Party General Secretary and President Nguyễn Phú Trọng (second from left) chairs a meeting of the Secretariat of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee in Hà Nội on Friday. — VNA/VNS Photo Trí Dũng

HÀ NỘI — The Secretariat of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee met in Hà Nội on Friday chaired by Party General Secretary and President Nguyễn Phú Trọng to review the performance of its directive on the organisation of the Tết (Lunar New Year) festival.

The Secretariat lauded sectors and agencies for their observance of the Secretariat’s Directive 40 and the Prime Minister’s Directive 33 to improve the people’s lives during the festival.
Due attention was paid to social policy beneficiaries, national contributors, the elderly, the poor and labourers in localities, it said.  
Through organisations and agencies, the president presented Tết gifts to more than 1.7 million people across the country. Meanwhile, cities and provinces mobilised more than VNĐ1.6 billion (US$69,000) to support some 2.3 million social policy beneficiaries and poor households during the festival.
The secretariat also commended efforts in ensuring traffic safety, especially fines imposed for violations of traffic rules, and maintaining political security, border, sea and island sovereignty, social order and safety and firefighting,
Regarding future tasks, the secretariat asked all-level Party committees to focus on fighting the acute respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus (nCoV), considering this an urgent task for both the short and long terms.
Speaking at the meeting, Party General Secretary and President Trọng said right after the Tết holiday, sectors and agencies need to resume production and business, and complete their political tasks.
He emphasised the need to prepare and organise all-level Party congresses, towards the 13th National Party Congress, well perform foreign affairs, especially Việt Nam’s role and responsibility as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and ASEAN Chair, firmly protect sovereignty, border and territorial integrity, and ensure political security and social order and safety.
The leader also asked all-level Party committees to organise activities to celebrate the 90th founding anniversary of the CPV (February 3), and the country’s major festivals.
After scrutinising proposals of the CPV Central Committee’s Commission Organisation, the Secretariat made some personnel decisions. — VNS