PM Dung’s New Year message

Over the last 30 years, Vietnam has recorded the tremendous achievements in reforming its institutions, promoting democracy, and implementing the market economy mechanism with major breakthroughs since the 6^th National Party Congress.

Proper renovations have helped Vietnam from a less developed country become a middle-income nation. The international community has acknowledged Vietnam’s achievements in poverty reduction. However, Vietnam’s competitiveness has seen little improvements and its economic restructuring has been slow going while there remain a number of social problems.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung Photo: VGP

Therefore, institutional reform and enhancing people’s right to mastery are crucial to regain the momentum for rapid and sustainable growth.

Dung said that democracy was President Ho Chi Minh’s ideology. Democracy and a law-governed socialist state go together in modern political institutions. The state must be governed by law and law must ensure justice.

Limitations in people’s right to freedom must be scrutinized with the aim of safeguarding national defense and security, social order and the nation’s fine moral and cultural values. The approval of the 2013 revised Constitution has made it easier for the implementation of President Ho Chi Minh’s ideology. The government leader said that to enhance people’s right to mastery, the State should guarantee their right to be involved in legislation, to elect their representatives, and to own property. Rights must go together with social responsibility and citizen duties, the most important of which is to abide by the law.

2014’s priority will be given to formulating and revising laws to implement the Constitution while promoting the building of a law-governed state, promoting people’s right to mastery, and fine-tuning the socialist-oriented market economy institution.

Endeavour will be made to improve law enforcement and build a strong and transparent state apparatus. Cabinet members will be required to raise their sense of responsibility in the formulation and issuance of legal documents.

It is imperative to fine tuning the socialist-oriented market economy institution with the intention of creating a level playing field and reinforcing administrative reform.

PM Dung said that this is a strategic breakthrough mentioned in the 11^th National Party Congress’ resolution.

Two primary tasks will be focussed on controlling market prices on goods and essential services and ensuring a healthy competition. There should be policies to support the poor, social beneficiaries, ethnic minorities, and people in remote and disadvantaged areas and to eliminate business monopoly and  poor mechanisms, particularly in accessing resources.

Attention will be paid to restructuring State-owned enterprises (SoEs) with a focus on equitizing foreign-invested sources and selling the stocks that the State does not need in line with market regulations. SoEs will focus only on crucial areas and national defence.

Regarding the agricultural restructuring toward higher value, sustainable growth and new rural development, PM Dung said that this is an important part of Vietnam’s economic restructuring plan, which requires scientific and technology application and restructured agricultural production.

Farmers will play a central role in agricultural restructuring and new rural development. It is imperative to attract investment in rural areas, develop agriculture, industry, and services, build essential infrastructure facilities, and reduce poverty while protecting the environment and preserving the cultural identity and traditions of rural Vietnam.

Prime Minister Dung said that since the 11^th National Party Congress, over the last 3 years, the party, army and people have had to face many challenges and difficulties.

Greater attention has been paid to medium and long-term tasks but no satisfactory results have obtained.

Effective solutions for these tasks will help Vietnam maintain the macro-economy and take full advantage available opportunities and potentials to achieve rapid and sustainable growth and push up deeper international integration

Reform is a great challenge, requiring strong political determination.

Dung said he hopes that with the spirit to cope with the socio-economic crisis in the early 80s by launching the reform policy, the Vietnamese Party and people will move forward with the Doi Moi (Renewal) process towards the goal of building a socialist State with rich people living in an equal, democratic and civilized nation.