Development outcomes as a force for safeguarding Party’s ideological foundation

In a new era marked by increasingly sophisticated attempts to distort the Party’s ideological foundation, tangible improvements in people’s lives have become the most compelling rebuttal. Dong Nai stands as a vivid example.

Dong Nai City has long been recognized as one of Vietnam’s industrial capitals. In the photo: a corner of Bien Hoa 2 Industrial Park. Photo: Cong Nghia

From a land once burdened by hardship, Dong Nai has risen strongly, affirming its position through economic growth, improved living standards, and steadily strengthened public trust. In that process, a simple yet profound truth becomes evident: when practical realities are strong enough, the ideological foundation naturally becomes more solid and enduring.

Development in practice – a living validation of safeguarding Party’s ideological foundation.

Practice is not only the basis for the formation of theory but also the benchmark for testing its validity. Therefore, safeguarding the Party’s ideological foundation cannot stop at discourse or theoretical rebuttal alone; it must be demonstrated through concrete, visible and verifiable development outcomes in social life. When theory is translated into tangible change, it becomes not only correct but also persuasive.

From this perspective, Dong Nai represents not only a development model but also a vivid validation of the renewal path. Its transformation from a locality deeply scarred by war into a dynamic growth pole of the region and the country, as well as a major industrial center with wide-ranging influence, is no coincidence. Rather, it is the result of steadfast commitment to strategic goals combined with the continuous creative application and development of theory in practice.

Dong Nai is more than a dynamic growth engine. It also offers a meaningful lesson: the most effective way to safeguard the Party’s ideological foundation lies not in how much is said correctly, but in how much is actually accomplished. When policies are embodied in daily life and validated through real-world outcomes, the ideological foundation is protected in its strongest form - through the power of trust.

Dong Nai has emerged as a strategic destination for investment. In 2025, the locality attracted more than US$3.3 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI). In the first quarter of 2026 alone, it secured approximately US$757 million, alongside more than VND15.5 trillion in domestic capital and nearly 1,900 newly established enterprises. Gross regional domestic product (GRDP) in 2025 totaled around VND678 trillion, placing Dong Nai among the country’s leading localities. GRDP per capita exceeded VND150 million, while economic growth reached 9.63%, surpassing the target. Notably, Dong Nai’s GRDP expanded by 9.76% in the first quarter of 2026 - the highest rate in Southern Vietnam - underscoring the locality’s strong and stable growth momentum.

Meanwhile, financial capacity has continued to be strengthened. In 2025, state budget revenue exceeded VND100 trillion, placing Dong Nai among the country’s largest contributors. In the first quarter of 2026 alone, budget revenue reached approximately VND31 trillion. With an economic scale approaching VND700 trillion and contributing around 5% of national GDP, Dong Nai has affirmed its standing as one of Vietnam’s key economic centers.

These figures reflect not only development achievements but also the effectiveness of the development path pursued by the Party. When development outcomes reach a level of undeniable persuasiveness, they become the deepest and most sustainable form of safeguarding the Party’s ideological foundation - not through words, but through concrete results.

Modern industrial parks, strategic infrastructure works and visible improvements in living standards are not merely indicators of economic growth; they are concrete expressions of development outcomes whose persuasive power often surpasses theoretical argument. Amid growing attempts by hostile forces to distort or dismiss the achievements of the renewal process, every development gain becomes a powerful, yet unspoken, rebuttal. When reality speaks strongly enough, misleading narratives reveal their own weakness.

Development achievements as the foundation of social trust

In an increasingly complex information environment, distorted narratives rarely confront the truth directly. Instead, they often exploit bottlenecks and localized shortcomings to sow doubt. This reality creates a new requirement for safeguarding the Party’s ideological foundation: protection cannot rely solely on theoretical counterarguments but must rest on the weight of practice - a force capable of proving and defending itself.

Dong Nai’s experience points to an effective approach: responding to falsehoods not through pure debate, but through concrete outcomes and visible changes that people can see, measure and benefit from. With a population approaching five million, every improvement in employment, income and public services generates broad social impact, gradually accumulating into “social evidence” of the effectiveness of the Party’s policies. Here, development creates not only material wealth but also the value of trust.

Political trust is not built through imposed assertions but through lived experience. When people clearly perceive broader development opportunities, greater stability and a more credible future, trust takes root naturally and endures without the need for appeals.

Development should therefore be viewed as a distinctive form of soft power - quiet yet far-reaching, indirect yet capable of countering falsehoods. Every development achievement becomes evidence, while every improvement in living standards sends a message that shapes public confidence through everyday experience.

Building a strong Party as the source of practical strength

Development outcomes are not accidental; they are the direct products of the Party’s leadership capacity. Therefore, to say that practice is a force safeguarding the Party’s ideological foundation is, at its core, to affirm that such strength can only endure when the Party itself is genuinely strong.

Recent efforts in Party building and rectification in Dong Nai - from strengthening discipline and leadership capacity to cultivating officials who are both politically steadfast and professionally competent, while renewing leadership methods in a more people-centered and results-oriented direction - have gone beyond internal organizational significance to directly underpin development.

The Party’s credibility stems not from slogans but from the way it organizes and exercises power. When Party organizations remain clean and strong, when the administrative apparatus functions effectively, and when officials act in the people’s interest, every sound decision and effective action becomes a “living testament” reinforcing public trust. In this sense, Party building itself is a concrete way of safeguarding the Party.

In the new era, protecting the Party’s ideological foundation means not only rebutting falsehoods but also creating and spreading what is right. An ideological foundation can only be truly resilient when it possesses the capacity to unite and inspire society. At that deeper level, development aspirations become a decisive source of spiritual strength.

Development aspirations are not slogans; they are a state of mind shaped by trust, opportunity and the ability to turn vision into reality. When the community collectively pursues development goals and shares confidence in the future, such aspirations become both the “glue” that binds society together and a “soft shield” against negative influences.

Dong Nai now stands at a pivotal moment, with ample room for development driven by strategic infrastructure and new economic space. Yet opportunities will only translate into tangible outcomes when they are transformed into a shared aspiration, a common development vision, and coordinated action across society.

By Dr. V.T.Nghia – Translated by M.Nguyet, Thu Ha