At the beginning of spring, the entire nation is poised to enter a new era—a time of growth and aspiration for our people. In light of the new opportunities and challenges facing the country, our Party, as it has done throughout its 95 years of formation and development, is laying the foundations of hope, striving toward the enduring goal: a prosperous populace and a strong nation.

A corner of downtown Da Nang. Photo: DANG MINH TU

Reflecting on the 95-year history since its founding on February 3, 1930, our Party has always emphasized self-reflection and self-correction, prioritized the substantive issues of building and rectified the Party. This approach aims to continuously address shortcomings and weaknesses while actively promoting the achievements we have made, thereby enhancing our stature and leadership role. It is easy to quickly summarize the milestones and accomplishments our country has achieved under the Party's leadership during three prominent periods.

The first period marks the time when the Party led the struggle to seize power (1930-1945), and it ended with the victory of the August Revolution in 1945, which ushered the Vietnamese nation into a new era—an era of national independence intertwined with socialism. The Vietnamese people transitioned from being subjects of oppression to becoming the masters of their country and society. Following this was the period when the Party led the fight for national liberation and reunification (1945-1975), highlighted by the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign, which concluded 30 years of struggle for national liberation, freeing the South and unifying the country.

Currently, we are in the period of implementing socialist revolution across the country, continuing the renewal process that began in 1975. A notable achievement is the robust development of a socialist-oriented market economy, with the economic scale reaching $430 billion in 2023, ranking 35^th in the world and 5^th in ASEAN. The average GDP per capita has reached nearly $4,300, which is 58 times greater than three decades ago. The poverty rate has decreased from 58% (using the old standard) in 1993 to just 2.93% (according to a multidimensional poverty standard with higher criteria) in 2023. Growth increasingly relies on science, technology, and innovation. The material and spiritual lives of the people have significantly improved...

Throughout its leadership, our Party has consistently drawn invaluable lessons and experiences, emphasizing the importance of building alongside rectification efforts. In the last three consecutive terms (the 11^th, 12^th, and 13^th National Congresses), our Party has chosen the fourth Central Conference—held at the beginning of each term—to discuss the work of building and rectifying the Party, continually striving for self-improvement to fulfill its role as a great navigator, guiding the nation and its people toward glorious and proud shores. This is recognized worldwide, not just a source of pride for us alone. As former General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has repeatedly affirmed, "Our country has never had such wealth, potential, status, and international prestige as it does today."

The world is constantly changing and evolving, making it unpredictable. We cannot afford to stand still or lull ourselves into complacency. In the context of significant global transformations, there are numerous challenges ahead, but opportunities also abound. The key is for us to quickly recognize and proactively seize these opportunities to achieve rapid and sustainable growth. To be prepared for this mindset, our Party has decisively and promptly initiated simultaneous revolutions, focusing on critical and decisive issues. These revolutions aim to address bottlenecks, particularly institutional ones, to propel the country forward. They also involve a vigorous reform and comprehensive restructuring of the political system to make it streamlined, efficient, powerful, and effective; and they include efforts to combat wastefulness...

On the occasion of the 79^th National Day on September 2, General Secretary and President To Lam published an article titled “Digital transformation - An important driving force for developing productive forces and perfecting production relations to propel the country into a new era”. The article states: “Under the leadership of the Party, with the unity and collective effort of the entire Party, the people, and the entire political system, we will undoubtedly succeed in the digital transformation revolution, creating breakthroughs in developing productive forces and refining production relations, enabling our country and nation to advance significantly in this new era—an era of progress, civilization, and modernity.”

The efforts to build a solid foundation for the country to advance robustly into a new era have been carried out with great urgency, diligence, and scientific rigor. The initial results achieved are highly encouraging, stemming from a strong consensus in understanding and action across the entire political system. This includes legislative reforms and a revolution in streamlining the state administrative apparatus through mergers, consolidations, suspensions of operations, and transfers of functions and tasks. These measures aim to consolidate resources for developing investments and enhancing the quality of life for the people...

The country enters spring, its 95^th spring under the absolute, direct, and comprehensive leadership of the Party. We find ourselves at another pivotal moment of positive change, creating new opportunities and prospects for the nation. Our Party is actively, urgently, and resolutely building solid foundations for a new era of wealth, potential, and status for the country, “all for a Vietnam with rich people, strong country, fairness, democracy, civilization, soon standing shoulder to shoulder with the great powers of the world,” as General Secretary To Lam emphasized. This turning point and intense desire for hope are being firmly established, filled with optimism that will blossom vibrantly and robustly as we approach this new spring—our 95th spring guided by the wise and capable leadership of the Party and the consensus of our entire nation.

Reporting by NGUYEN TRI THUC – Translating by HONG VAN