German historian: Vietnamese Party chief’s article highlights experience in creative application of Marxism-Leninism

German historian and veteran journalist Gerhard Feldbauer has hailed the significance of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s article “Several theoretical and practical issues on socialism and the pathway towards socialism in Vietnam”.

Feldbauer said the article gave a comprehensive, insightful and thorough analysis of the path chosen by Vietnam since the victory of the August Revolution 1945. He pointed out that throughout its leadership process, the Communist Party of Vietnam creatively applied Marxism-Leninism in the country’s specific conditions to deal with various complex and difficult issues, providing valuable experience to not only Vietnam but also many countries in the world.

Gerhard Feldbauer stressed that the CPV and its members have stayed consistent to the road of building socialism. He noted that the CPV now has more than 5.1 million members, 60 percent of whom are young people, which refuted allegations that young Vietnamese are no longer interested in politics or socialism.

According to him, Vietnam is on the way toward a modern and socialist-oriented industrialised economy. From its starting point as a poor nation due to war aftermaths, Vietnam has become one of the world’s most vibrant and fastest-growing economies in Southeast Asia with an annual growth of 6-8 percent before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since it began the renewal process, Vietnam has signed a number of bilateral deals and joined international organisations such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and most recently the European Union – Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).

On the back of the EVFTA, Vietnam became the EU’s second biggest trade partner in ASEAN. In 2018, Vietnam exported goods and services worth over 35 billion EUR to the EU, mostly apparel, mobile phones and accessories and spent over 10 billion EUR on goods from the bloc.

About challenges faced by the country on the path toward socialism, Feldbauer said the key point is to affirm the leadership of the CPV and defeat every attempt to lower or eliminate the role of the Party. He also suggested Vietnam crack down on corruption and stay close with the people in all aspects.

He expressed his belief that under the CPV’s leadership, Vietnam will always overcome any difficult periods in history.

Feldbauer also underlined the great role of President Ho Chi Minh in every victory of Vietnam’s revolution, and lauded the tireless and unyielding fighting spirit of the Vietnamese people, considering it a prerequisite for successes of the Vietnam’s revolution.

Feldbauer, 88, used to work as a reporter of the German Democratic Republic’s ADN news agency in Hanoi. He and his wife – photo correspondent Irene, worked in Hanoi from 1967 to 1970. With a doctoral degree on Vietnam history, he wrote 15 books, four of them about Vietnam./.