President Ho Chi Minh placed great emphasis on unleashing the strength of the people and the power of great national unity. He stressed that the people are the subject of the revolution, a tremendous force with limitless creativity: “In the sky, nothing is more precious than the people. In the world, nothing is stronger than the united force of the people.”

The Party’s 14th National Congress has elevated the viewpoint “the people are the root” to a new level. The political report submitted to the Congress identifies “strengthening consolidation and effectively promoting the power of the people and the great bloc of national unity” as a valuable lesson with theoretical significance and practical guiding value for the country’s revolutionary cause in a new era of development.

Reviewing 40 years of implementing the renovation policy, the Party has drawn five key lessons, of which the third is to thoroughly grasp and resolutely practice the viewpoint “the people are the root,” promoting the people’s role as the principal subject and the central position of the people.

After 40 years of renovation, it has become even clearer that the revolution is the cause of the masses. The strength of the people and the great bloc of national unity is the decisive factor in the success or failure of the revolutionary cause. Consolidating and promoting this strength is the key for Vietnam to move forward firmly on the path of national construction, development, and defense in the new era. 

Moreover, patriotism, the tradition of unity, and respect for the people are core national values that inherit the thought that “the people are the root.” The people are the creators of history.

In the report on documents submitted to the 14th National Congress, General Secretary To Lam affirmed that “the people are the root” is the highest measure of all policies. “The people are the root” is a consistent guiding thought throughout the documents and also the source of strength of the Vietnamese revolution.

The people’s trust in the Party does not come from words but from actions, from the fairness and integrity of cadres, from the effectiveness of the apparatus, from equity in benefits, and from concrete results in protecting lawful rights and interests and in promptly and thoroughly addressing the legitimate concerns of citizens and businesses.

Entering a new stage, greater attention must be paid to building the “people’s heart position.” When the people’s heart position is strong, national defense and security are strong; when it is strong, reforms can be carried through; when it is strong, any difficulty can be overcome and any challenge resolved, just as President Ho Chi Minh taught: "Without the people, even the easiest task cannot be done; with the people, even the hardest task can be accomplished."

All guidelines and policies must stem from the lawful rights and interests of the people, taking the happiness and satisfaction of the people as the measure of development success. Social progress and equity must be ensured, with the people’s happiness as the supreme goal.

The aspiration for a "prosperous, strong, civilized, and happy" nation must be realized by improving the material and spiritual lives of the people. Economic development must be closely linked with ensuring social progress and justice, leaving no one behind.

Therefore, it is necessary to continue perfecting the comprehensive and inclusive social security system, improving the quality of healthcare, education, housing, and social welfare, and paying more attention to remote, isolated, and difficult areas, vulnerable groups, and the comprehensive development of Vietnamese culture and people, building a healthy, humane, and disciplined social environment.

People’s right 

All guidelines, policies, and strategic decisions of the Party must be based on the creative application and development of objective laws, originating from reality and orienting the cause of building and protecting the Fatherland. But more importantly is the agreement, support, and implementation by the people.

To achieve this, right from the stage of planning the Party's guidelines and policies, there needs to be substantial participation from the people. 

At the same time, it is necessary to effectively and more substantially implement the motto “people know, people discuss, people do, people check, people supervise, people enjoy,” focusing on all six stages as they are closely related, especially the two newly added stages: “people supervise, people enjoy.”

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vu Van Phuc, Vice Chairman of the Scientific Council of Central Party Agencies, Former Editor-in-Chief of the Communist Review.