Relying on the people to build the Party

Taking the people as the foundation and relying on them to build the Party has been a consistent guiding principle of the Vietnamese revolution. From shaping policy directions and formulating strategies to reforming national governance, the Party and the State have always regarded the people as the central force and the decisive source of strength. Promoting democracy, enhancing social supervision and social criticism forms the basis for consolidating public trust in the Party’s leadership in the new era.

The Party’s 10th National Congress, reviewing 20 years of renewal, affirmed: “The Party must maintain close ties with the people, respect and promote the people’s right to mastery, and rely on the people to build the Party.”

In a report  submitted to the seminar “The Party’s propaganda and mass mobilisation work in the new era”, Associate Pro. Dr. Le Van Cuong at the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, stated that the Party’s strength originates from the strength of the people.

Once detached from the people, the Party would lose its very reason for existence. Therefore, effective mass mobilisation, strengthening the close bond between the Party and the people, promoting the people’s right to mastery, and improving living standards are major responsibilities the Party must shoulder. These principles have become enduring lessons of the Vietnamese revolution and guiding principles for Party committees and organisations at all levels.

Strengthening relations between the Party, the State and the people has long been a priority of the Party’s highest leadership. From the earliest stages of policy formulation, the Party Central Committee has adopted various measures to draw broadly on the collective wisdom of the people.

More recently, during the revision of the Constitution and the drafting of key political reports, public consultations were conducted openly, democratically and in a receptive manner.

These efforts reflect the Party and State’s respect for the people and trust in the people. The Law on Grassroots Democracy has helped create conditions for democracy and self-governance at the grassroots level, contributing to curbing bureaucratic behaviour and indifference among some officials and Party members.

According to Le Van Cuong, when formulating new guidelines, orientations and policies, the Party and the State consistently take the interests of the people into account. Because these policies serve the people, they have earned broad public support. Party policies on poverty reduction, socio-economic development in remote and disadvantaged areas and former revolutionary bases, as well as assistance for vulnerable groups during natural disasters and epidemics, have become major driving forces in strengthening the close bond between the Party, the State and the people.

This relationship has been further reinforced by recent positive socio-economic developments. The campaign against corruption, wastefulness and negative practices launched by the Party has won broad public support,  showing the shared determination of the Party, the State and the people to build a clean and strong Party capable of leading the nation into a new era.

Respecting the people, staying close to the people, and being accountable to the people

In his contribution to the seminar, Nguyen The Trung, former Standing Deputy Head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Mass Mobilisation (now the Commission for Information, Education and Mass Mobilisation), noted that in recent years the Party Central Committee and the Politburo have issued several important resolutions aimed at strengthening relations between the Party and the people. These include Resolution No. 19 dated June 16, 2022; Resolution No. 20  dated June 16, 2022; and Resolution No. 68 dated May 4, 2025. Together, these resolutions have contributed to political stability, social order and safety, economic development and improved living standards.

Mass action movements led by the Vietnam Fatherland Front under the Party’s leadership, he said, represent tangible expressions of patriotism and public trust in the Party. The close relationship between the Party, the State and the people is also reflected in the Front’s supervision and social criticism of Party and State activities, as well as supervision of officials, Party members and civil servants across the political system.

In the current context, he added, strictly handling violations in a fair and lawful manner against organisations or individuals who act against Party guidelines, exploit democracy to incite division or undermine national unity is both necessary and appropriate. Enforcing discipline in this way strengthens democracy, upholds the rule of law, enhances public trust and consolidates the Party-people relationship in line with the principle of “respecting the people, staying close to the people, and being accountable to the people.”

People take part in supervision, social criticism and contributions to policy decisions on development

Nguyen Ba Chien, Associate Professor, Doctor and Director of the National Academy of Public Administration and Governance, said that the Party’s 13th National Congress in 2021 set out the objective of renewing national governance towards a modern and effective model. In such a system, the people are placed at the centre, and public well-being is the ultimate goal of all policies and laws.

Policy and lawmaking have increasingly shifted from an emphasis on defining obligations to prioritising the protection and guarantee of legitimate rights. The “ask–grant” way of thinking, which easily leads to harassment and corruption, is being replaced by a “request–response” way of thinking, oriented towards providing public services that meet the needs of citizens and businesses. This change promotes cooperation and shared responsibility between the State and actors across society.

According to Nguyen Ba Chien, every official, civil servant and public institution exercising state authority must clearly understand that implementing policies and laws is not only a matter of official duty, but also a responsibility to serve the people and society. Institutional arrangements should follow the principle that public officials may do only what the law permits, while citizens may do anything that is not prohibited by law. This marks a shift away from the mindset of “banning what cannot be managed”, creating conditions for development.

In the new era, he emphasised, the role of the people must extend beyond compliance with the law to active participation in supervision, social criticism and contributions to policy decisions on development.

Achieving this requires legal mechanisms that ensure transparency, government accountability and the people’s right to supervision.

When public opinions are listened to and responded to in a serious manner, two-way dialogue between the State and society will take shape, strengthening trust, consensus and national solidarity. Active public participation, he concluded, helps protect the public interest, prevent corruption and abuse of power, and maintain balance and harmony in pursuing the country’s long-term development goals.

14th National Party Congress – milestone shaping brighter future for Vietnam

The 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) represents a historic milestone that plays a pivotal role in shaping both the current reality and long-term development aspirations of Vietnam.