Realizing the aspiration for building a powerful Vietnam in light of President Ho Chi Minh’s thought on innovation

Dr. LE TRUNG KIEN
Institute of Ho Chi Minh and Party Leaders Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics
Thursday, November 10, 2022 09:45

Communist Review - At present, Viet Nam continues to comprehensively and synchronously beef up the process of renovation (Doi moi) and deep and wide international integration, with opportunities, advantages and challenges, and difficulties intertwined. This situation requires the application and creative development of President Ho Chi Minh’s thought on innovation as the foundation for orientations and measures to successfully realize the aspiration for building a powerful, heroic, strong, and prosperous Viet Nam.

President Ho Chi Minh visiting a construction site in Thai Nguyen Iron and Steel Area in 1964 _Photo: hochiminh.vn

President Ho Chi Minh’s thought on innovation

Ho Chi Minh’s ideology on innovation is a system of oriented views, comprehensively changing the old with the new and progressive in order to apply new forms and new models to the condition of a backward and underdeveloped Viet Nam with the goal of building the country into an independent, self-reliant, advanced country, developing side by side with the great powers of the five continents. Ho Chi Minh’s thought on innovation includes the following main contents.

Firstly, thought on the theory and momentum for building socialism

Deeply imbued with Marxism-Leninism, especially the theory of socio-economic transformation with the tenet that a socio-economic form will be replaced by more advanced one, President Ho Chi Minh affirmed the inevitability of the development of human society: “There is no force that can stop the sunrise. There is no force that can stop human history from moving forward. There is also no force that can prevent the development of socialism”(1). During the process of directly leading the Vietnamese revolution, he always attached great importance to the role of production forces and production relations, especially economic factors as the driving force for economic development. He paid special attention to and made great efforts to liberate the labor force in order to create an important impetus for the cause of building socialism in Viet Nam.

President Ho Chi Minh always focused on ensuring fairness in the distribution of benefits based on the principle: “Whoever does a lot eats a lot, whoever does a little eats a little, whoever does nothing eats nothing, of course except the elderly, the sick and children”(2). He appealed for opposition against individualism, because it is “the enemy of socialism”, while not trampling on legitimate interests of each individual. The preeminence of socialism is the achievements of the revolution are distributed equally, reasonably and democratically. However, in order to build and develop the country, it is necessary to maximize resources to generate immediate and long-term benefits, material and spiritual well-being, justice and fairness in the society. To this end, President Ho Chi Minh made an appeal for patriotic emulation, with an aim to promote the patriotic movement across the country. Simultaneously, he placed stress on building democracy in politics and society. This is because only true democracy is capable of conceiving true solidarity and consensus.

Secondly, thought on socialist organization and institution

The President had innovative thinking on the birth, importance and role of the revolutionary leadership. He said, “What must the revolution have first? First of all, there must be a revolutionary party, in order to mobilize and organize the people inside, and to communicate with the oppressed action and the class proletariat everywhere outside. If the Party is solid, the revolution will succeed, just as the experienced elmsman can control the boat” (3).

The emergence of a new type of party in Viet Nam comes from the process of properly perceiving the theory of the birth law of the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV) which is the combination of Marxism - Leninism with the workers’ movement and the Vietnamese patriotic movement. He elaborated, in essence, on the worker’s nature, the people’s character and the ethnicity of the Party. Its responsibility is to have clear and thorough guidelines, directives, resolutions and plans “to avoid passivity, omissions and mistakes”. The Party must be truly “clean”, “united” and “pure from big to small work” to be able to lead the people and the revolution to “complete victory”. The Party must strictly comply with its operational principles such as democratic centralism, collective leadership - individual accountability, self-criticism and criticism, law observation, solidarity, discipline, and unity. In particular, the work of Party building primarily involves fostering, educating and training cadres and party members to build a truly ethical and civilized Party; therefore, any innovation must start from the Party. The building and rectification of the Party in association with the prevention and combat of manifestations of individualism must be carried out regularly and continuously.  The Party “is not an organization for those driven by greed and the desire for power and money, but to serve the “interests of the nation, and of the Fatherland”.

According to President Ho Chi Minh, in essence, the new type of State in Viet Nam that demonstrates the people’s democracy is driven by the interests of the nation. The State must firmly “serve the people”, respect and guarantee human rights. The State has a democratic legal system, exercises the will of the people, represents their interests and manages the society by means of the law in a strict and fair manner. Thus, from very early days, President Ho Chi Minh developed thinking on building a socialist rule of law State of the people, by the people and for the people.

Thirdly, thought on the idea that the power of renovation is the people.

President Ho Chi Minh emphasized that renovation is the replacement of what is old and damaged with the progressive ones, but this process must commence from the people, for the people, by the people. He insisted, “the cause of national renovation and construction is the responsibility of the people”(4). If the people join hands, every problem will be solved, no matter how grave it is. The renovation cause must cling firmly to the people, and hence it is essential to learn, consult, understand the people, “follow their guide”, and “win their hearts”.  Having done that, people’s talents, strength, experience and initiatives will benefit them during the cause of renovation.

The revolutionary cause requires national solidarity and great unity. Therefore, President Ho Chi Minh prioritized the “all-people solidarity”, bolstered propaganda, persuasion, heart-winning campaigns, and even granted amnesty to those who “swam with the tide” and those who were misled.

President Ho Chi Minh succeeded in resolving the relationship between the nation and the class, ensuring the interests of all classes, and creating high consensus in the society. He strongly affirmed, “In narrow sense, solidarity is limited to compatriots nationwide, from North to South. In broad sense, it extends to the solidarity between our people and those from friendly countries, Asians, the French and those who love peace”(5). This is an innovative thinking, showing creativity, sensibility, and pertinence to the reality of Viet Nam in thinking.

Fourthly, thought on the strategy of “growing people” and developing human resources.

President Ho Chi Minh was concerned about training successors to the revolutionary cause of the Party and the people; he always urged leaders of all levels to focus on improving “our education to a higher level”. He sent young people who wanted to master the future a reminder that they must, at present, challenge their spirit, build up their strength and work hard to prepare for the future”(6). As a matter of fact, people must be trained, educated and nurtured comprehensively to be competent and virtuous. Accordingly, it is necessary to promote all-round education in order to build a contingent of knowledgeable and qualified leaders and managers at all levels, who will become a driving force for development in the cause of socialism construction. Moreover, education should be linked with practice, and human factors should be promoted in order to challenge, foster and nurture skilled cadres who exhibit firm political willpower to serve the revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation.

Fifthly, thought on socialist-oriented economic development.

President Ho Chi Minh always paid attention to economic development in order to ensure the well-being of the people. Therefore, he asked leaders at all levels to make sure the people had access to food, clothes, accommodation, education, and hospitals at any costs. After all, socialism aims to constantly improve the material and spiritual life of the people, first of all of the working people. This is an important premise on which guidelines, plans and modes of production and economic development models are formulated.

Industrialization is an inevitable process and an important drive for sustainable economic development, for a boost in social production, labor liberation, capital mobilization, modern technology application, and productivity. Shortly after the establishment of a new socio-economic regime, President Ho Chi Minh put forward the policy on “receiving investment from foreign capitalists in various areas. Viet Nam is willing to be member of all international economic cooperation organizations under the leadership of the United Nations”(7). He mapped out a clear path for Vietnam that is “national industrialization and openness to international cooperation on the basis of applying scientific and technical achievements in production activities to serve the cause of national construction and to improve the people’s life. Industrialization poses new requirements on economic management in state-owned enterprises, notably the efficiency in management and the need for skillful staff. Functional agencies must exercise close supervision over production” (8). What’s more, thrift practice is a mandatory requirement in planning and implementing economic development strategies, so that not only resources, time, energy (people’s energy), but also their daily spending could be saved.

The government plays an important role in devising and implementing mechanisms, policies, and principles on economic management in order to create “drives” economic development. President Ho Chi Minh pointed out that managing a country is comparable to managing an enterprise; both must generate profit. Output, input, what action to take immediately or postpone, what economic opportunity to wait for, or to give upon, and what is worth spending must be rigorously calculated. During the transition to socialism, he advocated several forms of ownership in the economy, namely “State ownership (the entire-people ownership), collective ownership (ownership by cooperatives), and private ownership (a form of ownership by each individual whose production materials belong to the capitalist”(9). Later on, he concluded that in the new democracy, there were five economic components including “firstly, state-owned enterprises (oriented by socialism and it belongs to the people), secondly; cooperatives were semi-socialist but would eventually become socialist; thirdly, the economy of individuals, farmers and handicraftsmen, which could gradually become cooperatives; fourthly, the private capitalist economy; finally, the state capitalist economy, i.e. joint ventures of the State with private capitalists”(10).

President Ho Chi Minh’s thought on economic development bears innovative, modern, scientific and revolutionary thinking, and has epochal significance with profound directing value for the cause of building and developing socialist-oriented market economy in Viet Nam today.

Applying President Ho Chi Minh’s innovative thought to materialize the aspiration for building a mighty Viet Nam

Achievements gained through 35 years of renovation, 30 years of implementation of the 1991 Platform on National Construction in the period of transition to socialism (supplemented and developed in 2011), 10 years of implementing the Platform for National Construction in the transitional period towards socialism (supplemented and developed in 2011) are justifications for the correctness and creativity in the CPV’s renovation guideline in light of President Ho Chi Minh’s innovation thought; the pertinence of the path to socialism to the reality of Viet Nam and to the history’s development trend; the Party’s correct leadership as the decisive element for all victories of the Vietnamese revolution. In the coming time, President Ho Chi Minh’s innovative thought needs to be continuously creatively applied and developed in order to realize the aspiration of developing into a powerful, prosperous and happy country in the following areas:

Firstly, staying steadfast to the goal of national independence associated with socialism in pertinence to the new era.

Currently, the world and the region are experiencing constant changes, posing complicated and unpredictable challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic has plunged the world into a grave crisis in many aspects of life; Viet Nam is facing both fresh opportunities, difficulties, and challenges intertwined that need solving. This context requires a breakthrough, comprehensive and synchronous innovation of thinking in all areas of social life. Global and regional trends are fully assessed to seize opportunities. The current urgent requirement is to attach importance to review practice, to promote theoretical research, to raise the level of theoretical thinking, and to create a breakthrough in national development based on steadfastness to the innovation guideline, while ensuring inheritance and development and focusing on both specific strategies and policies.

It is necessary to continue to ensure that people’s awareness and actions converge in “steadfastness to, application and creative development of Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh’s thought, steadfastness to the goal of national independence and socialism, and steadfastness to the Party’s renewal guideline”(11).

Reality has shown that Viet Nam’s advancing to socialism is objective and inexorable.  Therefore, it is very important to innovate thinking for the sake of development. This means consistence with Marxism-Leninism, while obtaining great achievements of humanity gained in the capitalism, especially achievements in science and technology, in order to rapidly develop the productive forces, build and develop the modern economy.

Secondly, reforming the Party’s method of leadership and perfect the socialist rule-of-law State.

The Resolution of the 13th Party Congress underlined socio-economic development orientations and tasks for the next five years and goals and orientations to 2030 and the national development vision to 2045. The resolution emphasized, “Beefing up Party building and rectification, building a transparent and strong Party and political system, arousing the aspiration to develop the country, bringing into play the will and strength of national solidarity in combination with the power of the times; continuing to boost the renovation cause comprehensively and synchronously; building and firmly safeguarding the Fatherland, and maintaining a peaceful and stable environment; striving to become a socialist-oriented developed nation by the middle of the 21st century”(12). To fulfill these goals, it is essential that Party’s theories be inherited, supplemented and creatively developed, while maintaining the nature of the Party, leadership style and the work of Party building and rectification.

In the coming years, the Party must pay special attention to “beefing up the work of building and rectifying the Party in terms of politics, ideology, morality, organization and cadres”(13); promulgating resolutions and directives that demonstrate the Party’s will and people’s hearts, consolidating the peoples trust in the Party; improving the Party’s leadership capacity and combat strength; enhancing inspection, supervision, and Party discipline; drastically fighting against false claims by hostile forces, reactionaries, and political opportunists; promoting and renewing the Party leadership over the State in new conditions.

The process of renewing supplementing and perfecting thinking on building a socialist rule of law State in our country theoretically and practically has been identified more and more clearly. The State power is unified and delegated to state agencies which coordinate with and control one another in the exercise of the legislative, executive and judicial power. The State administration is built towards serving the people, democracy, rule of law, accountability, modernity, strength, publicity and transparency. Thus, it is crucial to regularly review practice, draw lessons, restructure and streamline administrative apparatus, improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the State’s management. In addition, beefing up the formulation and perfection of the legal system and law enforcement; ensuring “all powers belong to the people”. Avoiding abuse of power, monopoly, and authoritarianism. Boycotting “exclusive privilege”, preventing and combating “embezzlement, wastefulness, bureaucracy” and other negative phenomena in the State apparatus. Building a contingent of qualified and high-calibre cadres and civil servants, considering this as a “key of the key” task, in order to meet the requirements of building a socialist rule-of-law State of the people, by the people, and for the people in the new period.

Thirdly, continuing to promote democracy and strengthening the national unity bloc.

In the process of innovation, the socio-economic development means that democracy must be respected and implemented effectively. Therefore, the Party and the State always thoroughly grasp the idea of ​​“taking the people as the root”; promote the people’s democracy and the role of the people as masters, promote the practice of democracy in politics and in social life substantively and efficiently. However, democracy must go hand in hand with order, discipline, and compliance with the law. Therefore, democracy in the new context must be exercised in all institutions, the Party, the State, political system and society.

In order to promote national solidarity as President Ho Chi Minh said, “Solidarity, solidarity, great solidarity; success, success, great success”, it is necessary to well implement slogans of “people know, people discuss, people do, people verify and people benefit”, simultaneously introducing the Party guidelines, policies and laws of the State, making people have deserving rights and obligations.

Building a “rich people” society means bettering “people’s livelihood”. The Party and the State continue to promote the formulation and effective implementation of policies on social security and social welfare, especially focusing on raising people’s intellectual level and gradually improving living standards and income, with an aim to maintain stability and create conditions for development; to narrow the development gap between rural and urban communities; to implement the national target programme on sustainable poverty reduction. Measures should be taken to mobilize “people’s talents”, “people’s strength”, to encourage the development of household business; to attract all resources from overseas Vietnamese. These are important and urgent tasks that need to be focused on and well implemented in the new period.

Fourthly, developing education – training to prepare human resources for requirements of the renovation cause.

In addition to upholding President Ho Chi Minh’s teaching “To benefit in 10 years, we must grow trees. To benefit in a hundred years, we must grow people”, science and technology play a key role in the educational development. The document of the 13th Party Congress emphasized, “Improving the quality of human resources, especially high-quality human resources to meet the requirements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and international integration. Developing a contingent of top experts and scientists, especially technicians and those who are digitally and technologically savvy, specialized in human management, business administration; society management and social welfare policy formulation”(14). In the coming time, synchronous and comprehensive policies on education and training should be introduced to develop human resources, thus contributing to rapid sustainable economic development.

As far as human resource development is concerned, it is necessary to link education, employment with remuneration. Accordingly, education aims to direct people to morality, discipline, self-awareness of personal and social responsibility, good life skills, professional skills, proficiency in foreign languages, technological and digital literacy, creative thinking and international integration. Promoting commercialization of education, developing demand-oriented education and training to diversify the work force. Focusing on improving the quality of human resources, rapidly shifting the labor structure, especially in rural areas; providing incentives for attracting talents in management, State administration, science, technology, and innovation to cater for socio-economic development. Building a skilled workforce, contributing to improving national comparative edge, promoting the link between the schools and companies.

Fifthly, promoting economic development - a breakthrough in the renewal cause.

The Government and the State agencies need to renovate thinking, apparatus and method of management, and map out mechanisms and policies in response to changes in the revolution of science and technology, and build high quality human resources. Arousing the aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country, bringing Vietnamese cultural values and the strength of the times into full play. Mobilizing all resources, especially innovative technologies to develop the economy rapidly and sustainably. “By 2030, striving to be a developed country with high middle-income by 2030 and by 2045, a developed country with high income” (15).

Determining key industries and mapping out plans with specific development stages, focusing on industrial areas that serve the development of agriculture and light industry. Stepping up industrialization, modernization and economic restructuring in association with renovating the growth model effectively and efficiently. Developing the digital economy, ensuring fast and sustainable growth and macroeconomic stability. This is the creative application of President Ho Chi Minh’s thought on economic development in the current period.

In economic management, it is necessary to apply, improve and upgrade existing technologies, employ variety of technologies from low to high, at the same time, introduce modern technologies to create high-quality competitive products. “Taking a shortcut to the latest technologies” is considered a breakthrough in thinking that helps Viet Nam catch up with the world. /

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(1) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works,

National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2011, vol 11, p. 158

(2) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, ibid, vol. 10, p. 390

(3) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, ibid, vol. 2, p. 289

(4) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, ibid, vol. 6, p. 232

(5) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, ibid, vol. 9, p. 90

(6) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, ibid, vol. 5, p. 216

(7) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, ibid, vol. 4, p. 523

(8) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, ibid, vol. 13, p. 376

(9) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, ibid, vol. 12, p. 372

(3) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, ibid, vol. 8, p. 293 – 294

(11), (12) Communist Party of Vietnam: Document of 13th National Congress, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2021, vol. 1, p. 33, 57

(13) Communist Party of Vietnam: Document of 13th National Congress, ibid, vol. 2, p. 229

(14) Communist Party of Vietnam: Document of 13th National Congress, ibid, vol. 1, p. 231

(15) Communist Party of Vietnam: Document of 13th National Congress, ibid, vol. 1, p. 36

This article was published in the Communist Review No. 989 (May 2022)