Present at the event were To Huy Rua, a Politburo member and Head of the Commission for Propaganda and Education of the Party Central Committee, who is laso Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council, State Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan, and a large number of Council members.

Over the past year, the Central Theoretical Council has successfully completed all its assigned political and have contributed to drawing up various draft documents to be submitted to the forthcoming 11^th National Party Congress. The Council mentioned key current theoretical issues, global concerns and the Party and State’s external policy.

Participants in the seminar stressed on the need to diversify the country’s economic sectors and forms of ownership to further develop a socialism-oriented market economy. They proposed a number of measures to develop a fusion of culture, politics and economics that can ensure social progress and environmental protection.

However, the delegates also pointed out some of the Council’s shortcomings over the past year, such as the quality of consultancies, the methods of operation and the slowness in carrying out several projects.

This year, the Council will focus on evaluating and reviewing the political studies project over the 2006-2010 period. It will also come up with ideas and provide a consultancy to the Party Political Bureau and the Secretariat of the Party Central Committee to finalise draft documents for the 11^th National Party Congress.