Where is Vietnam heading under new CPV leadership?

The 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) was held in Hanoi from January 19 to 23.

The congress elected a new 200-member Central Committee (comprising 180 full members and 20 alternate members), and the committee’s First Plenary Session further selected the 19-member Politburo, creating a pattern of "continuity and breakthrough."

Ten members from the previous Politburo retained their positions, including key figures such as General Secretary Tô Lâm, National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn, and Permanent Member of the Secretariat Trần Cẩm Tú, ensuring policy continuity.

Nine new members joined, covering heads of key departments such as the Head of the Central Commission for Information and Education, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lê Hoài Trung, and Hồ Chí Minh City Party Secretary Trần Lưu Quang, injecting fresh energy.

In his report at the congress, Tô Lâm proposed that "Vietnam aims to become a developing country with modern industry and an upper-middle income level by 2030, with a per capita GDP of approximately $8,500, laying the foundation for Vietnam to become a peaceful, independent, democratic, strong, prosperous, civilized, and happy high-income developed country by 2045."

Just from the perspective of the congress agenda, Tô Lâm broke with convention by integrating the "Political Report," the "Vietnam 2026-2030 Socio-Economic Development Plan," and the "Party Building Report" into a single speech, streamlining procedures, enhancing efficiency, and shortening the schedule by one and a half days.

Previously, Vietnam had built a foundation through 40 years of Đổi Mới (reforms). Recently, the central government streamlined its ministries from 30 to 21, merged 63 provinces and municipalities into 34, abolished district-level administrative units, and reduced administrative levels from four to three, significantly improving administrative efficiency.

Achieving the 2030 goal requires Vietnam’s GDP to grow at an average annual rate of over 10% from 2026 to 2030 (more than 4 percentage points higher than the previous five-year period). Amid the current complex global landscape, the unilateral policies of the United States bring external challenges. Vietnam’s path to its goal presents both opportunities and challenges.

The author Gu Xiaosong is Dean of the ASEAN Research Institute at Hainan Tropical Ocean University and Researcher at the Guangxi Academy of Social Sciences.