HCM City (VNA)🍒 – Party members and residents in Ho Chi Minh City are keeping a close watch on the activities of the 12th National Party Congress – being held from January 20-28 – with a hope that the event’s success will open up a new development phase for Vietnam.

Phan Van Tiem, the former head of the State Committee for Prices, said that during the 30-year reform process, Vietnam has made important decisions, including the recognition of a market-oriented multi-sectoral economy, which brought about outstanding economic attainments. Therefore, this congress should assert the significant achievements of the first reform cause, and then carry out the second one on economy, with the priority given to the private sector, Tiem stated. He suggested the Party Central Committee self-criticises and assesses the implementation of the 4th Party Central Committee plenum’s resolution on corruption prevention, so as to affirm the Party’s strong determination to weed out corruption, to increase people’s confidence in the Party. Highlighting the message on renovation of the 12th congress, the former Vice Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee and former Chairwoman of the municipal People’s Council, Pham Phuong Thao, said that the ‘comprehensive and synchronous reform’ should cover not only the economic aspect, but also the political system. Thao expressed her hope that the Party and State will carry out specific policies to create more favourable conditions for the city – which is a motive force for the country’s economic development. Following preparations for the congress over several months, Nguyen Bich Thuy, Vice President of the Ho Chi Minh City Labour Confederation, believes the congress will be a success. The congress will help select key officials capable of leading the country, and outline practical policies and decisions which benefit people, including the worker class. HCM City’s Outstanding Young Citizen in 2015, Tran Quoc Trung from the Foreign Trade University, stressed the need to pay more attention to increasing the quality of human resources, as the country’s intensive and extensive international integration, and the formation of the ASEAN Community require labourers to be good at not only professional knowledge, but also foreign languages and soft skills. Representing more than 270,000 workers in processing and manufacturing in industrial zones in the city, Chairman of the Trade Union of the Zones Nguyen Thanh Do, showed his hope that the State’s policies on social welfare will be institutionalised by law soon, to have more regulations ensuring labourers’ interests. Nguyen Van Thanh, who has resided in the city for more than 40 years, stated that Ho Chi Minh City and the country at large are changing positively day after day, and the living conditions of people are much improved as well. Therefore, he hoped this congress will continue promoting the achievements to further develop the country, firmly safeguard national sovereignty, and gain the public’s confidence.-VNA