The ninth plenum of the Communist Party of Việt Nam's Central Committee began Thursday in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo Trí Dũng

HÀ NỘI — General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyễn Phú Trọng on Thursday presided over the ninth plenum of the 13th-tenure Party Central Committee that opened in Hà Nội and is scheduled to last until Saturday.

At this convention, the Central Committee will discuss the outline of documents to be presented at the 14th National Party Congress, preparations for the congresses of party committees at all levels at the 14th Congress and other important issues.

In his opening speech, the party leader said that the 14th National Party Congress will take place in early 2026, marking a full five-year term during which the entire Party, people and army strive to implement the Resolutions of the 13th national Party Congress and the 10-year Socio-Economic Development Strategy 2021-30.

This congress coincides with the commemoration of 40 years of (đổi mới) renovation (1986), 50 years of the complete liberation of the South and reunification of the country (1975) and will be looking forward to the 100th anniversary of the Party's founding (1930).

This will be a significant political event and an important milestone on the country's path to prosperity and sustainability, Trọng noted.

He said it would inspire and motivate the entire Party, people , and army to "confidently push ahead under the Party's glorious flag, remain steadfast in the goals of national independence and socialism, promote comprehensive and sustainable national development, resolutely protect the fatherland and build an increasingly rich, democratic, prosperous, civilised and happy Việt Nam." 

General Secretary Trọng remarked that in recent times, the Economic-Social Subcommittee and the Party Charter Subcommittee have been efficient in preparing drafts of the Political Report, Socio-Economic Report, Party Building Report and Party Charter Implementation Report, seeking opinions from the Politburo for further refinement to present to the Party Central Committee at this plenum.

He requested the Party Central Committee thoroughly study the documents and discuss and provide feedback on specific proposals outlined in the submissions and draft outlines, particularly on major issues highlighted in the detailed draft Political Report and the Subcommittee's submissions.

During discussions, he stressed the need to clarify the nature, objectives, requirements , and scope of each report and their interrelationships.

The Political Report, as Congress's central document, must encapsulate the Party's viewpoints, policies, and directives 

Regarding the Socio-Economic Report, Party Building Report and the Party Charter Implementation Report, these should align consistently with the major orientations in the Political Report but without overlaps or redundancy. Particularly, the Party Building Report and Party Charter Implementation Report should elucidate the theoretical and practical basis for any amendments to the Party Charter (if any) and draft a new Party Charter for consideration at the 14th Congress.

The document presented at this plenum must be instructional and open-ended, with multiple options for the Party Central Committee to consider and select, followed by further research and preparation through discussions at various party committee congresses, leading up to a decision by the Party Central Committee to present to the National Party Congress, Trọng said.

Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng (centre) delivers the opening speech at the 9th plenum of the Party Central Committee. — VNA/VNS Photo Trí Dũng

Regarding the guidance for preparing the congresses of party committees at all levels leading up to the 14th National Party Congress, the Party leader stressed the need for unified leadership in the preparation and conduct of these congresses.

The Politburo should issue a directive on this matter to ensure the success of the congresses at all levels, contributing to the success of the 14th National Party Congress.

Recently, the Politburo has ordered an assessment of the implementation of Directive No.35-CT/TW, dated May 30, 2019, of the 13th Politburo, reaffirming the results and lessons learned to be inherited and promoted and identifying limitations and shortcomings to be addressed and promptly adjusted.

Based on this, a new draft directive has been developed and presented to the Central Committee for feedback before being made final and then issued.

General Secretary Trọng suggested that the Central Committee focus on discussing the submission and draft directive, clarifying the requirements of the congresses at all levels, as well as personnel preparation and election for party committees, especially the structure, number and composition of provincial and city party committees; the proportion of young, female, and ethnic minority members; the standards and ages for re-election and first-time participation in party committees considering the increased retirement ages (60 for women and 62 for men); and the election of party committees and delegates to higher-level party congresses.

The Party leader urged the Party Central Committee to use all their intellect to study and discuss and provide feedback to complete the reports, projects and review and come to a decision at the end of the session. — VNS