Confidence and expectations for 14th National Party Congress

In the upbeat atmosphere of the first days of the new year, along with the vibrant emulation movements to celebrate the country’s major anniversaries, officials, Party members, and people from all walks of life in Dong Nai are turning toward the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam with joy, anticipation, and deep expectations. The 14th National Party Congress is not only awaited as a major political event, but also as a spiritual anchor and a convergence of the wisdom, resolve, and aspirations of the entire Party and the whole nation.

Propaganda banner welcoming the 14th National Party Congress in the capital Hanoi. Photo: Courtesy of VNA

Confidence built on the country’s achievements

Looking back at the past journey, especially the term of the 13th National Party Congress, in the context of rapidly evolving, complex, unstable, and unpredictable global and regional developments, many unprecedented challenges emerged, such as the Covid-19 pandemic; increasingly complex non-traditional security issues; and the fast, profound, and comprehensive advance of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, particularly artificial intelligence. The Russia–Ukraine conflict, tensions in the Middle East, a slowing and volatile global economy, and intensified strategic competition among major powers also exerted strong impacts. As a country deeply integrated into the global economy, Vietnam was heavily affected by adverse external factors, together with prolonged natural disasters and epidemics. In that context, the Party demonstrated its mettle, intellect, and steadfastness, leading the country through difficulties and achieving many notable accomplishments.

The most prominent achievement is that Vietnam has remained stable and continued to develop. Average economic growth in the 2021–2025 period reached 6.3 percent per year, among the highest in the region and the world. GDP in 2025 reached USD 514 billion, 1.47 times higher than in 2020, ranking 32nd globally and fourth in ASEAN; per capita GDP reached USD 5,026, placing Vietnam in the upper-middle-income group, as recognized by many reputable international organizations.

To date, temporary and dilapidated housing has been eliminated nationwide; the multidimensional poverty rate fell from 4.4 percent in 2021 to 1.3 percent in 2025; the Human Development Index (HDI) improved markedly, while the happiness index rose by 33 places compared to the beginning of the term, ranking 46th out of 143 countries. External relations also recorded many achievements: Vietnam has established diplomatic relations with 194 countries, including 13 comprehensive strategic partners, 11 strategic partners, and 14 comprehensive partners. In the final year of the term, Vietnam successfully carried out a major reform in streamlining the political system’s organizational apparatus toward being lean, strong, efficient, and effective, achieving breakthrough results. From July 1, 2025, the country reduced the number of provinces and cities from 63 to 34, and the number of communes and wards from more than 10,000 to just over 3,300. The two-tier local government model, though still facing many difficulties, has recorded initial successes. In particular, Party building and rectification have continued to be strengthened with determination and persistence, with “no forbidden zones” and “no exceptions,” helping reinforce public confidence in the Party’s leadership.

These achievements are vivid proof of the Party’s leadership capacity, intellect, and prestige, and the result of solidarity and unity among the entire Party, people, and armed forces. From this dynamic reality, political confidence has spread, creating a shared social mindset of turning toward the 14th Congress with firm belief that the Party will continue to make sound decisions in line with development laws and the requirements of the times.

Anticipation of a Congress with strategic vision

The 14th National Party Congress is awaited not only for its role in reviewing a development phase, but also for expectations that it will set new strategic orientations, opening broader development space for the country.

With strong confidence, many officials, Party members, and people in Dong Nai express hopes that the upcoming 14th Congress will more clearly define the country’s development path in the coming period, especially the establishment of a new growth model based on science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, and green development. This is not only an inevitable trend but also an urgent requirement to improve productivity, quality, efficiency, and competitiveness of the economy. These are also issues raised by realities in Dong Nai, requiring unified guidance and orientation from the central level.

As one of the key development localities of the Southeast region and the country, Dong Nai in recent years has made strong efforts to overcome difficulties and achieve breakthroughs in many fields. The economy has maintained fairly high growth, with economic restructuring in the right direction; infrastructure has been gradually invested in a synchronized and modern manner, especially strategic transport projects of national significance; cultural, social, and social security fields have been emphasized; people’s material and spiritual living standards have steadily improved; and Party building and the political system have been strengthened, increasingly moving toward depth and substance.

From that reality, people place high expectations on the 14th National Party Congress to continue providing appropriate strategic orientations, enabling localities, including Dong Nai, to fully leverage their potential and advantages and contribute more to the overall development of the region and the country. These expectations are not only about resources, mechanisms, and policies, but more fundamentally about unified development thinking and new approaches to national and local governance. Therefore, for this Congress, there is hope that the Party will further renew development thinking, shifting from “extensive growth” to “intensive development,” taking quality, efficiency, and sustainability as central criteria. This is especially meaningful for fast-growing localities like Dong Nai, where the need to balance economic development with environmental protection, and growth with social security, is becoming increasingly urgent.

Party building- foundation of all successes

The confidence and expectations of many officials, Party members, and people for the 14th Congress are also deeply placed in the Party building. Practice shows that the Party’s leadership directly determines national development: where Party organizations are clean and strong, and cadres and Party members are exemplary and responsible, development movements are vigorous and people show trust and consensus. Therefore, the 14th Congress is expected to continue affirming the determination to build a comprehensively clean and strong Party and political system.

The 14th National Party Congress takes place at a time of special significance, when the country faces new, higher, and more comprehensive development requirements. With steadfast confidence in the Party’s leadership, strong aspirations for development, and unwavering will to rise, there is firm belief that the 14th Party Congress will be a great success and will continue to set sound strategic orientations, leading the country steadily into a new era of development—an era of prosperity and happiness.

In particular, personnel work is expected to see more fundamental and substantive reforms, ensuring the selection and building of cadres at all levels, especially at the strategic level, who truly possess strong political mettle, integrity, practical capacity, the courage to think, speak, act, and take responsibility, the willingness to innovate, break through, and create, the courage to face difficulties and challenges, and the determination to act for the common good with a strong aspiration to contribute. This is also the legitimate wish of many officials, Party members, and people in Dong Nai - where the demand for dynamic, responsible cadres with strong dedication is becoming increasingly pressing.

PhD Vu Thi Nghia – Translated by M.Nguyet, Thu Ha