On behalf of the Party Central Committee, General Secretary and President To Lam recently signed and promulgated Resolution No. 19 on renewing Vietnam’s development model.

The resolution sets out viewpoints, goals, tasks and solutions to realize the aspiration of turning Vietnam into a developed, high-income country by 2045, while laying the foundation for the country’s development vision for the next 100 years under the Party’s leadership.

Defining strategic directions

After 40 years of Doi Moi, or economic renewal, and 35 years of implementing the Platform for National Construction during the period of transition to socialism, Vietnam has achieved enormous accomplishments of historic significance.

From a backward, crisis-ridden and imbalanced economy marked by shortages of food and clothing and low incomes, Vietnam has risen into the ranks of dynamically developing economies and become an upper-middle-income country. Living standards have improved markedly across the board, while the country’s international standing and prestige have continued to grow.

Yet as the world enters a period of profound transformation, driven by the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the global shift toward green development, a growth model built on capital, low-cost labor and raw resource extraction is no longer an advantage and has reached its limits.

To escape the “middle-income trap” and realize the aspiration of becoming a developed nation, renewing the development model is no longer simply a choice. It has become an urgent imperative, even a matter of survival, if Vietnam is to avoid falling behind.

Resolution No. 19 of the third plenum of the 14th Party Central Committee translates the Party Congress’s policy direction into action. It serves as a guiding light, defining strategic directions and setting out breakthrough solutions to shape a Vietnam entering a new era - one of accelerated growth and prosperity.

Self-reliance, innovation, humanism, sustainability and integration form the fundamental spirit at the heart of Resolution No. 19, marking a fundamental shift away from the mindset of “growth at all costs” toward a comprehensive and sustainable development model.

The new model operates on a system of closely interconnected values. Under this vision, Vietnam will develop rapidly and sustainably and hold an important position in the global order in knowledge, technology, economics, national defense and security. It envisages a civilized, prosperous, equitable, inclusive and happy society; a distinctive culture and comprehensively developed people; and a country capable of adapting to the changes of the times while making contributions worthy of its potential to humanity.

With a long-term vision and clearly defined strategic stages, the resolution lays out a roadmap around three milestones that will shape the country’s future.

By 2030, Vietnam is expected to have completed the foundations of the new development model and reached the level of a developing country with modern industry and upper-middle income. By 2035, the transition toward a self-reliant, innovative, humanistic and sustainable model is to be advanced. Looking toward 2045, the strategic vision is for Vietnam to become a developed, high-income country operating comprehensively on the foundations of a knowledge economy and modern digital governance.

These are major strategic goals requiring decisive, coordinated and continuous action from the central level to ministries, sectors, local authorities and the business community.

Empowering dynamic, innovative officials willing to act

Strategic breakthroughs are needed to unlock resources, realize the country’s 100-year vision and chart the course for the following century, with the goal of developing Vietnam into a highly developed socialist country that is civilized, modern and distinctive, with strong innovative capacity and enduring vitality. This requires decisive action to remove institutional and infrastructure bottlenecks.

The first breakthrough is to improve institutions and modern national governance while strengthening the socialist rule-of-law state of the people, by the people and for the people.

The legal system must move away from a mindset centered on management and control toward one that enables development. The state should proactively lead the way by establishing regulatory sandboxes for emerging industries such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors and green energy. Governance structures must also shift strongly toward digital governance, with data serving as the foundation for economic, cultural and social policymaking.

The next breakthrough is restructuring the country’s development space.

Vietnam is organizing local government under a streamlined two-tier model designed for greater efficiency, stronger decentralization and delegation of authority, and sufficient capacity and resources to build modern social governance, enable development from the grassroots and strengthen closely interconnected, multi-layered regional linkages.

Piloting superior economic and institutional models in major growth poles such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Quang Ninh, Hai Phong and Da Nang will generate spillover effects and drive the development of interconnected and surrounding regions.

The synchronized development of strategic infrastructure - including nationwide transport links, high-speed railways, north-south and east-west expressways, digital infrastructure, modern aviation and large-scale data centers - will serve as the country’s vital circulatory system.

Once both hard and soft infrastructure are seamless and integrated, the internal strength of the business community - including major corporations as well as small and medium-sized enterprises - can be unleashed, enabling them to absorb and receive technology transfers from a new generation of foreign direct investment.

Turning the momentum of history into practical action, the resolution of the third plenum of the 14th Party Central Committee must go beyond broad policy directions. It must translate into concrete action, resonate with the people and draw strength from them, with serving the people as its foremost objective. This is both the goal and the driving force of development.

To bring the resolution of the 14th National Party Congress and the resolution of the third plenum of the 14th Party Central Committee into everyday life, every ministry, sector, locality, business and community must examine its own circumstances and develop concrete action programs suited to its particular characteristics.

Vietnam can no longer continue attracting foreign direct investment through cheap land, low-cost labor or unconditional tax incentives. Instead, it must selectively attract high-tech projects that make sustainability commitments and establish strong connections with domestic businesses.

Of particular importance is empowering a contingent of dynamic and innovative officials who dare to think, dare to act and dare to take responsibility for the common interests of the country and the collective. The exemplary role of leaders, together with discipline and order in public service, will be decisive.

Renewing the development model must truly be regarded as a revolution. Inertia, buck-passing, fear of making mistakes, reluctance to take responsibility, talking more than acting and neglecting the accountability of leaders within the public administration are the greatest barriers holding back reform and growth.

When every official and Party member understands the historic mission of this period of vigorous development in the new era, the management and governance apparatus will operate smoothly, unlocking resources throughout society.

Renewing the development model in the spirit of the third plenum of the 14th Party Central Committee is not simply an adjustment of economic indicators. It is a revolution in thinking and action.

It is the only path for Vietnam to continue integrating deeply with the world while upholding autonomy, self-reliance and resilience, harnessing the strength of the great national unity bloc and moving forward on the strength of its own internal capabilities.

With the right vision, steadfastness and confidence, together with strong determination and the united efforts of the entire Party, people and armed forces, there is every reason for firm confidence in a civilized, modern and strongly developed Vietnam in the new era.

Dang Ngoc Chinh