Immediately after the press briefing, a number of reactionary forces in the US called on Vietnam to respect human rights and establish a multi-party political system.

In recent times, especially after the successful conclusion of the 10^th National Party Congress and the finalisation of Vietnam-US bilateral negotiations on Vietnam’s entry to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), these hostile forces in the US have collaborated with a number of opportunists and wayward elements in Vietnam to launch sabotage activities against the Party and State. They have made many erroneous demands in an attempt to abolish the Party’s leadership role, the socialist regime and the achievements of more than half a century of struggling for national independence and unification. The scheme was clearly demonstrated in their statements at the press briefing that these activities aim to pave the way for setting up a pluralist and multi-party regime in Vietnam. This is also a scheme long nurtured by a number of conservatives in the US, who still bear old grudges against Vietnam and want to sabotage the country. So, it is not strange that these hostile forces have quickly jumped on the bandwagon, calling for establishment of a multi-party political system and respect for human rights.

In their eyes, it seems, a pluralist and multi-party regime is like a magic wand that can help to fully exercise the rights of freedom, democracy and national development. As a point of fact, the Democratic Party or the Republican Party in the US- the Labour Party or the Conservative Party in the UK- is only a tool in the hands of giant economic groups. With great economic potential, a small number of bigwigs in these societies are manipulating the operations of the entire political system. Therefore, a Vietnamese American intellectual, professor Tran Chung Ngoc said that even the bipartisan model in the US only aims to serve a plutocratic party.

Regarding freedom and democracy in the US, as former President Bill Clinton put it, law-abiding Americans are afraid of walking the streets due to violence and because efforts to create a healthy democratic atmosphere, have been restrained for many years by the manipulation of major political and economic groups.

Obviously, that pluralist and multi-party model is not the aspiration of 80 million Vietnamese people. In Vietnam, the single Communist Party and State, which always consider the interests of the nation their motto of action, have tried to bring everyone an ever better life.

However, in the process of national construction and development, the Party and State need to carry on their uncompromising struggle against negative social phenomena such as corruption cases or undemocratic behaviors in certain areas. But it is impossible to consider this the nature of the State, let alone demand establishment of a pluralist and multi-party regime. Even in the US and some other western countries, social evils are far more serious. Speaking about democracy, former US President Bill Clinton admitted that it never comes to us easily and rapidly without a price worth paying for. US history shows that democracy must be built gradually, not instantly. Regrettably, there remain some forces who lack goodwill towards Vietnam and are still raising a hue and cry about Vietnam’s serious violations of democracy and human rights. In the meantime, the US media claim that the image of US human rights is tarnishing in the international community due to the arbitrary killing of Iraqi and Afghan civilians by US troops. There is no denying that the Communist Party and State of Vietnam have exerted every effort to ensure the exercise of more and more fundamental human rights. This has been proven by undeniable achievements gained during the past 20 years of the renewal process, which have brought a facelift to the country and improvement to people’s living standards.

Judging from what he saw in Vietnam, US Ambassador to Vietnam Michael Marine said the country is changing dramatically. Everyone can seize any opportunity to display their talent. The future of Vietnam looks very bright.