Hanoi (VNA) – The13th National Party Congress, changes to the anti-pandemic strategy,and efforts to maintain some growth pillars are among the events that have shaped Vietnam in 2021. The following are thetop 10 domestic events selected by the Vietnam News Agency.

1. 13th NationalParty Congress a great success

Held in Hanoi from January 25to February 1, 2021, the 13th National Party Congress was highlysuccessful, establishing itself as a congress of “Solidarity - Democracy - Discipline- Creativity - Development” that inspired the aspiration for a prosperous andhappy nation, brought into play the will and strength of the great nationalsolidarity, and comprehensively and uniformly stepped up the “Doi moi”(Renewal), industrialisation, and modernisation.

The congress identifiednational development goals for the next five and 10 years, and by 2045, whenVietnam is expected to become a socialist-oriented developed country.

2. Nearly 70 million votersnationwide cast ballots to elect deputies to National Assembly,all-level People’s Councils

On May 23, 2021, 99.6 percentof the voters nationwide cast their ballots to exercise citizens’ rights andobligations, electing 499 deputies to the 15th National Assembly,3,721 to the provincial-level People’s Councils, 22,550 to the district-levelPeople’s Councils, and 239,788 to the communal-level People’s Councils for the2021 - 2026 tenure.

The elections took place in ademocratic, law-abiding, and safe manner when the entire political system,people, and army were exerting efforts to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

3. Changes to COVID-19prevention and control strategy

The fourth wave of COVID-19outbreaks, with the emergence of the highly contagious Delta variant, hasreversed the previously obtained achievements in the pandemic combat when thenumbers of infections and related deaths surged in many localities nationwide,especially those in the south. Facing that fact, the Party and State changedthe anti-pandemic strategy from “zero COVID” to the “dual targets”.

Theimplementation of Resolution No. 128/NQ-CP, issued on October 11, 2021, on safeand flexible adaptation to and effective control of the pandemic for theultimate goal of protecting people’s lives and health has helped curb virustransmission, recover socio-economic development, and gradually stabilise people’slife.

As of December 25, the country recorded 1,630,851 infections in the fourth wave of COVID-19, raising the totalcases to 1,636,455; meanwhile, the numbers of deaths and recoveries stood at31,007 and 1,229,684, respectively.

4. Vaccine strategy successfullyimplemented

The Party and State havemobilised every resource and shown the determination to carry out the COVID-19vaccine strategy to achieve herd immunity. Many measures have been taken,including setting up a vaccine fund, conducting the vaccine diplomacy,developing home-grown vaccines, and organising the largest-ever freevaccination campaign.

Asof December 25, 98 percent of the people aged 18 and above had received atleast one shot of vaccine, rising by about four-fold, and 86 percent got thesecond dose, increasing 25-fold from late August 2021. The vaccination forthose aged between 12 and under 18 has also been stepped up.

5. Five important documentson Party building, rectification issued

In the first year of the 13th tenure, the Party issued the Politburo’s Conclusion No. 01-KL/TW on thecontinued implementation of Directive No. 05-CT/TW, dated May 15, 2016, onpromoting the studying and following of President Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, morality, and style; Conclusion No. 21-KL/TW, released at the fourth plenum of the13th Party Central Committee, on stepping up the Party and politicalsystem building and rectification; Regulation No. 37-QD/TW on the things Partymembers are not allowed to do; Conclusion No. 14-KL/TW on encouraging and protecting cadres who are active and creative, and dare to think and act; and Regulation No. 41-QD/TW on the dismissal and resignation of cadres. Notably,the two last documents feature provisions issued for the first time.

6. National CulturalConference inspires internal strength, UNESCO continues honouring Vietnameseculture

The National CulturalConference, held to implement the Resolution of the 13th National PartyCongress, identified six concrete targets and 10 key solutions for continuingto strongly inspire patriotism, the will of self-resilience, and the aspirationfor a prosperous nation; preserving the national identity and developingVietnam’s culture in the new period; and capitalising on the enormous internal strengthfor achieving national development goals by 2030, with a vision to 2045. Thisevent took place on November 24, 2021 - 75 years since the first NationalCultural Conference.

On December 15, 2021, the UNEducational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) officially inscribedthe art of Xoe dance of the Thai ethnic group in the Representative List of theIntangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. On November 23, the UNESCO GeneralConference decided to commemorate the 200thdeath anniversary of scholar Nguyen Dinh Chieu and the 250th birth and 200thdeath anniversaries of female poet Ho Xuan Huong in 2022.

7. Vietnamactively takes part in multilateral cooperation mechanisms

At the 26th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26), Vietnam committed to cutting greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050 andreducing the methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030 compared to2020, showing the country’s strong political resolve to promote the transition of the economic model to green growth and comprehensively respond to climate change.

Besides,Vietnam has continued making active and responsible contributions within theframework of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), ASEAN Inter-ParliamentaryAssembly (AIPA), Asia - Europe Meeting (ASEM), Asia-Pacific EconomicCooperation (APEC), and Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF). It hassuccessfully fulfilled its second term as a non-permanent member of the UNSecurity Council, been re-elected to the UN International Law Commission forthe 2023 - 2027 tenure, and become a member of the UNESCO Executive Board for2021 - 2025.

8. Strongeconomic fluctuations and efforts to maintain some growth pillars

In the third quarter of 2021,the gross domestic product (GDP) declined by 6.17 percent from the same periodlast year, the sharpest fall since Vietnam began calculating and announcing thequarterly GDP, due to the fourth wave of COVID-19 infections. The service andindustrial sectors in the southern region contracted sharply, and up to 60percent of the people lost their jobs or experienced income decreases in Q3.

The National Assembly and theGovernment have issued strong policies to tackle difficulties, assist peopleand enterprises, and facilitate all resources for investment, production, andbusiness activities in order to realise the twin targets of curbing thepandemic and developing the economy. As a result, Vietnam has reached andsurpassed some important economic targets: the budget collection completed onemonth ahead of schedule, and estimated at 1,471 trillion VND, exceeding 9.5percent compared to the estimate and 3 percent higher than the Government’s target;exports surpassing 335 billion USD with the trade surplus hitting about 3billion USD, making Vietnam a country posting trade surplus for six consecutiveyears; and the attracted foreign direct investment exceeding 29 billion USD.Meanwhile, agriculture remains a solid fulcrum of the economy with a growthrate of 2.8 percent.

9. National populationdatabase system put into use for first time

The national populationdatabase system officially became operational on July 1, 2021, serving as animportant basis for developing an e-Government, digital Government, and digitalsociety.

Together with the achievementof the chip-based ID card issuance target, this is the first time fundamentalinformation about Vietnamese citizens has been standardised, digitalised, andincluded in the inter-sector system, serving state management and facilitatingactivities of agencies, organisations, and individuals in a modern, convenient,and economical manner.

10. Vietnam securesimpressive sports achievements amid difficulties

For the first time, the men’snational football team of Vietnam advanced to the third qualifying round of aFIFA World Cup. Meanwhile, the futsal team earned a berth in the finals of aFIFA Futsal World Cup for the second time and showed a great stride though theyhad to stop their journey in the round of 16.

Meanwhile, Le Van Congpocketed a silver medal in the men’s49kg powerlifting atthe Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.Nguyen Thi Thu Nhi became the first Vietnamese boxer to win a World BoxingOrganisation belt in the women's mini-flyweight title fight./.