Communist Review – Over the 40 years of the doi doi (renewal) process, the cause of building and defending the Socialist Republic of Vietnam has achieved tremendous accomplishments of historic significance. The theory of socialism and the path to socialism has become increasingly clear and has been validated in practice. From a poor and backward country, Vietnam has emerged as a nation recognised as a bright spot in the global economy. The country’s stature, potential, position, and international prestige have been increasingly affirmed, thus laying a solid foundation for entering a new stage of development.

Development achievements over 40 years of renewal

Party General Secretary To Lam affirmed: “The great achievements attained after 40 years of renewal under the leadership of the Party have enabled Vietnam to accumulate the position and strength necessary for breakthrough development in the next stage.

Vietnam has become a middle-income developing country, intensively and extensively integrated into global politics, the global economy, and human civilisation; it has undertaken numerous international responsibilities and played an active and responsible role in many important multilateral organisations and forums.

Independence, sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity have been firmly safeguarded; national interests have been secured... The living standards of the people have improved markedly, the poverty rate has declined sharply, and the Millennium Development Goals were achieved ahead of schedule...” ⁽¹⁾. “... Vietnam has become one of the world’s 34 largest economies, with its economic scale increasing nearly one hundredfold compared with 1986, while per capita income has risen from under 100 USD to nearly 5,000 USD”⁽²⁾. Vietnam’s Happiness Index in 2025 rose by eight places compared with 2024, ranking 46th among 143 countries.

The socialist-oriented market economy, the socialist rule-of-law State, and socialist democracy maintain a dialectical relationship, exerting mutual influence and interaction while developing on an increasingly solid foundation. Together, they have become firm pillars supporting the country’s entry into a new era of national prosperity and happiness, with the people as the foundation: “the people are the root,” “the people are the masters,” and “the people are the centre.” The people are simultaneously the objective, the driving force, and a resource for national development and national defence.

The principle that all state power belongs to the people has been consistently upheld; state power is unified, with a clear division of responsibilities, close coordination, and effective control among state agencies in the exercise of legislative, executive, and judicial powers.

The mechanism of “the Party leads, the State manages, and the People are the masters” has been increasingly realised in practice.

Party General Secretary To Lam emphasised: “To achieve the country’s development goals in the era of the Vietnamese nation’s rise, it is necessary to continue renewing the Party’s methods of leadership and governance over the State and society; to promote the people’s mastery and harmoniously handle the relationship between Party leadership, State management, and the People’s mastery, while bringing into full play the position and role of each of these factors in the process of building and perfecting the socialist rule-of-law State of Vietnam.”⁽³⁾

“Under the Party’s leadership, socialist democracy is promoted, and the people are the subjects of the process of building and perfecting the socialist rule-of-law State of Vietnam. When every citizen actively and proactively participates in law-making and legal reform and possesses a strong awareness of respect for the law, the strength of the entire political system will be mobilised to achieve socio-economic development goals, ensure national defence and security, and lead the country into the era of the Vietnamese nation’s rise.”⁽⁴⁾

The country’s comprehensive national strength has continued to be consolidated, thereby consistently affirming the principle of national independence associated with socialism. Throughout the process of international integration during the 40 years of renewal, Vietnam has remained steadfast in safeguarding its independence, sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity, and socialist orientation; maintaining the Party’s leadership and governing role; and enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of State management as well as the people’s right to mastery. The highest national interests are guaranteed on the basis of adherence to the fundamental principles of the Charter of the United Nations, international law, equality, cooperation, and mutual benefit.

Vietnam continues to pursue rapid and sustainable development by closely linking and synchronously implementing strategic tasks: socio-economic development and environmental protection as the central task; Party building and rectification as the key task; the development of Vietnamese culture and people as the spiritual foundation; and strengthening national defence and security while promoting foreign affairs and international integration as regular and essential tasks. As a result, the Party, the State, the people, and the socialist regime have been firmly safeguarded; political security, social order, and safety have been maintained; information security has been strengthened; and a peaceful and stable environment for national development has been ensured.

Defence and security capabilities have continued to be invested in, consolidated, and enhanced. The capacity to respond to strategic situations has been exercised proactively, flexibly, and effectively, thereby firmly safeguarding national independence and sovereignty.

Political, spiritual, economic, cultural, and social strength, together with defence and security strength, have all been strengthened, creating comprehensive national power that drives the country’s development. At the same time, these strengths have countered all plots and acts of sabotage by hostile and reactionary forces, making an important contribution to the success of the cause of building and defending the Fatherland and enhancing Vietnam’s position and prestige in the international arena.

Defence, military, and security relations have been established and developed at appropriate levels on the basis of safeguarding Vietnam’s core interests, respecting independence, sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity, and adhering to the fundamental principles of international law, for the common interests of the region and the international community.

The fields of culture, society, education and training, science and technology, healthcare, and others have continued to develop vigorously, making significant contributions to improving the quality of life and enhancing national competitiveness. Considerable progress has been achieved in cultural, social, and human development, gradually shaping the national value system, cultural value system, family value system, and standards of Vietnamese people in the new era. The quality of human resources has improved markedly. In 2024, the proportion of workers possessing formal qualifications and certificates reached approximately 28.1%, an increase of 1.3 percentage points compared with 2023.

Scientific and technological capacity has continued to be strengthened, while the innovation-driven start-up ecosystem has taken shape and developed steadily. In 2024, Vietnam ranked 56^th out of 119 countries in terms of its start-up ecosystem, rising two places compared with 2023. The country rose four places in the Global Innovation Index (GII) compared with 2022, ranking 44^th out of 132 economies, demonstrating a significant advancement in Vietnam’s scientific, technological, and innovation capabilities.

The socialist orientation in social policy has been increasingly understood in a more comprehensive and profound manner, as reflected in the harmonious integration of economic and social objectives, as well as economic and social policies. The fields of social security and social welfare have continued to record positive results; ethnic and religious policies and policies towards people with meritorious services to the revolution and overseas Vietnamese have been implemented in a coordinated and effective manner. Public healthcare has received increasing attention, while the healthcare system has gained broader access to advanced medical technologies around the world. Health insurance coverage increased from 90.9% in 2020 to 94.1% in 2024.

The management of natural resources and land has been strengthened; environmental pollution control has shown clear improvements; and efforts to mobilise resources for climate change adaptation have been intensified. In 2024, Vietnam ranked 54th out of 166 countries in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Index, rising one place compared with 2023, reflecting noteworthy efforts and progress in sustainable development.

Over the 40 years of implementing the renewal process, the policy of open foreign relations and comprehensive international integration has transformed Vietnam into a “friend, reliable partner, and responsible member” of the international community, while significantly enhancing and affirming the country’s position and prestige on the global stage. From a country once subjected to embargo and isolation, Vietnam has become an active member of more than 70 regional and international organisations. Participation in multi-layered cooperation and economic integration arrangements, particularly 17 free trade agreements (FTAs), has connected Vietnam with more than 60 major economies and promoted its deeper participation in global production and supply chains. As a result, Vietnam is now among the world’s 20 largest trading nations, one of the 20 largest recipients of foreign direct investment (FDI) since 2019, and among the world’s top 10 recipients of remittances ⁽⁵⁾.

The renewal process initiated and led by the Communist Party of Vietnam represented a historic and transformative choice, constituting a great creative undertaking of profound historical significance that was suited to Vietnam’s realities and the development trends of the era. Through four decades of renewal, the Party has increasingly recognised the imperative of ensuring the highest national interests, with development objectives placed at the centre; the role of international integration in national construction and defence has been elevated; and the task of enhancing the country’s position and prestige within the international community has been emphasised as an important driving force for national development.

Throughout the process of international integration, the Party has consistently adhered to the principle of ensuring the highest national interests on the basis of respect for the fundamental principles of the Charter of the United Nations and international law, equality, cooperation, and mutual benefit. On this basis, the guiding principles and major orientations have been implemented consistently: diversifying and multilateralising international relations; attaching importance to relations with neighbouring countries and major powers; while at the same time maintaining and strengthening relations with traditional friends. The evolution of the Party’s policy demonstrates that Vietnam’s orientation towards international integration has become increasingly comprehensive and profound, shifting decisively from the mindset of a “latecomer nation” to the position of a “proactive, active, and pioneering nation” in many new areas of cooperation.

In implementing international integration, the Party has consistently emphasised the need to properly handle the relationship between maintaining independence and self-reliance and expanding comprehensive and extensive international integration. At the same time, it has underscored the importance of strengthening internal capacity to ensure that international integration is effective and sustainable. The Party has stressed the necessity of continuing to grasp and properly manage the relationship between independence, self-reliance, and international integration, while enhancing adaptability in the context of increasingly deep international integration.

The Party identifies international integration as a major strategic orientation in the cause of building and defending the Fatherland and as a task of the entire political system. International integration must be pursued on the basis of maximising the internal strength while effectively mobilising external resources. Economic integration remains the focal point, while integration in other fields is expanded according to an appropriate roadmap. Vietnam remains committed to fully implementing its international commitments while proactively and actively participating in the formulation and shaping of common norms and standards in order to ensure the highest national interests.

With the partnerships that have already been established, the Party advocates further deepening these relationships, deepening shared interests, strengthening mutual trust, expanding and enhancing the effectiveness of cooperation mechanisms, and upgrading relations with partners in accordance with the requirements of national construction and development. At the same time, it seeks to elevate multilateral diplomacy by proactively participating in and promoting Vietnam’s role within multilateral mechanisms, particularly the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the United Nations, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Programme, as well as in strategic issues and important mechanisms commensurate with the country’s requirements, capabilities, and specific conditions.

Regarding the protection of the Party’s ideological foundation, the Party remains resolute and persistent in countering and defeating all reactionary schemes of hostile forces, as well as actions interfering in Vietnam’s internal affairs or infringing upon its independence, sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity, national security, and political stability.

Advancing comprehensive and extensive international integration, consolidating the nation’s position and strength for a new era

The practice of international integration over the past 40 years of renewal demonstrates that Vietnam has significantly built up its position and strength, achieving remarkable accomplishments while also facing certain limitations that require further attention and resolution.

In terms of achievements, international integration has made an important contribution to maintaining and consolidating a peaceful and stable environment, combining national strength with the strength of the times, thereby creating a solid foundation for safeguarding the national independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. The process of international integration has broken through the previous state of embargo and isolation, while expanding Vietnam’s external relations and deepening, stabilising, and strengthening its relations with countries and partners. Networks of comprehensive strategic partnerships, strategic partnerships, and comprehensive partnerships have continued to be established, consolidated, and expanded, encompassing partners of strategic significance to the country’s sustainable development.

International integration in conjunction with national defence and security has contributed to enhancing the effectiveness of safeguarding the Fatherland “from early on, from afar, before threats materialise”; at the same time, it has enabled Vietnam to participate more proactively, responsibly, and effectively in regional and global mechanisms for peace and cooperation, thereby continuously enhancing its international standing and prestige.

Vietnam has established diplomatic relations with 194 countries and has developed comprehensive partnerships or higher-level relations with 42 countries, including strategic partnerships or comprehensive strategic partnerships with all five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, all members of the Group of Seven, and 17 of the world’s 20 largest economies (G20)⁽⁶⁾. The Communist Party of Vietnam maintains relations with 253 political parties in 115 countries, including 92 communist parties, 63 ruling parties, and 38 parties participating in governing coalitions or serving in government. The National Assembly of Vietnam maintains cooperative relations with more than 140 parliaments and legislative bodies worldwide. The Vietnam Fatherland Front, socio-political organisations, and mass organisations have strengthened people-to-people diplomacy with approximately 1,200 international organisations and foreign partners. International cooperation, defence diplomacy, and sectoral external relations have continued to expand, becoming important components contributing to the comprehensive achievements of Party external relations, State diplomacy, and people-to-people diplomacy in the current era of deep international integration.

After 40 years of renewal, Vietnam has undertaken numerous international responsibilities and played an active role in many important multilateral organisations and forums, including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the United Nations, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the United Nations Climate Change Conferences (Conference of the Parties), and the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, among others.

Vietnam has been entrusted by the international community with important responsibilities within multilateral mechanisms and forums, particularly within ASEAN and the United Nations. These include serving twice as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (2008-2009 and 2020-2021), serving as Vice-President of the 77^th session of the United Nations General Assembly, and serving as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, and the International Law Commission.

Regarding participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations, by mid-2025 Vietnam had deployed more than 1,000 military and police personnel, both as individual officers and organised units, to carry out missions in Africa and at United Nations Headquarters in New York. Vietnam has also deployed rescue and humanitarian assistance forces to support international disaster-relief missions in Turkey and Myanmar.

International integration has made an important contribution to safeguarding the national independence, sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity, while also facilitating positive progress in addressing border and territorial issues with relevant countries.

Alongside the negotiation and conclusion of international treaties and agreements, Vietnam has gradually improved its legal foundations and established frameworks for effective border cooperation and management, thereby strengthening a peaceful and stable regional environment and expanding the space for international cooperation.

With regard to China, Vietnam has signed the Land Border Treaty and completed the demarcation and border marker placement process along the land boundary. The two countries have also signed the Agreement on the Delimitation of the Gulf of Tonkin and the Agreement on Fishery Cooperation in the Gulf of Tonkin, as well as the Agreement on Basic Principles Guiding the Settlement of Maritime Issues.

The two sides have continued to establish agreements concerning border management regimes and the management of land border crossings, creating an important legal framework for safeguarding sovereignty and promoting the development of a peaceful and friendly border.

Within the framework of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Vietnam has made significant efforts to expand and strengthen cooperation with countries in the region. With Laos, the two countries completed the project to increase and upgrade the system of national border markers along the entire frontier, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of border management and reinforcing the special relationship of friendship and solidarity between Vietnam and Laos. With Cambodia, the two sides have completed the demarcation and marker placement of approximately 84 per cent of their land boundary. In conjunction with maritime delimitation, cooperation, and the management of overlapping maritime areas, Vietnam has progressively worked with relevant countries to resolve issues on the basis of equality, cooperation, and mutual benefit.

After 40 years of renewal, Vietnam has established and expanded economic, trade, and investment relations with 224 countries and territories across all continents. It has actively and proactively participated in more than 500 bilateral and multilateral international treaties and agreements in various fields, thereby attracting increasingly substantial and diversified flows of foreign direct investment (FDI).

Foreign affairs have played an important role in deepening cooperative relations with countries and international organisations, strengthening economic connectivity and cooperation with key partners, and creating a foundation for consolidating macroeconomic stability, maintaining major economic balances, and promoting economic growth. Through the expansion of exports and imports and the effective mobilisation of external resources, including FDI, official development assistance (ODA), and scientific and technological achievements, Vietnam has risen to become one of the world’s 32 largest economies and is among the top 20 economies globally in terms of trade volume and foreign investment inflows. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the proactive and resolute implementation of the Party’s foreign policy, particularly vaccine diplomacy, enabled Vietnam to secure timely and valuable support from the international community, contributing to the effective control of the pandemic and earning high regard from international friends and partners.

The implementation of comprehensive and coordinated policies towards overseas Vietnamese throughout the 40 years of renewal, particularly following the issuance of Resolution No. 36-NQ/TW of 26 March 2004 on overseas Vietnamese affairs and Directive No. 45-CT/TW of 19 May 2015 on continuing the implementation of Resolution No. 36-NQ/TW in the new situation, has consistently reflected the Party’s and the State’s view that overseas Vietnamese are an inseparable part of the Vietnamese national community.

As a result, significant achievements have been recorded in overseas Vietnamese affairs. By the end of 2024, overseas Vietnamese had invested in 422 projects in Vietnam with a total registered capital of 1.725 billion USD; remittances transferred through the banking system had reached nearly 250 billion USD, providing support to families and relatives while making a practical contribution to the country’s socio-economic development. Overseas Vietnamese communities have increasingly strengthened their sense of national pride, patriotism, and attachment to their homeland, while fostering solidarity, mutual assistance, social advancement, and integration into their host societies.

External information work and cultural diplomacy have undergone substantial innovation and have been implemented in an increasingly systematic and effective manner, contributing to the broad promotion of Vietnam’s image and people. Through diverse forms of communication and engagement, the world has gained a deeper understanding of the great achievements of historic significance attained by Vietnam; the tradition of great national unity; the rich, diverse, and culturally distinctive heritage of the Vietnamese nation; the heroic, loyal, compassionate, and peace-loving qualities of the Vietnamese people; and an image of Vietnam as a safe, friendly, stable, integrated, and developing country.

Numerous communication activities have been organised to disseminate the ideological values of Ho Chi Minh and Vietnamese cultural figures honoured by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). At the same time, active efforts have been undertaken to promote the recognition of Vietnam’s cultural and natural heritage by UNESCO.

External information work has also proactively and promptly countered false narratives and malicious information disseminated by hostile and reactionary forces seeking to distort and undermine the Party, the State, and the people.

Throughout the 40 years of renewal, the formulation and implementation of foreign policy have contributed to the development of a comprehensive and modern Vietnamese diplomacy, founded upon three increasingly strengthened and developed pillars: Party external relations, State diplomacy, and people-to-people diplomacy. In the context of rapid advances in science and technology and accelerating globalisation, the means and instruments of foreign policy have also undergone continuous innovation, becoming increasingly diverse and effective. As a result, external relations activities have kept pace with contemporary trends, expanded the range of participating actors, deepened partnership networks, and seen substantial innovations in both methods and instruments of implementation.

Regarding limitations, despite the country’s enhanced position and strength, these advantages have not yet been fully utilised to produce greater breakthroughs in foreign relations and international cooperation. Relations with certain partners remain below their potential and the scope of existing cooperation frameworks, particularly in the economic sphere, where major strategic projects remain limited. The monitoring, implementation, and follow-up of agreements, commitments, and international cooperation frameworks continue to face shortcomings, while bottlenecks persist in relations with several important partners.

Institutional reform in certain sectors has yet to keep pace with the requirements of comprehensive and deep international integration, so as to simultaneously promote deeper integration while safeguarding national security, maintaining political stability, ensuring social order and safety, and preserving and promoting national cultural identity.

Coordination among ministries, sectors, and localities has not always been sufficiently close, coherent, and integrated. Strategic research and forecasting of international developments remain limited and have yet to fully meet the requirements for strategic policy advice and consultation in the new context.

Party General Secretary To Lam affirmed: “The world is undergoing changes of an epochal nature. The period from now until 2030 will be the most important stage in shaping a new world order. It is also a period of significant strategic opportunity and the decisive phase of the Vietnamese revolution in achieving the strategic goals associated with the centenary of the Party’s leadership, thereby creating a solid foundation for attaining the centenary goals of the State. These epochal transformations bring new opportunities and advantages, but also numerous challenges, with challenges currently being more pronounced. New opportunities may emerge only briefly amidst sudden changes in the international landscape. The Fourth Industrial Revolution, particularly artificial intelligence and digital technologies, offers opportunities that developing and less-developed countries can seize in order to leapfrog and achieve breakthrough development.

The history of the Vietnamese revolution demonstrates that, under the Party’s skilful and visionary leadership, by inspiring the spirit of self-reliance, autonomy, confidence, resilience, and national pride, and by mobilising the strength of the entire people in combination with the strength of the times, the Vietnamese revolutionary cause can accomplish extraordinary achievements, such as a semi-feudal colonial country defeating two powerful colonial and imperial powers, and a country once subjected to embargo and isolation successfully carrying out renewal and achieving great accomplishments. Today is a time when the Party’s aspirations are closely aligned with the people’s aspirations for building a prosperous and happy country, successfully build socialism, enabling Vietnam to stand shoulder to shoulder with the major powers of the world.

From these considerations, it can be seen that this is a moment of convergence of all favourable conditions and strengths necessary to lead the country into a new era, the era of the Vietnamese nation’s rise, following the eras of independence and freedom, socialist construction, and renewal” ⁽⁷⁾./.

* This article is an output of the national-level research project, Code No. KX.06.03/21-30.

** Associate Professor, PhD; Former Editor-in-Chief of the Communist Review.

(1) See: To Lam, “Some Fundamental Contents of the New Era - the Era of the Nation’s Rise, and Strategic Orientations for Leading the Country into the New Era, the Era of the Nation’s Rise”, Communist Review Online, November 1, 2024.

(2) To Lam, “Rising through International Integration”, Communist Review, No. 1059, April 2025, p. 10.

(3) To Lam, “Promoting Party Character in Building the Socialist Rule-of-Law State of Viet Nam”, Communist Review, No. 1049, November 2024, p. 4.

(4) To Lam, “Promoting Party Character in Building the Socialist Rule-of-Law State of Viet Nam”, ibid.

(5) See: To Lam, “Rising through International Integration”, ibid.

(6) The Group of Twenty is commonly known as the Group of the World’s Leading Advanced and Emerging Economies, comprising 19 countries and the European Union. More recently, the African Union became the newest member of the G20.

(7) To Lam, “Some Fundamental Contents of the New Era - the Era of the Nation’s Rise, and Strategic Orientations for Leading the Country into the New Era, the Era of the Nation’s Rise”, ibid.