The trust

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue and leaders of the Party, State and Vietnam Fatherland Front attended the conference. The Government and localities evaluate the results in 2021, deploy the tasks in 2022, on January 5, 2022. Photo: VNA

“A special year”

April 27, 2021 is a day that many Vietnamese people will remember, because this is the day marking the 4th outbreak of Covid-19 in Vietnam, causing a lot of damage and pain. For the first time, Vietnam witnessed many localities having to strictly implement prolonged social distancing, especially in the southern provinces and cities. The supply chain has been disrupted, businesses struggled, workers lost their jobs.

Economically, for the first time since the quarterly GDP statistics in 2000, Vietnam recorded a quarter of negative growth (negative 6.17% GDP in the third quarter of 2021). The third quarter of 2021 is also the first time that 18 out of 19 southern provinces and cities (covering more than 44% of the country's GDP) have had negative growth. Ho Chi Minh City alone took the lead with a GDP decrease of 24.39%.

Looking back at the "picture" of the coronavirus hotspot in Ho Chi Minh City last year, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen said that this is an unprecedented year. The city has to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic with the Delta variant spreading very quickly, dangerously, and unpredictably.

“Many people were unable to make it through. Ho Chi Minh City has suffered very heavy losses, and the socio-economic situation has suffered a serious decline," said Nen.

There were plenty of difficulties, but throughout 2021, it shows the unity and consensus to beat the "enemy" of Covid-19. A series of correct and appropriate directions of the Party, Government, as well as ministries and branches, are important "weapons" to gradually repel the pandemic. During the most difficult times, the people's trust in the political system is multiplied.

Besides the efforts, and even the silent sacrifices of the frontline forces against the pandemic, the Government has successfully implemented "vaccine diplomacy", promoting all measures to have the vaccine as soon as possible in the context of global vaccine scarcity.

Along with that, organized the largest, timely and effective vaccination campaign. In particular, the Government has actively and drastically removed difficulties and obstacles to promoting the purchase, research, production and administration of vaccines; established a vaccine fund for Covid-19 prevention and control and received a positive response from all people, the business community as well as our compatriots abroad, creating far-reaching effects in society.

In the context of the pandemic, people have to face difficulties, but people with Covid-19 are struggling even more. At that time, the policy of no fee for Covid-19 treatment as well as the policy of free vaccination for the whole population was an important booster to help each people improve their morale and strength, contributing to the strength of the entire people to effectively cope with the "enemy" of Covid-19 as well as revive the economy.

All factors combine to form the strength to help the country step by step beat the pandemic. In that fierce war, "no one was left behind".

Throughout 2021, Vietnam has the right and unprecedented policies to support people and businesses affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. These are support policies for tax exemption and reduction, fees, charges, tax payment extension, land tax, debt rescheduling, exemption and reduction of interest and fees, etc. Loan policies to support salary payment for employees, support for employees and employers from the Unemployment Insurance Fund.

According to To Hoai Nam, Standing Vice Chairman and General Secretary of the Vietnam Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, the social security and economic support packages are clear and right. In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Government has had many different policies but with the same goal of supporting people and workers in difficulty, supporting businesses through the exemption, reduction and postponement of fees, providing guarantee loans, credit, electricity and water discounts to maintain the existence of enterprises and reduce unemployment.

The identification of supported units also received high consensus among the business community, people, and experts. For example, the Government has removed the condition that enterprises without bad debts can borrow a 0% interest package to pay wages to employees affected by the Covid-19 pandemic in Resolution 126/NQ-CP on amending and supplementing Resolution No. 68/NQ-CP of the Government on a number of policies to support employees and employers facing difficulties due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Previously, Resolution No. 68/NQ-CP stipulates that enterprises with bad debt cannot borrow from this support package.

Maintain the discipline of the country

In addition to efforts to fight the pandemic and issue policies to support people and businesses, the discipline of the country has continued to be maintained, which is an important factor in building people's confidence in the leadership and administration of the entire political system.

After nearly 15 years, Resolution No 3 of the Central Committee (10th Tenure) on strengthening the leadership of the Party in the fight against corruption and wastefulness, especially since the establishment of the Central Steering Committee on anti-corruption (February 1, 2013), under the direct and comprehensive leadership of the Party, anti-corruption work has made strong progress, achieved many remarkable results, making an important contribution to the construction and rectification of the Party, maintaining political stability and socio-economic development of the country.

Notably,2021 will witness a change that strengthens the determination to prevent and fight corruption and maintain discipline in the country. It was September 10, 2021, at the meeting of the Politburo to give opinions on the project "Amendment and supplementation of functions, tasks and powers of the Central Steering Committee on anti-corruption", the Politburo has agreed on the name "Central Steering Committee for Anti-corruption”.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong said: "The struggle to prevent and reverse the deterioration of political ideology, morality, lifestyle, and manifestations of "self-evolution" and "self-transformation" has been led, directed, implemented drastically, with clear changes, however, there are still many shortcomings and limitations. The state of deterioration in political ideology, morality, lifestyle, and the expression of "self-evolution" and "self-transformation" internally is still complicated.

The spirit of maintaining discipline and law of the country continued to be clearly demonstrated through the fourth plenum of the 13th Party Central Committee (from October 4 to 7, 2021). With great success, the fourth plenum of the 13th Central Committee discussed and issued Conclusion No. 21-KL/TW on promoting the building and rectification of the Party and the political system; resolutely prevent, repel, and strictly handle cadres and party members who have degraded in politics, morality, and lifestyle, showing signs of "self-evolution" and "self-transformation".

Compared with the Resolution of the 4th Plenum of the 12th Party Central Committee, Conclusion No. 21-KL/TW has expanded the scope, not only in building and rectifying the Party but also in building the political system in the spirit of the 13th Party Congress. The conclusion states that the higher requirement is to resolutely prevent, repel, and strictly handle cadres and party members who have degraded in political ideology, morality, lifestyle, manifesting "self-evolution", "self-transformation".

A prominent new point in the goal stated in Conclusion No. 21-KL/TW is to step up the building and rectification of the Party and the political system in order to improve the Party's ruling capacity and fighting strength; the effectiveness and efficiency of the State's operations, the operational efficiency of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and socio-political organizations; resolutely fight against individualism. In addition, the conclusion of the 4th Plenum of the 13^th Central Committee also added the tasks and solutions to "resolutely and persistently fight against corruption and negativity; strictly handle violating cadres and party members".

Even in 2021, a series of corruption cases that have caused great damage has been handled seriously. Typically, the case of Dinh La Thang, Trinh Xuan Thanh and accomplices occurred at the Ethanol Phu Tho project; the case at Nhat Cuong Company, Thai Nguyen Iron and Steel Company. Most recently, the violation case at Viet A Company was investigated by the Government, the Prime Minister directed the Ministry of Public Security to conduct an investigation and prosecute violators.

Turn “danger” into “opportunity”

All efforts from the central to local levels have gained people's confidence in the leadership of the Party, the direction and administration of the Government as well as of the ministries and branches, from that creating strength to help Vietnam rise up to overcome difficulties. By the end of 2021, Vietnam has gradually turned "danger" into "opportunity", initially achieving good results.

There are impressive numbers that Vietnam has achieved in the context of complicated pandemic developments, such as it achieved and exceeded a number of economic targets with an estimated GDP increase of 2.58%; import-export for the first time reached US$668.5 billion, bringing Vietnam into the group of 20 leading economies in terms of international trade. Many investors are still looking to Vietnam with billions of dollars in capital. It can be affirmed that GDP in 2021 is estimated to increase by 2.58%, which is a great success for our country in disease prevention and maintenance of production and business.

More importantly, since the implementation of Resolution 128-NQ/CP dated October 11, 2021, promulgating the temporary regulation "Safely adapting, flexibly, effectively controlling the Covid-19 pandemic", the situation of pandemic prevention and control in our country has seen positive changes. Most localities still reasonably maintain production and business activities in places where conditions are eligible, limit disruptions to production chains and supply chains, and make positive changes in stabilizing people's lives, recovering and continuing socio-economic development.

The country has gone through 365 challenging days, but the steady development path and the country's position continue to be improved, the economy gradually improves, businesses are revived, and every citizen is taken care of is an important result that Vietnam has achieved with the strength of national unity.

That foundation creates a solid momentum for the country to enter 2022 with a new spirit, greater determination, more drastic, for a powerful and prosperous Vietnam.