Vietnam moved up one spot to rank 12th out of 26 countries and territories in the 2020 Asia Power Index conducted by the Lowy Institute, an independent think-tank in Australia.

Vietnam’s rank improved thanks to gains in diplomatic influence, in which it was placed 9th, up three places against last year.

The institute noted that Vietnam has effectively taken part in regional forums and trade initiatives, in promoting talks over the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) as Chair of ASEAN this year, and the implementation of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) with 10 other signatories.

The country also saw notable improvements in its score for economic capability and jumped three places in defence networks measures.

Vietnam’s rank in 2019 was also up one place from the previous year, attributed to achievements in economic capability and future resources.

The top five remains unchanged from last year, with the US first, followed by China, Japan, India, and Russia.

The annual Asia Power Index, launched in 2018, measures resources and influence to rank the relative power of states and territories in Asia-Pacific across thematic measures for military capability and defence networks, economic capability and relationships, diplomatic and cultural influence, as well as resilience and future resources./.

 

                                                                    At the workshop

A workshop aimed at improving the quality of care and support for disadvantaged children took place in HCM City on October 15.

It offered a forum for domestic and foreign experts, non-governmental and civil society organisations (NGOs/CSOs), and relevant agencies to discuss and share experience.

Entitled “Strengthening the Role of NGOs/CSOs in Promoting and Realising Children’s Rights”, it was co-organised by the Ho Chi Minh City Association for the Protection of Children’s Rights and UNICEF Vietnam.

Vice President of the association Pham Dinh Nghinh said the child protection system and services offering care have improved and diversified over the recent past.

He called upon NGOs and CSOs to strengthen their role in raising the efficiency of child protection efforts into the future.

The association intends to hold regular events with organisations on promoting children’s rights. It will devise specific programmes and plans based on recommendations on removing bottlenecks in child protection, he underlined.

For her part, UNICEF Deputy Representative in Vietnam Lesley Miller said it has conducted a range of activities in child protection with agencies in Vietnam and in HCM City in particular, most notably the Child Friendly Cities Initiative.

Delegates at the workshop put forth solutions to enhance the role of NGOs and CSOs in realising children’s rights, pointing out that children being equipped with skills and knowledge about their rights is the most effective method of child protection./.

The Party and State always consider poverty eradication a key and urgent task of sustainable development, said Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc at the annual charity programme “the entire nation joining hands for the poor” held in Hanoi on October 17.

He noted the heavy impact of the COVID-19 pandemic this year is a big challenge to the global fight against poverty.  

The Government leader stressed Vietnam has obtained significant achievements in sustainable poverty reduction and ensuring social welfare in the past decade, adding that the National Assembly has doubled the budget for the work during 2016 – 2020 compared to the previous five-year period.

In the past five year, in response to the call for support toward the poor from the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee, enterprises, organisations and individuals in Vietnam and abroad have donated nearly 20 trillion VND (861.28 million USD), built 170,000 charity houses and thousands of schools, medical facilities, and bridges, while assisting millions of needy people in terms of health, education, production development, he said.

PM Phuc affirmed the concerted efforts from the Party, State, and the community have resulted in breakthrough outcomes, with the nation’s average rate of poor households annually decreased by about 1.43 percent.

Talking about the storm ravaging the central region, Phuc said it will push a large number of families into financial and health difficulties that require a special support.

The mission of sustainably reducing poverty and ensuring social welfare is getting harder over time, particularly amid the influence of diseases and disasters, he underscored, adding that solidarity, proactive and creative works, the mobilisation of more resources, and the efficient use of these resources are necessary.

In his opening speech at the event, President of the VFF Central Committee Tran Thanh Man conveyed the message of Party General Committee and President Nguyen Phu Trong sent to the event.

Accordingly, the Party chief offered his deepest condolences to families of flood victims in the storm-hit central region and ordered competent agencies to address the disaster’s aftermath, helping local people soon stabilise their lives and recover their production.

Appreciating prompt and effective aid from philanthropists in and outside the country, Trong called on Vietnamese people at home and overseas to continue their support toward the needy.

In response to the Party and State leader’s call, Man said the VFF is expecting for more assistance to come in the future.

At the event, participating Party, State, and VFF leaders and other officials donated to support flood victims in the central region.

On the occasion, more than 220 organisations and individuals announced their commitments to the Fund for the Poor and the social welfare programmee by donating nearly 2.4 trillion VND./.

                                                                     Illustrative image

Vietnam's gross domestic product (GDP) is estimated to reach 340.6 billion USD this year, making it the fourth-largest economy in Southeast Asia.

This is revealed in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) World Economic Outlook released this week.

Accordingly, Vietnam is the only country in Southeast Asia which is forecasted to have positive growth this year, at 1.6 percent and will reach 6.7 percent by 2021.

IMF forecasts Vietnam's economy will rank fourth in Southeast Asia this year, surpassing Singapore and Malaysia.

Specifically, the country's GDP is estimated to reach 340.6 billion USD, exceeding Singapore with 337.5 billion USD and Malaysia with 336.3 billion USD.

Meanwhile, Thailand's GDP will reach 509.2 billion USD this year, the Philippines 367.4 billion USD, and Indonesia 1.088 trillion USD.

For GDP per capita, the IMF forecasts that Vietnam's GDP per capita ranks sixth in ASEAN, reaching 3,497 USD per person this year, followed by the Philippines with 3,372 USD, Laos 2,567 USD, Cambodia 1,572 USD and Myanmar 1,332 USD.

Overall, the average growth forecast for ASEAN-5 member countries including Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam will decrease by 3.4 percent, while that of Asian emerging and developing countries will decrease by 1.7 percent.

China continues to be the only major economy expected to grow, reaching 1.9 percent this year and up to 8.2 percent by 2021. For the US, the IMF forecasts that the country's GDP will decrease by 4.3 percent this year.

The economies of France, Italy, the UK and Spain are forecast to decrease by about 10 percent. For Europe, the figure is 8.3 percent.

IMF revised the global GDP forecast to fall by 4.4 percent this year, and will be up to 5.2 percent by 2021.

The baseline projection assumes that social distancing will continue next year but will subsequently fade over time as vaccine coverage expands and therapies improve. Local transmission is assumed to be brought to low levels everywhere by the end of 2022.

"We were projecting a somewhat less severe though still deep recession this year, relative to our June forecast," said Gita Gopinath, IMF's economic counsellor and director of research.

“Moreover, recovery is not assured while the pandemic continues to spread. With renewed upticks in COVID-19 infections in places that had reduced local transmission to low levels, reopenings have paused, and targeted shutdowns are being reinstated. Economies everywhere face difficult paths back to pre-pandemic activity levels,” she noted./.

 

 Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, head of the Vietnamese mission at the UN, on October 16 reaffirmed Vietnam’s commitment to working with other UN member states toward the successful operation of the Special Political and Decolonisation Committee (Fourth Committee) and advancing the decolonialisation agenda.

Addressing the general debate of the Fourth Committee of the 75th Session of the UN General Assembly, the ambassador said Vietnam attaches great importance to the universal goal of decolonisation and the exercise of the legitimate right to self-determination of peoples under colonial and alien dominance.

“Therefore, we support the work of the UN and its institutions and agencies aimed at realising the legitimate aspirations of these peoples pursuant to the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the provisions of the UN Charter and its relevant resolution, including Resolution 1514,” he said.

The UN can play an important role to ensure that economic activities and other activities carried out by the administering powers do not negatively affect the legitimate interests of the peoples of the non-self-governing territories, he said.

Instead, the administering powers should promote the economic, cultural, social development of the peoples of the non-self-governing territories and assist them in the exercise of their inalienable rights to self-determination in accordance with the Charter of the UN and its relevant resolutions, the ambassador continued.

He said UN peacekeeping operations have played an indispensable role in the maintenance of international peace and security.

Peacekeeping missions must, first and foremost, be carried out in accordance with international law and the Charter of the UN and the basic principles of political impartiality, non-intervention in the internal affairs of sovereign states, consent of the parties, and non-use of force except in self-defence and defence of the mandate.

Peacekeeping missions serve the host countries and the people. They are the owners of their future. Therefore the missions should be tailored to best meet the needs of the countries and people, especially in the increasingly complex situation.

He also highlighted cooperation between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the UN, as well as ASEAN’s role and efforts in contributing to regional and global and security.

During the 75th session of the UN General Assembly, the Fourth Committee’s general debate from October 9-November 4 will focus on peacekeeping, special political missions, decolonisation, international cooperation in the peaceful use of outer space, effects of atomic radiation, the operation of the Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and the report of Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting Human Rights of Palestinian People and Other Arabs of Occupied Territories.

Over 130 UN member countries are expected to join the general debate./.

 

 Religious organisations and followers have donated more than 3 billion VND (nearly 130,000 USD) to the fund For the Poor in response to the month For the Poor (October 17-November 18) launched by the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF).

The money was presented to President of the VFF Central Committee Tran Thanh Man on October 16 by Most Venerable Thich Bao Nghiem, Vice Chairman of the Executive Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, on behalf of donating religious organisations.

Most Venerable Thich Bao Nghiem said as a member organisation of the VFF, the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha always actively participate in charity work with the hope that every person in disadvantaged circumstances can have a better life.

He added that the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha’s Central Committee is preparing for a relief aid programme for the central region which has repeatedly hit by storms and floods recently.

The VFF leader hailed the donations of religious organisations and followers as a vivid example of the nation’s tradition in supporting the less unfortunate.

The For the Poor month will be officially launched at a programme on October 17 night, which will be broadcast live on national television and radio channels. The VFF will use the occasion to appeal for support for flood victims in the central and Central Highlands regions./.

 

The longstanding principles of multilateralism were being challenged by unilateralism, conflicts, climate change, and growing inequality, said Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Marie Eriksen Søreide.

She made the statement at a talk themed “Multilateralism amid rising geopolitical tension and pressure on the multilateral system”.

The event was held online and offline on Wednesday in Hà Nội and Oslo by the Diplomatic Academy of Việt Nam (DAV) and the Norwegian Embassy in Việt Nam.

These challenges were being exacerbated as the world was experiencing an unprecedented health and social crisis as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, she said.

She said only international co-operation and solidarity could aid recovery and development.

“COVID-19 has heightened our interdependence as a global community,” she said, adding that the need to strengthen multilateral cooperation was therefore more and more urgent.

The Foreign Minister said the world was facing many geopolitical tension, turmoil, and emergency situations. In this context, the United Nations, in particular the Charter of the United Nations, was an important foundation for joint efforts to overcome uncertainty caused by the situation, based on the principles of upholding international law, human rights and dignity.

Søreide thanked Việt Nam for organising an open debate on upholding the UN Charter as Presidency of the Security Council in January.

She also appreciated the country for choosing a “cohesive and responsive” theme as ASEAN Chair for 2020.

Việt Nam’s commitments to ASEAN were of significance to strengthening internal solidarity and the bloc’s role in the world.

She said that both Norway and Việt Nam strongly believed in multilateralism and rules-based international co-operation.

Last year, Norway unveiled a White Paper on Multilateralism, which set out multilateral foreign directions based on a practical and constructive approach. Its foreign policy prioritised promoting the reform of international institutions that were vital to Norway, particularly the United Nations and World Trade Organisation, she said.

Søreide said the country also focused on close co-operation with countries that supported rule-based order, including Việt Nam.

During its tenure as a non-permanent member of the UNSC for 2021-2022, Norway has said it will focus on peace-building diplomacy, strengthening women’s role in building sustainable peace, protecting people amid conflicts, and coping with security risks related to climate.

In order to effectively address challenges in the near future, the UN needed to develop partnerships with regional mechanisms such as ASEAN and the EU, she said.

Addressing the event, Phạm Quang Hiệu, assistant to the foreign minister, spoke of the challenges the world was currently facing.

“The greater challenges we face, the more we need multilateral tools to resolve global issues,” Hiệu said.

He affirmed that multilateral diplomacy was an important strategic part of Việt Nam’s foreign policy.

This year, as ASEAN Chair, Việt Nam has worked with other countries to promote community building and maintaining ASEAN’s neutrality in preserving regional peace, security and prosperity.

Hiệu said with a long-standing relationship as well as shared interests and concerns, the two countries’ commitment to supporting multilateralism would lay a solid foundation for them to boost collaboration not only via bilateral channels but also at international forums, especially the United Nations with Norway as a non-permanent member of the UNSC for the 2021-2022 tenure.

He said he hoped that Norway would continue bolstering co-operation with ASEAN and supporting its central role in Asia-Pacific and Indo-Pacific for the sake of peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

Participants at the event also discussed fields which held potential for co-operation between the two nations and highlighted their determination to reinforce multilateralism for the benefit of the two countries, regions and the world.

 90 years of the close-knit bond with the people: stages of history of the Party’s mass mobilisation work

In October 1999, commemorating the 50^th anniversary of the article entitled “Mass Mobilisation” by President Ho Chi Minh (October 15^th, 1949), at the request of the Central Mass Mobilisation Commission, the 8^th Politburo decided to select the fifteenth of October as the traditional Day of the Party’s mass mobilisation work and the whole country’s Mass Mobilisation Day to enhance the study and following of Uncle Ho’s teachings.

Under the light of Marxism-Leninism, during his journey, Nguyen Ai Quoc - Ho Chi Minh succeeded in finding the way for the Vietnamese revolution with the leadership of a true revolutionary party. The Party’s strength derives from the people’s great strength, from its close-knit bond with the people, and from the people’s faith in the Party. Under such viewpoint and ideology, Nguyen Ai Quoc started mobilising the patriotic masses with the establishment of the Vietnamese Revolutionary Youth League in Guangzhou, China (1925). He directly engaged in training faithful soldiers as the core force in disseminating Marxism-Leninism and sowing revolutionary faith and a sense of unity amongst social strata via the work titled “Revolutionary Path” (1927), thereby creating a historic turning point with the foundation of the Communist Party of Vietnam on February 3^rd, 1930. The Party’s first Political Platform identified the central contents of the Vietnamese revolution and developed strategies to attract and widely gather people from all walks of life as the revolutionary forces under the Party’s flag. In that period, considering mass mobilisation as an urgent political task in response to “white terror” and demagogy by the colonial regime, the Central Party Committee’s first Conference (14^th October - 31^st October, 1930 in Hong Kong) approved Resolutions on the mobilisation of workers, peasants, communist youth, women and troops as well as on relief and anti-imperialist alliance. Those Resolutions clearly stated that “within high-level Party Organisations (provincial and municipal level and above), there should be specialised committees and cadres in charge of mobilising social strata,” including Worker Mobilisation, Peasant Mobilisation, Youth Mobilisation, Women Mobilisation, Military Mobilisation, and Anti-Imperialist Front so as to gather, educate and encourage the masses to take part in revolutionary movements against oppression and exploitation for the sake of the people’s rights and democracy under the Party’s leadership.

First cadres in charge of mass mobilisation “proletarianised” themselves together with the people and conducted the work of propagation to establish mass organisations behind the Party and add an incentive to the Vietnamese revolution under the motto of “tapping our strength to free ourselves.” The 1930-1931 revolutionary movement with the Nghe - Tinh Soviet movement as its peak marked a milestone as a fledgling party expressed its role, prestige and remarkable capacity to lead, unite and mobilise the masses. With only several thousands of members, the Party placed its absolute faith in the people’s immense strength, maintained a close-knit bond with the people, understood the people’s aspirations, relied on the people, supported the people, rendered the people fully aware of the path towards independence, freedom and happiness, mobilised the people into fronts and politico-social organisations, and provided instructions for the people on our struggle from low to high levels to achieve the victory of the 1945 August Revolution that gave birth to Democratic Republic of Vietnam on September 2^nd, 1945 and opened a new era of independence, freedom and socialism construction in the national history.

In the resistance war against the French colonialists (1945-1954), fully aware that the enemy would possibly damage the close-knit bond between the Party and the people, the Party Central Committee Standing Board issued a Directive, dated September 1^st, 1947 on the mass mobilisation work, underlining that “the enemy is employing brutal, cunning stratagems to divide, deceive and panic the people; therefore, mass mobilisation is now an important task of the Viet Minh.” Meanwhile, President Ho Chi Minh required that “we must keep in close contact with the masses; do not stay away from the people or we will be isolated and fail for sure.” Notably, on October 15^th, 1949 he wrote the article titled “Mass Mobilisation” on the Truth Newspaper - a central agency of the Party. The article served as the Party’s complete platform on the mass mobilisation work and provided a solid foundation for well promoting this work. Doing so enabled the Party to perform its revolutionary task and “exercise its leadership over the people by educating, encouraging and explaining to and relying on the people to satisfy their legitimate aspirations.” With the expansion of the United Vietnam National Front and the widespread development of the people’s unions, we managed to build a powerful political force for the people’s war against the enemy. The Patriotic Emulation Movement launched by President Ho Chi Minh aroused the people’s revolutionary will and enthusiasm and encouraged them to combat the enemy and work for the Homeland. As a result, a new source of strength was created for the resistance war and the national construction, with the ultimate victory of Dien Bien Phu that “resounded across five continents and shook the globe.”

In the period of 1954-1975, when the country was temporarily divided into two parts, the North became the big rear that provided human and material resources for the resistance war against the U.S. in the South. On September 10^th, 1955, the Vietnam Fatherland Front was founded; it united all forces and encouraged all people and troops to heighten revolutionary heroism and fight for Southern brothers. In the South, on December 20^th, 1960 the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam was established. The mass mobilisation work was carried out widely and deeply across sectors and fields as well as amongst people both at home and abroad, which allowed us to combine the national strength with the strength of the times and create the synergy to “drive the U.S. troops away, topple the Saigon puppet regime,” liberate the South, and reunify the country on April 30^th, 1975.

 In the period of national renewal, according to the Political Report of the 6^th National Party Congress (1986), there were 4 major lessons learnt from our revolution. To be more specific, “in all activities, the Party must always consider the people as the roots, build and promote the labouring people’s right to collective mastery, and enhance the connection between the Party and the people.” That ideology had been reaffirmed by the Platform on national construction in the period of transition towards socialism (1991), which was then supplemented and developed in 2011. “The revolutionary cause belongs to the people, by the people and for the people. It is the people who make historic victories. All operations of the Party must be aimed at the people’s legitimate benefits and aspirations. The Party’s strength lies in its close-knit bond with the people. Bureaucracy, corruption and distancing from the people will lead to unpredictable consequences for the survival of the country, the socialist regime and the Party.” The National Party Congresses’ Political Reports always focused on assessing the building and promotion of the strength of national great unity block, socialist democracy, and the people’s right to mastery, while working towards tasks and measures for the mass mobilisation work in each period. To strengthen its leadership over the mass mobilisation work, the Party issued many documents, such as the Resolution 08B-NQ/HNTW, dated March 27^th, 1990 on “renewing the Party’s mass mobilisation work and improving the relationship between the Party and the people,” the Directive 30-CT/TW, dated February 18^th, 1998 on “developing and executing the Regulation on democracy at grass-roots level,” the Decision 290-QĐ/TW, dated February 25^th, 2010 on “the Statute for the political system’s mass mobilisation work,” and the Resolution 25-NQ/TW, dated June 3^rd, 2013 on “enhancing and renewing the Party’s leadership over the mass mobilisation work in the new situation,” together with 5 viewpoints and 7 tasks for mass mobilisation in the new period. There were documents for the people and mass organisations to voice their opinions and take part in supervision and social criticism to make the Party and the political system strong and pure, such as the Decision 124-QĐ/TW, dated February 2^nd, 2018 on the Vietnam Fatherland Front, politico-social organisations and people’s supervision of leaders, cadres and party members’ self-improvement in morality and lifestyle. Doing so helped raise the awareness and responsibility of party committees and organisations and political system towards the mass mobilisation work in national renewal, construction and protection.

Head of the Central Mass Mobilisation Commission Truong Thi Mai addressing the National Conference to review the mass mobilisation work and introduce the mass mobilisation task in 2020 (photo: VNA)

Over the years, under the Party’s leadership, with efforts made by the whole political system, the mass mobilisation work has continued to be enhanced and renewed, while obtaining many good results. Emphasis has been placed on carrying out state agencies’ mass mobilisation, realising 6 central contents of the year of governments’ mass mobilisation at all levels, “really believing the people, respecting the people, understanding the people, learning from the people, relying on the people, and being responsible for the people.” The Fatherland Fronts and politico-social organisations at all levels have renewed and expanded the method of exercising supervision and social criticism and providing opinions on building the Party and governments. Patriotic emulation movements have been combined with the study and following of Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, ethics and lifestyle and the emulation movement of “clever mass mobilisation” with tens of thousands of typical models and examples, thereby spreading and translating Uncle’s moral example into life. A contingent of cadres in charge of mass mobilisation has been consolidated while their capacity to give advice to the Party has been improved to renew the mass mobilisation work and contribute to creating a sense of consensus within the society, encouraging all people to take part in the Homeland construction and defence, promoting the national great unity block’s strength, and making the Party and political system pure and strong. Doing so has helped cement the people’s faith and confirm the mechanism of “the Party’s leadership, the State’s management and the people’s mastery” in reality. With those outstanding achievements, the Central Mass Mobilisation Commission was given the Gold Star Order (2002), the Ho Chi Minh Order (2015), the First-Class Labour Order (2010, 2015 and 2019) and many other noble rewards by the Party and the State.

Promoting the tradition and continuing to improve the mass mobilisation work in the new situation

Over the past 90 years of construction and development, the mass mobilisation work has always been an important part of the Party building, acted as a determinant to our revolution, and made contributions to ensuring the Party’s leadership and fostering the close-knit bond between the Party, the State and the people. “In all pieces of work of the Party and the State, it is vital to take the people as the roots, really believe the people, respect and promote the people’s right to mastery, and persistently realise the principle: the people know, the people discuss, the people do, the people inspect, the people supervise and the people enjoy. The people must be at the centre of the national renewal. All guidelines and policies must be aimed at the people’s legitimate aspirations, rights and benefits. The Party must ensure the people’s life and benefits, build a close-knit bond with the people, rely on the people to build itself, and use the people’s satisfaction and creditability as an important yardstick for assessing the quality of governments, cadres and party members. To cement the people’s faith in the Party, it is essential to resolutely purify the Party’s pool of cadres, settle the degradation in morality and lifestyle amongst a section of cadres and party members, build really pure, strong party organisations and make the Party the people’s true leader and loyal servant.”

In the upcoming time, there will be complex, rapid, unpredictable changes in the global and regional situation. Our country will still face a lot of difficulties in socio-economic development, defence, security and the people’s life. There are several weaknesses in building and rectifying the Party, building the political system and controlling the power.

The 13^th National Party Congress will continue setting targets of socio-economic development, defence, security, diplomacy and national development at a higher level. Motivations for the country’s development in the following period include patriotism, national self-reliance, the synergy of the political system and Vietnamese culture and people as well as the national strength combined with the strength of the times. To achieve success in the Homeland construction and defence, it is vital to enhance the Party’s leadership and make our Party, State and political system pure and strong. Therefore, the Party’s mass mobilisation work must continue to be renewed and improved, with a focus on the following tasks and measures.

First, a positive change in the awareness and action of party committees and political system towards the mass mobilisation work should be made. The people’s role in building a pure, strong Party and State should be promoted. It is necessary to renew the mass mobilisation work practically, creatively, consider the people’s satisfaction and creditability as an important yardstick for assessing the quality of governments, cadres and party members, cement the people’s faith in the Party and the State, and encourage the national great unity block’s strength.

Second, it is important to well perform the mass mobilisation work within state agencies. (1) Emphasis should be placed on promoting the people’s role in developing and implementing policies and laws, sustaining a balance of legitimate benefits between the State, businesses and the people. Due attention should be paid to perfecting and concretising the mechanism of “the Party’s leadership, the State’s management and the people’s mastery” and the motto: “the people know, the people discuss, the people do, and the people inspect.” The quality of constituency surgery, supervision, social criticism, and dialogue with the people should be raised while the handling of the people’s complaints and denunciations should be enhanced. (2) Consideration should be given to strengthening public service ethics, inspecting the exercise of public service, and promoting the role model-setting responsibility of cadres and party members, especially the key ones. Besides, it is important to resolutely fight against the signs of apathy, bureaucracy, corruption and irresponsibility for the people. However, we should raise the civic responsibility and strictly handle violations of law. (3) Due regard should be paid to well implementing the Regulation on Democracy at grass-roots level, opportunely fulfilling the people’s legitimate aspirations, and grasping the people’s situation. A focus should be placed on completely settling the urgent issues relating to the people’s life and collective complaints to avoid “hot spots” in terms of public order and security.

Third, due attention should be paid to stepping up patriotic emulation movements, well carrying out the emulation movement of “clever mass mobilisation,” actively commending and multiplying good models and typical examples of mass mobilisation. Moreover, emphasis should be placed on renewing the operation and organisation of the Fatherland Fronts, politico-social organisations and mass organisations in a more practical and effective fashion. The effectiveness of supervision and social criticism should be improved. Due regard should be paid to selecting, training and encouraging cadres in charge of the mass mobilisation work. Cadres with a lack of ethics or violations of discipline should not be tasked with the mass mobilisation work.

Fourth, the Party building and rectification as well as the fight against corruption should be stepped up. The role model-setting responsibility of heads of party committees, authorities, offices and organisations should be raised. Furthermore, importance should be attached to combating wrong viewpoints and arguments.

Fifth, it is necessary to effectively execute the Statute on the political system’s mass mobilisation work, actively inspect and supervise the implementation of the Party’s guidelines on the mass mobilisation work.

In the following stage of development, Vietnam sets the goal of becoming a developing, modern industrial country on the Party’s 100^th founding anniversary and it will become a developed, high-income nation on the 100^th founding anniversary of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Thus, the mass mobilisation work must keep promoting its tradition, act as an important bridge between the Party and the people, and make contributions to consolidating the people’s faith in the Party, building and firmly protecting the Homeland in the new period.