Communist Review - Great national unity provides a crucial foundation to comprehensively harness knowledge, creativity, self-reliance, self-resilience, and national pride. It also serves as a major driving force for the cause of national construction and development. Preserving and promoting great national unity to achieve the goal of prosperous people, and a strong, democratic, equitable and civilized country in line with the spirit of the 13th National Party Congress is a monumental and honorable mission of the entire people and political system.

Party and State viewpoints and policies on building the great national unity bloc

“Unity is an exceptionally precious tradition of our nation. It is the source of strength that ensures our nation's eternal survival and development. It is the consistent thread running through our history and the strategic guideline of vital importance for the Vietnamese revolution”⁽¹⁾. Thousands of years of national construction and defense have proven that when in peril "if we know how to awaken the spirit of patriotism, national pride, and self-respect, bring the enormous strength of the great national unity bloc into full play, and combine the national strength with the strength of the era, then the ship of the Vietnamese revolution will weather all rapids, high winds, and storms to reach the shore of glory."⁽²⁾ Promoting the power of the great national unity bloc has been a consistent policy of the Communist Party of Vietnam, which has been reflected in many documents, resolutions, decisions, and directives throughout various revolutionary periods. The great national unity bloc has been consolidated, creating the synergy for robust economic development and political and social stability. The Party has underlined the need to “strongly evoke patriotism, self-reliance, the great national unity bloc, and the aspiration for a prosperous and happy country as an important driving force and resource for national development.”⁽³⁾ Overall, promoting the strength of the political system in building the national great unity bloc is manifested in enhancing the roles of the Party, the State, the Vietnam Fatherland Front, and various social-political organizations.

First, the Communist Party of Vietnam leads the State and society. It is the vanguard and faithfully represents the interests of the working class, laborers, and the Vietnamese nation. Therefore, the "decisive factor for the success of the cause of national construction, development, and defense is to continue strengthening Party building and rectification, enhancing the Party's leadership, ruling capacity, and combat strength; building a truly clean and comprehensively strong Party and political system; establishing a streamlined, effective, and efficient State; and building a contingent of cadres and Party members, especially those at the strategic level and in leadership positions, with sufficient quality, capacity, and prestige, meeting the task requirements."⁽⁴⁾ The apparatus of the Party and the political system has been renewed and streamlined to operate effectively and efficiently. Attention has been paid to improving the organization of the political system and addressing overlapping and irrationality to perfect institutions and ensure consistency and interconnection between the Party's regulations and the State's laws regarding the organizational apparatus. Leadership methods, the forecast capacity, and the strategic vision in formulating guidelines and policies have improved.

On the other hand, the Party conducts inspections of Party organizations, State agencies, and other major organizations in the political system to promptly detect and handle instances of embezzlement, corruption, moral degradation, and violations of democratic centralism principles. These measures ensure the purification of the Party and the political system, thereby maintaining the trust of the people.

Second, the law-governed socialist State of Vietnam plays an important role in effectively harnessing the strength of  great national unity to achieve the goal of prosperous people and a strong, democratic, equitable, and civilized country. The 13th National Party Congress reiterated the need to "build and perfect the law-governed socialist State, and build a clean, strong, streamlined, effective, and efficient political system serving the people and national development."⁽⁵⁾ It emphasized that all policies must genuinely originate from the needs, aspirations, and lawful and legitimate rights and interests of the people, and that "the happiness and prosperity of the people must be the goal of all efforts."⁽⁶⁾ The State must constantly “improve the people’s material and spiritual lives”⁽⁷⁾ and strive for the goal of “a prosperous and happy country; and a strong and enduring nation.”⁽⁸⁾

The state apparatus has become increasingly streamlined, pure, and strong over recent years. State administrative reform in the 2021-2030 period is focusing on six key aspects: institution; administrative procedures; the State administrative apparatus; civil service; public finance; and the development of e-Government and digital Government.

Priority has been given to the development of e-Government and digital Government while public administrative centers have been operating effectively. The one-stop shop and interlinked one-stop models have been successfully implemented at local administrative agencies, helping to strengthen public trust.

Third, the Vietnam Fatherland Front and political-social organizations have continued to innovate and diversify mass mobilization methods, placing great importance on practical movements.

The people’s oversight and social criticism activities are being intensified and combined with the Party's inspection and supervision, the State’s auditing and inspection, and the monitoring by the Vietnam Fatherland Front and political-social organizations. The operation, apparatus, and the qualifications of personnel of the Vietnam Fatherland Front have improved. Coordination and consultation between the Vietnam Fatherland Front and its member organizations have been promoted to effectively implement and improve the quality of emulation movements as well as to mobilize organizations and people of all social strata to care for and protect the lawful and legitimate rights and interests of their members. This approach has solidified people’s trust in the Party and the socialist regime in the spirit of "the people know, the people discuss, the people do, the people inspect, the people supervise, and the people benefit."⁽⁹⁾

Promoting the core, decisive role of the masses in building the great national unity bloc

In practice, all Party guidelines and State policies must be genuinely based on the needs, aspirations, and lawful and legitimate rights and interests of the people. It is essential to ceaselessly strengthen the close relationship with the people and determine that the goal of happiness and prosperity for the people is the nature of the socialist regime in line with the perspective of building "mechanisms and policies that promote every Vietnamese citizen’s dedication to the nation."⁽¹¹⁾. To enhance the role of the masses in building the great national unity bloc, it is necessary to focus on the following solutions:

First, further clarify the position, role, and nature of the Vietnamese working class today (a class that produces basic material wealth for society; gathers the knowledge and will to liberate the nation whenever it is oppressed; and leads the cause of building a prosperous and happy country). It is crucial to promote the role of the peasantry, as Vietnam is shifting from agricultural production to an agricultural economy; developing a circular economy and a green economy; and participating in the global value chain. In particular, greater efforts should be made to adequately address the interests of the people in various issues, such as agricultural land acquisition, investment in agriculture, and employment; and to develop a green economy, circular economy, ecological rural areas, and modern urban areas.

Second, promote the role and capacity of intellectuals and invest in education to form a contingent of competent, moral, and resilient intellectuals, contributing to fostering the spirit of innovation and creativity to change the mindset on national development and governance. It is necessary to offer incentive policies to attract intellectuals and bring their role into full play. Other solutions include increasing investment in modern science and technology to serve innovation as well as encouraging intellectuals to provide policy consultancy, critiques, and recommendations.

Third, focus on building “a contingent of entrepreneurs strong in both quantity and quality, who are dedicated to the nation, possess advanced cultural and ethical standards, and excel in management and business skills”⁽¹²⁾. It is imperative to craft a national strategy on the development of entrepreneurs until 2030, with a vision to 2045. Efforts should be made to create a legal framework and a favorable, equal, and safe investment and business environment for entrepreneurs to thrive.⁽¹³⁾

Fourth, enhance the education of the younger generation on revolutionary ideals, ethics, lifestyle, and culture while fostering patriotism, national pride and  dignity, and aspirations and ambitions for advancement. It is necessary to provide the best conditions for individuals to develop healthily, comprehensively, and harmoniously in intellect, physical strength, and aesthetic sense. Attention should be paid to protecting the rights of women and promoting their role in the new era. Importance should be attached to honoring and remembering the contributions of veteran revolutionaries, war veterans, retirees, and the elderly to the development and protection of the Party, the State, the people, and the socialist regime. It is essential to promote the role of war veterans in educating the youth about patriotism and revolutionary traditions, upholding the qualities and traditions of "Uncle Ho's Soldiers," building and strengthening the political foundation, and building a clean and strong Party and political system. They are encouraged to help one another in economic activities to improve their living standards, and in lawful enrichment, thereby contributing to national construction and development.⁽¹⁴⁾. It is crucial to make full use of the knowledge and life experiences of the elderly and apply them in society, the community, and the family.

Fifth, ensure equality and fairness among ethnic groups and steadfastly pursue the goal of unity and mutual respect and assistance for common development. The specific conditions of each region inhabited by ethnic minorities should be taken into account when planning and implementing ethnic policies. It is imperative to prevent ethnic discrimination, extremism, and narrow-mindedness, and to strictly punish any attempts to divide or sabotage the great national unity bloc. Focus should be placed on mobilizing, rallying, and uniting religious organizations, dignitaries, and followers to practice "good lives, good faith," contribute to national construction and defense, and promote the cultural and ethical values and resources of religions for national development.

Sixth, unleash the potential and creativity of every Vietnamese citizen to build a prosperous and happy nation. New policies should be adopted to solidify the legal status of overseas Vietnamese and help them develop their economy, improve their living standards, and integrate in their host societies. Efforts should be exerted to enhance the effectiveness of citizen protection, preserve the national cultural identity, foster national pride and dignity, encourage the overseas Vietnamese community to stay connected with the homeland, and motivate overseas Vietnamese, particularly the younger generation, to strengthen their bond with the homeland and serve as a bridge between Vietnam and other countries.⁽¹⁵⁾

Solutions and tasks to further promote the role of the great national unity bloc in building a prosperous, strong, and civilized country

First, intensify communication on Party guidelines and State policies on building the great national unity bloc to create significant changes in the awareness, responsibility, and actions of agencies, organizations, and units, especially State agencies, authorities at all levels, leaders, Party members, cadres, and civil servants. It is essential to improve, renew, and invest more (both human and financial resources) in mass mobilization to ensure that the people understand, trust, and support Party guidelines and State policies in line with the motto “the people know, the people discuss, the people do, the people inspect, the people supervise, and the people benefit,” and that the Party's will is always in harmony with the people's wishes.

Focus should be placed on effectively implementing Party guidelines and State policies on social security and improving the people’s quality of life. It is necessary to diversify mass mobilization methods, promote mass mobilization emulation movements, and expand and replicate successful mass mobilization models to spread positive values throughout society. There is an urgent need to address citizens' petitions, complaints, and denunciations promptly and in accordance with law right at the grassroots level, especially those related to pressing social issues, prolonged complex cases, and those that pose potential risks to political security, social order and safety. Importance should be attached to increasing meetings and dialogue with people, resolving complex issues thoroughly and definitively, and developing a pool of cadres who truly “respect the people, stay close to the people, trust the people, understand the people, learn from the people, rely on the people, and are responsible to the people.”

Second, fully tap human potential and strength, stir up the aspirations, spirit, and will for development, and rekindle patriotism, national pride, kindness, unity, and national consensus. Emphasis should be placed on promoting the Vietnamese people’s cultural values, political activeness, labor capacity, devotion, innovation, creativity, self-reliance and self-resilience. Attention should be paid to the development of human resources, especially those of high quality, with priority given to key areas. It is crucial to improve the quality of education and training, accelerate the transfer, application, and development of science and technology, foster innovation, and offer more breakthrough policies to attract, utilize, honor, and reward talented individuals.

Third, exercise people’s right to mastery in all aspects, from socio-economic matters to politics and culture, while creating appropriate platforms for the public to contribute their opinions, particularly regarding controversial issues. It is necessary to ensure effective control in the implementation of the mechanism of "Party leadership, State management, and the people's mastery" and address any manifestations of "democracy violations," "disregard for democracy," or "formalistic democracy." Priority should be given to upholding democracy, the rule of law, discipline, and order throughout society, and to strengthening the supervision and review of the implementation of resolutions and directives.

Fourth, harmonize the fundamental and primary interests of various classes and strata, regions, ethnic groups, and religions to secure high consensus and unity throughout society. These interests should align with the goals of national independence and socialism, a prosperous people, and a strong, democratic, equitable, and civilized country. It is important to protect the people’s lawful and legitimate rights and interests and constantly improve the people’s  material and spiritual lives. All policies and viewpoints of the Party and State should be deeply rooted in the people's interests and utilize "the people's talent, strength, and resources for the benefit of the people." There should be thorough and effective economic and cultural development plans to constantly improve the people's living standards.

Fifth, combat attempts to split and undermine the great national unity bloc. Hostile forces, reactionaries, and political opportunists are employing every insidious tactic to execute their "divide and rule" strategy. They attempt to fracture the great national unity bloc through cunning and malicious means, aiming to undermine Vietnam from within. These adversaries frequently incite the public and exaggerate sensitive issues within society. They exploit anti-corruption efforts and weaknesses in governance at various levels in some localities to mislead public opinion, with the purpose being to erode the people's trust in the Party and the regime and weaken the people’s revolutionary spirit. Therefore, it is crucial to enhance public vigilance, civic responsibility, social consensus, community awareness, and the spirit of self-reliance and self-resilience in national construction and defense while combating any manifestations of narrow-mindedness, localism, and individualism to continually strengthen and develop the great national unity bloc.-

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(1), (2) Nguyen Phu Trong: Promoting the tradition of great national unity to build a prosperous, civilized, and happy Vietnam, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2023, pp. 15, 17

(3), (4), (5), (6), (7) Documents of the 13th National Party Congress, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2021, Vol. I, pp. 34, 34 - 35, 118, 96 - 97, 116, 46

(8), (9) Ibid., pp. 46, 27

(10) Nguyen Phu Trong: “Upholding responsibility and promoting achievements gained since the beginning of the tenure to effectively implement resolutions of Party conferences and successfully implement the 13th National Party Congress resolution and prepare thoroughly for Party congresses at all levels toward the 14th National Party Congress,” Communist Review No. 1024 (October, 2023), pp. 11 – 12

(11) Documents of the 13th National Party Congress, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2021, Vol. I, pp. 46 – 47

(12) Ibid., pp. 167 – 168

(13), (14) The Party Central Committee’s Resolution 43-NQ/TW, dated November 24, 2023, on “Continuing to promote the tradition of great national unity to build a prosperous, civilized, and happy Vietnam.”

(15) Ibid.

This article was published in the Communist Review No. 1027 (December 2023)