Lookatvietnam – On the eve of the New Lunar Year of the Buffalo, President Nguyen Minh Triet grants an interview to VNA, underlining that under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the management of the State, the people of Vietnam.

President Nguyen Minh Triet.

Under the leadership of the Communist Party of Viet Nam, the management of the State and the whole-hearted support of the people, we have been able to spontaneously respond with calm and caution to the challenges and achieve important initial results.

The economy maintains fairly good growth with FDI inflow climbing to a record high of approximately US$60 billion. This year, the total ODA pledged from donors stands at around $5 billion. We have also been able to take a step forward in the improvement of health care, living standards, education and culture for the people. By closely linking economic development with the settlement of social issues, particularly poverty reduction, we have recorded encouraging outcomes. Viet Nam’s security and defence stability has been maintained.

We are proud of our political stability and excellent law and order situation. The administrative reform, the anti-corruption campaign and the practice of thrift and anti-wastefulness have all seen positive development.

In regard to external relations, Viet Nam’s non-permanent membership to the UN Security Council (UNSC) and its Presidency of the UNSC in July 2008 are some of the most important events of the year. Following UNSC practices and the examples set by other members, we have paid much attention to such issues as maintenance of security and stability in various conflicting regions and countries. We have shown our interest in protecting the normal life of the people in these areas, protecting the nations’ territorial integrity, protecting the independence, right to self-determination of nations and objecting foreign imposition. As such, Viet Nam’s management of UNSC affairs during its presidency received much appreciation and respect from other members.

After two years of WTO membership, Viet Nam is now integrating deeper and broader into the world economy. We have more relations with other countries and territories in the world, and our export market has greatly expanded. At the same time, foreign investment into Viet Nam is becoming more diversified. The WTO membership brings about practical benefits to Viet Nam. We have been able to gradually adjust our policies to meet the demands of integration.

Seasons Greetings from President Nguyen Minh Triet.

Would you give some assessment about the opportunities and challenges for our country in 2009?

We are endeavouring to turn our country into a fundamentally industrial one by 2020. We never think that the path ahead will be smooth. Rather, it will be a difficult and thorny one. The year 2008 has just passed, and the impacts of the common global crisis are starting to be felt in Viet Nam.

This is a big disadvantage as we joined the WTO not long ago and now have to face such negative economic impacts. The more challenges we get, the more we must be enduring to make more efforts. With each challenge that we overcome, we become more mature. I believe that the difficulties and challenges of 2008 are unfortunate, but they also have some positive aspects. The global economic crisis does affect our economy, making people’s lives harder, but it also makes us think and trains us more, forcing us to be more serious, meditating on what we have been able to do and how to avoid subjectivity and make more efforts on the path ahead.

In 2009, the overall goal is to respond actively and effectively to the complicated developments of the international and national economy to ensure macro-economic stability, maintain reasonable and sustainable growth, improve the effectiveness of international economic co-operation and integration, as well as firmly maintain national defence, security and law and order to create the conditions for the successful implementation of the 2006-2010 socio-economic development plan set by the 10th National Congress of the Communist Party of Viet Nam. We do enjoy fundamental advantages such as stable socio-political stability, increased international reputation, the sustained confidence in the development prospects of the country, the ample potential for further growth and most importantly, the enormous experience and achievements of our 20 years of reform.

The strength of Viet Nam derives from the nation’s unity and solidarity. In the hardest and most difficult times, the Vietnamese spirit is strongest and helps us sail through the tough waves. The year 2009 will see more difficulties and challenges, yet with all the experiences gained and the determination of the Vietnamese mind, Viet Nam’s strength and position will not be damaged. Rather, they are to be further consolidated. I am quite optimistic that we will be able to said through and reach the end successfully.

As the Head of State, could you please share with our readers your concerns?

After 20 years of doi moi (reform), our country has been able to make enormous and comprehensive achievements in all spheres. We must understand the full significance of those achievements, but we must also take a serious look into the limitations and weaknesses that remain.

Despite the development of the economy, the competitiveness of Vietnamese goods and commodities remain weak and our infrastructure is yet to meet the demands of development. The managerial skills and capacity of our cadres remains limited; hence we have limitations in handling a number of thrusting social issues, the delay in administrative reform and the unsatisfying outcomes of the campaign on anti-corruption, practising thrift and combating wastefulness. There remain so many difficulties, especially in terms of education and healthcare, in the lives of our people, particularly the low-income group, the poor and those living in the remote and disaster-affected regions.

In our national development policies, the Party and State always pay great attention to the people living in the remote areas. The poverty reduction programmes and the Programme 135 to assist the poor regions and communes, the rural clean water programme, and other education and health programmes, etc. are designed to serve these people. The current limitations in the implementation of these policies and programmes are due to the common difficulties of the whole country. The Party and State do have the heart and will, but we can not cover everything and that is a great torment for us.

On the eve of the New Lunar Year, I wish to emphasise, that though the year 2008 was a very hard one, our entire people have unanimously joined hands, showed their deep trust in the leadership of the Party and the management of the State and brought about encouraging outcomes.

I wish to take this opportunity to express on behalf of the Party and State the deep gratitude to all compatriots and soldiers of this country and to our dear expatriates abroad for endeavouring to ensure our stable development and make all the achievements both at home and abroad. I hope that they will continue to make more efforts, exercise greater unity and consolidate their great trust in the future of our nation and the leadership of our Party and State. There is no doubt that new difficulties and challenges will emerge in 2009, but we will definitely get through.

Thank you very much, Mr President. We wish you the very best in the new year and continue to lead our country in successfully carrying out the cause of industrialisation and modernisation so as to attain the goal of fundamentally turning our nation into an industrialised country by 2020.

(Source: Viet Nam News)