
keeping the contingent of officials clean; and strengthening public trust. The
fight against corruption, wastefulness and misconduct has been intensified with
a resolute approach – no avoidance, no forbidden zones, and no exceptions. The
aim is not only to address violations, but also to raise awareness, improve
mechanisms, safeguard what is right, encourage virtuous conduct, and enable
officials to work confidently for the people and the country.

In summary, the most notable achievements of the term lie in
overcoming challenges through determination, resilience and solidarity;
maintaining stability for development; and persisting in self-correction and
improvement to advance faster and more securely. While these accomplishments
are significant and worthy of recognition, we must remain humble and vigilant,
not ‘resting on our laurels’. The road ahead remains filled with major and difficult
tasks, and to travel far and reach our goals, it is essential to uphold trust
and discipline, and place national interests and the well-being of the people
above all else.

Reporter: How do
you assess the fight against corruption, wastefulness and negative practices
during the past term, and what are the orientations for the next term to build
an increasingly clean and strong Party capable of leading the country
confidently into the new era?

Party General
Secretary To Lam: Combating corruption, wastefulness and negative practices
is a crucial task, essential for preserving the Party’s credibility, upholding
the rule of law, and, most importantly, maintaining the trust of the people.

Looking back over the past term, it can be affirmed that the
“battle against internal enemies’ has seen significant and substantive
progress, becoming more systematic, resolute, scientific and determined. It has
evolved from a political commitment into sustained action across the entire
system, gaining broad public support. At the same time, the focus has expanded
from combating corruption to also addressing wastefulness and misconduct, as
wastefulness, though often silent, can severely deplete national resources and
slow development.

Encouragingly, this process has reinforced a key truth –
cleansing the system does not hinder development, but rather ensures healthier
and more sustainable development. Addressing violations does not weaken the
system, it upholds discipline and order, strengthens the workforce, provides
support for upright and competent officials, and eliminates ‘corruption and
rot’ within the political system”.

However, we must also frankly acknowledge that corruption,
wastefulness, and negative practices are “inherent defects,”
“internal enemies” hidden within the system. In some places and at
certain times, there has been a lack of vigilance, avoidance of responsibility,
and mechanism loopholes. Poorly monitored public assets, investment projects,
land, and bidding processes remain prone to violations. In other words, the
results are commendable, but we must absolutely not be complacent. We need
“vaccines,” “antibiotics,” “preventive medicine” and
“community medicine” to detect, prevent, and address issues promptly and
effectively.

Looking ahead to the next term, I would like to emphasise
several key directions, guided by both determination and perseverance, ensuring
thorough and solid implementation at every step.

First, the interests of the nation and the people must be
placed above all else. Efforts to combat corruption and misconduct must be determined,
persistent, and continuous; enforcement should be strict yet fair and humane,
with no prohibited zones or exceptions. At the same time, mechanisms must
protect officials who dare to think, act, and innovate for the common good, so
that those who do the right thing are not at disadvantage, and those who do
good are not left alone.

Second, we must shift strongly toward prevention, treating
it as the foundation. While enforcement is necessary, it is even more important
to prevent wrongdoing from taking root. This requires continued improvement of
institutions, regulations, and procedures; clear delineation of
responsibilities and authority, and stronger oversight; and greater
transparency, especially in areas prone to negative practices.

Third, it is necessary to focus on perfecting the legal
framework to close loopholes and establish a “solid foundation” for integrity.
The Party’s correct policies and guidelines must be fully institutionalised
into laws; decentralisation and delegation of authority should be paired with
strict oversight; granting power must be linked to accountability, leaving no
gaps that could become blind spots. Comprehensive measures are needed so that
no one can, dares, or feels the need to engage in corruption, embezzlement, or
misconduct.

Fourth, the prevention of waste must be considered as a very
important front. It is not only about the waste of money, but also about time,
opportunities, resources, and even trust. Therefore, it is necessary to review
and decisively address projects that are behind schedule, prolonged, or
inefficient; to rectify financial and budgetary discipline; and to improve the
quality of public governance, so that every Vietnamese dong, every parcel of
land, and every public asset truly serves national development and serves the
people. We prioritise resources for development, and this is also an area where
waste may arise. Therefore, we need to issue warnings and adopt preventive
measures to ensure that waste does not occur.

Fifth, the role of grassroots Party organisations and the
supervision of the people must be promoted. Where Party organisations are
strong, discipline is strict, and the people are informed, consulted, and able
to exercise effective supervision, negative practices find it difficult to take
root. The prevention and combat of corruption, waste, and negative phenomena
cannot be the task of functional agencies alone; it must become a way of
thinking and a cultural norm of conduct of the entire system, in which the
exemplary role of the head is decisive.

I would like to further emphasise that, as we enter a new
stage of development, we need a clean and accountable apparatus so that the
people have confidence, we need a strong apparatus so that it can perform its
tasks, and we need a humane apparatus so that it can strengthen the trust of
the people. This work must be carried out with great prudence: being resolute
against wrongdoings, while at the same time creating an environment for what is
right to spread; handling violations strictly to deter, while simultaneously
improving mechanisms so that good people have favourable conditions to work,
and so that society operates in a transparent and orderly manner.

Reporter: On the
threshold of the 14th Party National Congress, can you please share your views
on the significance of this congress, its guiding thoughts, strategic vision,
and the aspiration to develop a strong, prosperous, civilised, and happy
Vietnam?

Party General
Secretary To Lam: Each Party Congress is a very important milestone, but
the significance of the 14th National Party Congress is even more profound, as
it takes place amid a rapidly changing, highly volatile and unpredictable world
context. At the same time, after many decades of renewal, our country has
attained new fortune, potential and position, while also facing new, higher and
more pressing development requirements. This is the moment for us to look
straight at reality, correctly identify opportunities and challenges; to
comprehensively review what have been achieved, clearly point out existing
obstacles, and, most importantly, to unify will and action so as to move
forward with steadiness and confidence.

In my opinion, there are three major points regarding the
guiding thoughts and strategic vision that this Congress needs to clearly
define and strongly spread.

The first is unity and confidence. Unity is not merely a
slogan or a call. Unity must become a mode of conduct of the entire system and
of every Vietnamese person: unity within the Party, unity among the people,
unity between the Party’s will and the people’s aspirations; knowing how to put
the common interest first and set aside personal interests when necessary.
Along with unity is confidence: confidence in the path we have chosen,
confidence in the strength of the nation, and confidence that good outcomes
will come if we work persistently for the country and for the people.

The second is discipline and breakthroughs. For the country
to move fast, breakthroughs are required; but to go far, discipline is
indispensable. Therefore, the action motto of the Congress has been clearly
defined as: “Unity – Democracy – Discipline – Breakthrough – Development.”
Breakthroughs here do not merely mean undertaking a few “new tasks”, but rather
renewing mindset so as to dare to address the real bottlenecks, including
institutions, organisational apparatus, quality of human resources, governance
capacity, and public service discipline; thereby enabling the country to
operate more smoothly, more fairly, more transparently, and more effectively.

The third is development for people and by knowledge. The
aspiration for a “strong, prosperous, civilised and happy” country must first
be measured by very practical, everyday realities: whether people have better
jobs, more stable incomes; whether they have more decent and better housing;
whether their children enjoy better access to education; whether illnesses are
better cared for; whether the elderly have support; and whether disadvantaged
areas receive timely assistance. For everything to become “better”, we must
regard knowledge, science, technology, innovation and digital transformation as
the key driving forces of the new growth model, while strongly mobilising all
social resources, in which the private economic sector is an important driver.

The strategic vision of the Congress is also closely linked
to clearly defined milestones: selecting sound policies to successfully achieve
the goals by 2030 and to realise the vision to 2045. These are “milestone
markers” to strive for, so that every sector, every locality, every agency and
each person can see their specific role and responsibility in the shared
journey.

According to the plan, the 14th National Party Congress will
be held from January 19 – 25, 2026 in the capital city of Hanoi. This is a
major political event of our Party and our nation, a historic milestone of the
country in the Ho Chi Minh era, marking the convergence of the nation’s
thousand-year tradition of culture and civilisation as it rises to enter a new
era. Cadres, Party members and the people are paying due attention, following
closely, and placing high expectations on the success of the Congress. I firmly
believe that the 14th Party National Congress will truly be a convergence of
wisdom, mettle and aspirations; a congress that speaks the truth, discusses the
right issues, and makes the right decisions.

Reporter: On the
occasion of the New Year 2026, what message would you wish to convey to the
Vietnamese people and the international community?

Party General
Secretary To Lam: On the occasion of the New Year 2026, I would like to
send a brief and heartfelt message.

To the Vietnamese people, I would like to express my deep
gratitude for your trust, for your silent sacrifices, for the patience and
solidarity that our compatriots have shown to one another and to the country
during years marked by many fluctuations. I hope that every family will welcome
the new year in peace and safety; that every individual will step into the new
year with a simple aspiration: to perform their jobs better, and to see their
material and spiritual lives improve day by day. When millions of such “better”
things come together, the country will grow stronger in a sustainable manner.

I also hope that cadres and Party members at all levels will
always bear in mind that the higher the position, the greater the
responsibility; the greater the power, the more one must bind oneself with
discipline, integrity, and exemplary conduct. Whatever benefits the people must
be pursued to the utmost; whatever causes inconvenience to the people must be
avoided to the utmost; whatever is wrong must be corrected, and whatever is
right and good must be protected.

To friends and the international community, I would like to
affirm that Vietnam always treasures the goodwill, trust and cooperation. We
wish to work together with countries, organisations, and people around the
world to build an environment of peace, stability, and cooperation for shared
development. Vietnam is always a reliable partner and a responsible member of
the international community, joining hands to address common challenges such as
climate change, non-traditional security issues, inclusive development, digital
transformation, and innovation. We believe that the best outcomes always begin
with mutual respect, sincere dialogue, and cooperation that brings tangible
benefits to the people and nations around the world.

I wish our compatriots, soldiers nationwide, and
international friends good health, peace, safety, cooperation, and development
in 2026.

Happy New Year 2026!

VNA-