The press briefing on Thursday. — VNA/VNS Photo

HAVANA — Cuban journalists have praised Việt Nam’s development achievements under the leadership of the Communist Party of Việt Nam (CPV) while showing keen interest in the upcoming 14th National Congress of the CPV.

The Vietnamese Embassy in Cuba held a press briefing on January 8 to inform local media outlets about the congress, scheduled to take place from January 19 to 25.

The briefing was attended by reporters and editors from leading press and media organisations in Cuba, including the Latin America News Agency Prensa Latina, the Cuban News Agency (ACN), Granma newspaper – the official organ of the Communist Party of Cuba, Juventud Rebelde, Cubavisión National Television, and Canal Caribe.

Participating Cuban journalists affirmed their intention to provide extensive coverage of the congress, thereby helping to enhance mutual understanding, political trust, and the special solidarity and traditional friendship between the two countries.

Addressing the event, Vietnamese Ambassador Lê Quang Long stressed that the 14th National Party Congress is an especially important political event, marking a pivotal milestone in Việt Nam’s development in the new period.

He noted that the congress embodies the Party’s strategic vision and the Vietnamese people’s aspiration for development under the CPV’s leadership.

Long said the congress takes place as Việt Nam reviews 40 years of Đổi Mới (Renewal) process and looks ahead to major historical milestones, namely the 100th founding anniversary of the CPV in 2030 and the centenary of the country in 2045. Therefore, it is tasked with defining development orientations and goals toward 2030, with a vision to 2045.

In particular, Việt Nam looks to become a developing country with modern industry and upper-middle income by 2030, and a developed and high-income nation by 2045, steadfastly progressing on the path towards socialism.

The congress will also identify key tasks and strategic breakthroughs, including institutional perfection, science and technology development, innovation and digital transformation, high-quality human resources development, and the building of a comprehensive and modern infrastructure system.

Reviewing national achievements during the 2021–2025 period, he noted that despite unpredictable global and regional developments, Việt Nam has maintained political and social stability, ensured national defence and security, preserved macroeconomic stability, and recorded significant and historic achievements after five years of implementing the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress.

Over the past five years, its economy grew at an average rate of about 6.3 per cent per year, among the highest globally. In 2025, the country’s economic scale exceeded US$510 billion, while per capita income reached approximately $5,000, placing it in the upper-middle-income group.

Alongside economic growth, culture, society and human development have received significant attention. Social security has been guaranteed, people's material and spiritual lives continued to improve, the poverty rate declined to around 1.3 per cent as of 2025, and the Human Development Index reached 0.766 – a high result, the ambassador noted, highlighting attainments in health care, education, as well as independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity safeguarding. — VNA/VNS