The significant impact of General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng on the nation’s development

Nguyễn Xuân Phúc, former member of the Politburo, former Prime Minister and former President of the Socialist Republic of Việt Nam has written an article speaking fondly of Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng, saying his passing will leave the nation in a prolonged state of mourning

The passing of Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng has left the entire Vietnamese Party, military and people in profound grief. During his more than 13 years as the General Secretary of our Party, he steadfastly adhered to the Party’s policies of renewal and independence, steering the nation through numerous challenges to achieve remarkable successes in all fields.

While working with the Politburo and the Party Central Committee to promote the construction and completion of a socialist-oriented market economy, he keenly identified the risks of degradation within the Party and State apparatus and personally led the fight against corruption and negativity to maintain internal purity and preserve development achievements.

History will reflect on the merits and legacy of Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng. In these sorrowful days, as the person who worked closely with him for over a decade, I wish to highlight some of the most profound impressions he left on me:

As the Party’s theoretician, General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng made significant efforts to apply Marxism-Leninism and Hồ Chí Minh’s thoughts to Việt Nam’s realities. After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Eastern European socialist system, the theory of building socialism in Việt Nam faced many challenges. He directed the Party’s theoretical bodies to base their work on the country’s practicalities and the international situation to refine the theory of building socialism on the foundation of the Đổi mới (Renewal) process initiated by our Party in 1986. He himself authored important theoretical works on this subject.

Building a socialist-oriented market economy requires, first and foremost, a complete market economy. The socialist orientation means using the State’s resources to ensure the economy can withstand crises, eliminate ‘interest group’ manipulation, ensure equal opportunities for economic entities to benefit from policies, access national resources and guarantee the best social welfare for the people, especially the disadvantaged. This socialist orientation is mainly realised through market instruments and social welfare policies, not through non-market interventions in the economy’s operation.

This perspective was fully established by our Party during Nguyễn Phú Trọng’s tenure as General Secretary. Currently, 72 countries recognise Việt Nam as having a market economy, including all ASEAN countries and major market economies like Japan, the UK, Canada and Australia.

Building a socialist rule-of-law state. For the first time, our Party identified “Our State is a socialist rule-of-law state” in the amended ‘Platform for National Construction during the Transitional Period to Socialism’ at the 11th National Party Congress in 2011, which was the congress that elected Nguyễn Phú Trọng as General Secretary for the first time.

During his tenure, the socialist rule-of-law state was enshrined in the 2013 Constitution. This Constitution also enshrined human rights and citizens’ rights by stipulating for the first time that ‘Human rights and citizens’ rights can only be restricted by law in necessary cases for national defence, national security, public order, social safety, social ethics, and community health’ (Clause 2, Article 14).

On November 9, 2022, General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng, on behalf of the Party Central Committee, signed Resolution No 27-NQ/TW on “Continuing to build and perfect the socialist rule-of-law state of Việt Nam in the new period” after it was passed by the 6th conference of the 13th Party Central Committee, considering it the ‘central task of renewing the political system,’ affirming that “Respect for the Constitution and the law must become the standard of conduct for all subjects in society.” This resolution will require time to be translated into laws and implemented in life.

At the 13th National Party Congress (2021), General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng asserted: “Our country has never obtained such a fortune, strength, stature, and prestige in the international arena as it has today.” These words are entirely accurate.

The results of the 10-year Socio-Economic Development Strategy (2011-2020) proposed at the 11th National Party Congress increased the economy’s scale by 2.4 times, with the 2020 economy being 1.4 times larger than in 2015. Việt Nam is ranked 35th among the world’s largest economies and one of the 16 most successful emerging economies. The economic growth rate is high, with Việt Nam being one of the top 10 fastest-growing economies globally from 2016-2019. The poverty reduction achieved remarkable success, with the poverty rate dropping from 9.88 per cent in 2015 to 2.75 per cent in 2020 during the last five years of the strategy.

According to the World Bank, Việt Nam has made significant progress in universal healthcare, with the standard of living continually improving. The universal healthcare coverage index is 73 (out of 100), higher than the regional and global averages. The average number of years of schooling in Việt Nam is 10.2 years, second in the region only to Singapore. Việt Nam’s human capital index is 0.69 (on a scale where 1 is the highest), the highest among economies with similar income levels. Citizens’ access to infrastructure has significantly improved. By 2019, 99.4 per cent of the population used electric lighting, compared to 14 per cent in 1993.

With its international position and prestige, Việt Nam has established comprehensive partnerships with 12 countries and strategic partnerships with 18 countries, including seven comprehensive strategic partners. Most of these partnerships were established during Nguyễn Phú Trọng’s tenure as General Secretary. Of the seven comprehensive strategic partners with Việt Nam, except for China, which was established in 2008, six were established during General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng’s tenure.

Our economy is increasingly integrated into the global economy. Of the 16 free trade agreements (FTAs) that Việt Nam has signed and are in effect, half of them, including all five new-generation FTAs, were signed during Nguyễn Phú Trọng’s tenure as General Secretary.

These FTAs, particularly the new-generation ones, not only vigorously promote free trade and positively impact economic growth, but their high integration commitments have accelerated the completion of a legal system compatible with market mechanisms, swiftly building and perfecting the institutions of a socialist-oriented market economy.

The outstanding achievements that have propelled the nation’s strong development mentioned above are the collective efforts of the Politburo, the Party Central Committee, the Government and the entire political system over multiple terms. They continue nearly 40 years of the nation’s Đổi mới (Renewal), with Nguyễn Phú Trọng playing a crucial role as the head of our Party for over 13 years.

At the most recent Party Congress, I was assigned by the General Secretary to lead the Drafting Committee on socio-economic documents. Nguyễn Phú Trọng fully supported the new perspectives and provided sharp directives to ensure the Drafting Committee proposed new policies, especially in building a socialist-oriented market economy and a socialist rule-of-law state.

Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng also had a special interest in cultural development. Notably, he presided over the National Cultural Conference on November 24, 2021. This historically significant conference commemorated the 75th anniversary of late President Hồ Chí Minh presiding over the first National Cultural Conference on November 24, 1946. This conference summarised and distilled the cultural development process after nearly 40 years of national renewal, opening a new chapter in cultural revitalisation and development to meet the country’s comprehensive development needs in the new situation, leaving a significant mark from Nguyễn Phú Trọng.

In the special announcement regarding the organisation of the state funeral for General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng, our Party and State acknowledged: “He made numerous outstanding contributions to the glorious revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation.”

As a close colleague, I recognise his profound contributions to promoting the nation’s renewal process and development, marked by the significant milestones I have outlined. VNS