Party General Secretary To Lam highlights the importance of the state sector in the national economy at a national conference in Hanoi on February 25

General Secretary To Lam, President Luong Cuong, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man, and Permanent Member of the Party Secretariat Tran Cam Tu attended the conference.

It was held at the Dien Hong Hall of the National Assembly and connected online to 27,284 central and local agencies, communes, wards, special administrative units, Party organizations in the military, police, and enterprises, with more than two million delegates in attendance. The event was broadcast live on the Voice of Vietnam, Vietnam Television, and digital platforms.

At the conference (Photo: VOV)

In his address, General Secretary To Lam emphasized that Resolutions 79 and 80 represent major new policy decisions of the Party, developed from a comprehensive review of practice and theoretical innovation as the country enters a new stage of development. The two resolutions aim to simultaneously strengthen “material internal strength” and consolidate “spiritual internal strength.”

Regarding Resolution 79, the Party leader noted that in recent years, the state sector and the private sector have formed two key pillars of the socialist-oriented market economy. However, to truly occupy the “strategic high grounds” of the economy, the state sector must demonstrate its leading role through capacity and efficiency.

In the new phase, the state economy must serve as a firm “pillar” in safeguarding economic security and sovereignty; ensuring regulation, stability, and resilience; leading innovation and core technologies; and setting governance standards and public-sector integrity in economic management.

Party General Secretary To Lam speaks at the conference (Photo: VOV)

He said: "The State economic sector must lead the private sector. A strong state economy is not meant to crowd out the private sector, but to act as a “platform,” “pathfinder,” and “catalyst,” enabling private enterprises to integrate more deeply into value chains, develop supporting industries, increase localization rates, and form sectoral clusters with flagship firms capable of regional and global competition. When the state sector effectively fulfills its guiding role, the private sector will have a solid foundation for sustainable growth, thereby enhancing the overall strength of the economy."

Regarding Resolution 80, the General Secretary affirmed that culture does not merely accompany development, it must take a “guiding position,” shaping the quality of the people and the nation. If the economy determines how fast a country can advance, “culture determines how far it can go.” While the economy generates material wealth, culture fosters resilience, discipline, trust, and spiritual strength, enabling the nation to overcome challenges and rise.

He called for the coordinated implementation of five key tasks including building and promoting national value systems, cultural values, and standards for Vietnamese people in the new era; establishing a healthy cultural environment as a foundational mission; prioritizing education and human development as the central axis of cultural revitalization; developing cultural industries so that culture becomes a spiritual foundation and an economic resource, as well as a source of national soft power; and building a culture within the political system as the root of social trust.

General Secretary To Lam underscored that Resolutions 79 and 80 are not parallel sets of tasks but a unified development framework that complements and reinforces one another. Resolution 79 builds material strength to maintain stability, master major economic balances, and enhance national autonomy. Resolution 80 builds spiritual strength to nurture resilience, discipline, trust, and the nation’s intrinsic power.

He said: "Effective implementation is the most important. Studying the resolutions must lead to action; action must bring about change; and change must be tangible in people’s daily lives. Party committees, organizations, ministries, sectors, and localities need to promptly develop concrete action plans with clearly assigned responsibilities, particularly for leaders, and to resolutely address avoidance, buck-passing, and superficial implementation."

The General Secretary expressed confidence that the two resolutions will soon be translated into concrete results, creating visible transformation and contributing to building a rapidly developing, sustainable, independent, and self-reliant Vietnam in the new stage.