The Party Central Committee’s (PCC) Theory Council opened the first session of its 2006-2010 term in Hanoi on March 24 with the participation of Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh and National Assembly (NA) Chairman and Chairman of the PCC Theory Council Nguyen Phu Trong.

At the meeting, Deputy Head of the Standing Committee of the PCC Organisation Commission Nguyen Duc Hat announced the Political Bureau’s decision to establish the Central Theory Council and the PCC Secretariat’s decision on the councils’ composition.

In the opening speech, PCC Secretary and Head of the PCC’s Commission for Ideology and Culture To Huy Rua emphasised that the council should intensify theoretical research work to make positive contributions to helping the PCC, as well as its Political Bureau and the Secretariat raise their leadership capacity.

Party leader Nong Duc Manh praised the council’s activities in the 2001-2005 term while asking scientists and theorists to conduct creative research projects so as to make theoretical breakthroughs to bring Vietnam out of its underdeveloped country status, in line with the Party and State and people’s expectations.

“As a ruling Communist Party which leads the socialist State, the Party must master political and revolutionary theory, unceasingly renew its way of thinking, leadership method and organisation structure and improve the quality of Party members to boost social development,” Mr Manh stressed.

The Party leader set major orientations for theoretical research and analysed practicalities to make clear the model and the path to socialism, which is the creative application and strong development of Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh’s ideology on socialism in the present era and context of globalisation and international integration.