The third meeting of the Party Central Committee is taking place against a backdrop of rapid, far-reaching, complex and unpredictable changes in the world and the region. Strategic competition, geopolitical conflicts, fragmentation of the global economy, and shifts in technology, energy and data are reshaping the development landscape. Climate change, non-traditional security threats and artificial intelligence are creating both opportunities and new risks, requiring us to strengthen strategic autonomy, resilience, adaptability and national capacity for action.

Domestically, the entire Party, people and armed forces are urgently implementing the Resolution of the 14th National Party Congress. In the first six months of 2026, GDP grew by 8.18 per cent. Although this fell short of the target, it was the highest growth rate recorded for the same period in 16 years. Macroeconomic stability was broadly maintained and major economic balances were ensured. National defence and security were safeguarded, while foreign relations, international integration, culture and social development continued to advance and social security was guaranteed.

These results are encouraging. However, we must continue to address shortcomings and remove bottlenecks relating to institutions, the quality of growth, economic self-reliance, resource mobilisation and implementation.

The 14th National Party Congress defined the major strategic guidelines, objectives and directions, while the second meeting of the Party Central Committee laid the organisational foundations and established the operating rules for the new tenure. The third meeting must now translate these directions into policy decisions that remove bottlenecks, unlock resources and create new development capacity.

The 13 issues on the meeting’s agenda cover a wide range of fields, but all serve a broader objective: strengthening the country’s capacity for leadership, governance, administration, action, development and national defence in the new era.

I. Shifting from organisational restructuring to enhancing the leadership capacity, governance and operational effectiveness of the Party and the political system

The restructuring of the administrative apparatus has created a leaner organisational structure. But streamlining is only a prerequisite. The ultimate objective is to enable the Party to lead more effectively, the State to govern more efficiently, the apparatus to operate more swiftly, the people to be better served and their living standards to be tangibly improved.

This transition must ensure strict discipline, organisational clarity, effective control of power and enforceable accountability. The quality of policy decisions, the effectiveness of implementation and the people’s trust must serve as the benchmarks.

Regulations on conduct prohibited for Party members must clearly define disciplinary boundaries and accurately identify new forms of misconduct arising from the market economy, digital transformation and relationships involving power and vested interests.

Strict discipline must go hand in hand with protecting honest officials who dare to think, act and take responsibility for the common good. The revision and supplementation of Regulation No. 20 must clarify the names, functions, tasks, powers, responsibilities and working relationships of different types of Party organisations. It must address overlapping duties, gaps in accountability and the tendency towards fragmentation and parochialism, thereby ensuring unified and effective operations.

"Success must be measured not only by the reduction in the number of administrative units, but also by the effectiveness of leadership and management and the quality of public services."

General Secretary & State President Tô Lâm

The report reviewing the first year of the political system’s overall organisational model and the two-tier local government model, together with the report on Party building and the political system in the first six months of 2026 and the orientations and tasks for the remainder of the year, must enable the Party Central Committee to make a realistic assessment of the political system’s performance following restructuring.

Is the apparatus operating smoothly? Are powers and responsibilities clearly defined? Are decisions being made quickly and accurately? Are citizens and businesses receiving better services?

Success must be measured not only by the reduction in the number of administrative units, but also by the effectiveness of leadership and management and the quality of public services.

Decentralisation must be accompanied by adequate powers, resources, personnel, data and tools for implementation and the control of power. Provincial authorities must be strong in planning and coordination, while commune-level authorities must remain close to the people and be capable of handling their responsibilities under the new model.

Officials must be assessed on the basis of their integrity, competence, performance, progress and credibility. The head of each organisation must bear primary responsibility.

Administrative boundaries must not constrain development thinking. Land, seas, urban areas, infrastructure, resources and data must be viewed as an interconnected whole and organised in accordance with national strategies, regional advantages and overall efficiency.

This shift must create new development spaces, direct resources to where they can be used most effectively, harmonise the interests of the State, the people and businesses, and transform local advantages into national strength.

Proposals to establish Quảng Ninh and Bắc Ninh as centrally governed cities must be considered in the broader context of creating new growth poles, improving urban governance and strengthening regional connectivity.

Changes in administrative status must result in substantive improvements in governance capacity, resource mobilisation and the wider impact of development. Infrastructure conditions, available resources, operating costs and effects on the population must be thoroughly assessed to ensure that each proposal generates new development value for the locality, the region and the country as a whole.

The preliminary review of the implementation of Resolution No. 18, dated June 16, 2022, of the 13th Party Central Committee; the formulation of guiding principles for amendments to the Land Law and related legislation; and the review of the implementation of Resolution No. 36, dated October 22, 2018, of the 12th Party Central Committee, together with the proposed Party Central Committee resolution on building and developing Việt Nam into a strong maritime nation, must all be considered within a framework of unified territorial governance.

The report on the socio-economic situation in the first six months of 2026 and the key tasks and solutions for the remainder of the year must be considered alongside the plan to reform Việt Nam’s development model.

The report must identify the immediate action required during the final six months of the year, while the plan must answer a longer-term question: How will the country generate wealth and enhance its competitiveness?

GDP growth of 8.18 per cent in the first six months was an encouraging result, but achieving growth of at least 10 per cent for the full year will be extremely challenging.

We must strive to meet the 2026 target while laying the foundations for sustainable double-digit growth. This requires maintaining macroeconomic stability and major economic balances, facilitating investment, resolving stalled projects, strengthening business capacity and safeguarding jobs and incomes.

Growth scenarios must be quantified for each sector and locality, take account of both favourable and adverse factors, and be linked to the responsibilities of their leaders. Implementation will be decisive.

In the long term, we must move away from dependence on capital, natural resources, outsourcing and cheap labour towards an economy driven by productivity, knowledge, data, technology, innovation, high-quality human resources and modern management. We must build an independent, self-reliant economy that is effectively integrated into the global economy.

We need to strengthen the State’s role in governance and development facilitation, while allowing the market to perform its role in mobilising and allocating resources. The State sector must genuinely play the leading role, while the private sector must serve as the most important driving force of the national economy.

Foreign investment must be linked to technology transfer and the strengthening of domestic capacity. Science, technology, innovation, digital transformation and artificial intelligence must be translated into higher productivity, better quality, greater added value and stronger competitiveness.

The project to build a disciplined, safe, civilised, harmonious and developed society is both a foundation and an objective of the new development model.

Development must produce not only a larger economy but also a better society, more comprehensive human development, stronger communities and greater public trust. We must not allow material prosperity to be accompanied by cultural, moral or humanistic impoverishment. Nor should economic growth deepen inequality or leave vulnerable groups behind.

People must be placed at the centre, with culture as the foundation and law and discipline as the pillars. The rule of law must be combined with ethical governance, and power with responsibility.

The ultimate measures of development are the people’s quality of life, opportunities for personal development and happiness.

"People must be placed at the centre, with culture as the foundation and law and discipline as the pillars. The rule of law must be combined with ethical governance, and power with responsibility."

General Secretary & State President Tô Lâm

"National defence and security must be closely integrated with foreign affairs and international integration."

General Secretary & State President Tô Lâm

In a world of interconnected risks and cascading consequences, security cannot be ensured through a purely sectoral approach, nor can environmental problems be addressed only after damage has occurred.

This shift requires us to move from reaction to anticipation and from incident-based responses to proactive prevention. We must ensure the security, safety and uninterrupted operation of political, economic, social, technological and essential infrastructure systems.

Security is a prerequisite for development, while sustainable, inclusive and resilient development provides the foundation for security.

The national security strategy and the review of the implementation of Resolution No. 24, dated June 3, 2013, of the 11th Party Central Committee, leading to the issuance of the Party Central Committee’s conclusion on environmental protection and proactive responses to climate change in the new era, must be approached through a unified vision of national development and defence.

We must make a decisive shift from responding to threats and mitigating their consequences to proactively identifying, forecasting and preventing them at an early stage and from a distance. National resilience against traditional and non-traditional threats, as well as their cascading effects, must be strengthened.

We must firmly protect the Party, the State, the people, the socialist regime, national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. At the same time, we must ensure human security, data security and the safety of critical infrastructure, while strengthening social trust.

We must harness the country’s combined strength to safeguard the Fatherland early and from afar, maintain a peaceful and stable environment, expand the space for development, and enhance Việt Nam’s standing and prestige in the region and the world.

Environmental and climate policies must shift from remediation to prevention, adaptation and recovery, and from management based on administrative boundaries to governance based on ecosystems, river basins and marine areas.

The green transition must become a driving force for technological innovation and stronger competitiveness. The central authorities must clearly identify the country’s core interests that need protection and the risks that must be anticipated and prevented. Effective mechanisms for command, coordination and early warning must also be established.

Major projects must take full account of environmental carrying capacity, environmental costs, data security and responsibilities to future generations.

The four strategic shifts outlined above form a coherent whole. Organisations and people create the capacity for action. Development spaces and institutions unlock resources. The development model transforms those resources into productivity, prosperity and a better quality of life. Preventive and protective capabilities ensure that the process remains safe, uninterrupted and sustainable.

A delay in any one of these areas will impede progress in the others.

The outcomes of the meeting must be reflected in a high degree of consensus, sound and appropriate decisions, and tangible changes following the meeting.

In accordance with Politburo Regulation No. 206, dated June 30, 2026, on the organisation of Party Central Committee meetings, the documents have been meticulously prepared.

The meeting has limited time, a substantial workload and many issues of great importance to consider. I therefore ask members of the Party Central Committee to engage in focused and in-depth discussions in their respective groups, clearly express their views during plenary sessions, and make direct contributions to the draft resolution, programme and action plan.

Contributions should be concise and focused, clearly setting out opinions, arguments, recommendations and proposed options to help refine the Party Central Committee’s decisions.

Every decision must place the national interest, the legitimate rights and interests of the people, and the country’s long-term development above all else.

Following this meeting, every resolution and conclusion must be promptly translated into programmes and plans of action, with clearly defined objectives, tasks, powers, resources, responsibilities, deadlines and expected outcomes.

We must resolutely address the persistent problem of sound policies being implemented too slowly, enforcement being lax and results falling short of expectations.

In a spirit of unity, democracy, discipline, breakthrough and development, on behalf of the Politburo and the Secretariat, I declare open the third meeting of the 14th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Việt Nam.

I wish the meeting every success. — VNS