Delivering the opening speech, Party General Secretary To Lam emphasized that during this meeting, the Party Central Committee will discuss the number of members of and consider personnel nominations for the Politburo and Secretariat of the 14th National Party Committee.

General Secretary To Lam delivers the opening speech at the 14th plenum of the 13th Party Central Committee. (Photo: VOV)

He stressed that this is a matter of utmost importance, the “core of the core”, as everything depends on the personnel affairs. Selecting candidates for the Party’s highest leadership to steer the nation toward ambitious and decisive development goals in the new period must be carried out with great care, prudence, and precision. The Party Central Committee must identify and nominate only the most deserving individuals to the Politburo and Secretariat of the Party Central Committee.

The Party leader said: "These individuals must possess strong political will, integrity, and moral example, always putting national and people’s interests above all. They should demonstrate sharp strategic vision and organizational capability to remove bottlenecks, unlock resources, and mobilize collective strength."

"In the digital era, indispensable criteria include digital competence and data-driven thinking, along with in-depth knowledge of the digital economy, green economy, and circular economy, as well as risk management and cross-sectoral, inter-regional, and multi-level coordination skills. Leaders must also be able to mobilize social resources, design public-private partnerships, build market trust, and possess international integration capabilities including foreign language proficiency and cross-cultural communication to expand development opportunities," said Mr. To Lam. 

Referring to the review of Resolution 18 of the 12th Party Central Committee on reforming and streamlining the organizational apparatus of the political system to make it more efficient and effective, General Secretary To Lam stressed that in the coming time, to maximize the effectiveness of the two-tier local government model, it is necessary to ensure the connectivity and complementarity of the three-tier governance system (central–provincial/city–communal/ward) along three dimensions of institutions, resources, and data. Within this interconnected structure, the central government plays a guiding and coordinating role, ensuring unity throughout the system.

Mr. Lam said: "When all three levels of government operate as an integrated whole, with the central level setting standards and coordinating regions, the provincial level organizing strategies, allocating resources, and monitoring outcomes, and the grassroots level directly serving the people, providing rapid solutions, and feeding back real-time data, the nation will have a solid foundation to maintain peace and stability, promote fast yet sustainable growth, and improve people’s welfare."

"Implementing the lessons learned from Resolution 18 through a two-tier local government model connected across three levels with the Central Government as the “institutional architect” will serve as a decisive lever to build a streamlined, transparent, and effective political system. This will help Vietnam advance steadily toward prosperity, strength, and happiness for its people," emphasized Mr. To Lam.

The plenum is scheduled to continue until Thursday.