The 12^th National Congress of the Communist Party of Viet Nam officially opened at the National Convention Centre in Ha Noi today, 21 January.

The congress is being attended by 1,510 delegates representing over 4.5 million Party members.

The participants include 197 official and alternate members of the 11th Party Central Committee. Meanwhile, 1,300 delegates were elected at congresses of the centrally-run Party organisations, and 13 others were appointed.

The delegates raise their Party membership cards to approve the 12th National Party Congress' s agenda at the preparatory session on Jan. 20

Among them, 194 are women and 174 are ethnic minority people. Ten people hold the titles of Hero of the People’s Armed Forces or Hero of Labour, and 20 others own the titles of the People’s Teacher or Meritorious Teacher.

Fifteen are bestowed with the People’s Doctor or Meritorious Doctor titles, while one is a Meritorious Artist title holder.

Fifty-five delegates are professors, associate professors or academicians, 241 have doctorate degrees, 511 hold master’s degrees, and 757 have bachelor’s degrees. Regarding political theory standard, 1,501 participants hold bachelor’s or higher-level political theory degrees.

Two of the delegates are under 30 years old, 65 are aged between 31 and 40, and 384 people between 41 and 50. The majority 992 participants are aged between 51 and 60, and 64 between 61 and 70.

The Congress focuses on reviewing the implementation of the Resolution of the 11th National Party Congress and the three decades of Doi Moi (Reform); and setting up orientations, goals, missions and measures for national development and defence through to 2020.

The delegates will discuss and approve important documents: the 11th Party Central Committee’s political report, and a report evaluating the outcomes of the socio-economic development missions implemented between 2011 and 2015 and defining the socio-economic development directions and tasks from 2016 to 2020.

(Source: VNA)