Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Ha Noi, April 18 (VNA) -- The ninth National Representatives Congress of the Communist Party of Viet Nam, CPV, will open tomorrow, Apr. 19, morning at Ha Noi's Ba Dinh Hall.

The announcement was made by Head of the CPV Central Committee's Commission for Ideology and Culture Huu Tho, also spokesman of the congress, at a press briefing held in Ha Noi this morning.

The four-day congress will be attended by 1,168 delegates, including 139 women, accounting for 11.9 percent of the total. Of all delegates, 152 are members of Vietnamese ethnic communities or almost 13 percent of the total, and 151 are servicemen, 12.9 percent of the total.

The eldest delegate to the congress is Tran Van Quang, 84 years old, President of the Viet Nam War Veterans Association, who also attended seven previous Party congresses. The youngest delegate is Nguyen Thi Mai, 31 years old, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Committee of Phu Luong district, northern Thai Nguyen province.

Thirty-four international delegations from all continents will attend.

Addressing the briefing, permanent member of the Political Bureau Standing Board of the CPV Central Committee Pham The Duyet said the coming Party congress will take place at a time of historical significance. The congress is a milestone in the national renovation process over the past 15 years, and in the implementation of the 1991-2000 socio-economic development strategy. It is the first congress in the 21st century, Duyet noted.

He told reporters that the congress will to review and evaluate the achievements and shortcomings over the recent past; map out orientations and tasks for national development in the coming period; set measures to further strengthen the Party's leadership and combating capacity; encourage and mobilize the strength of the entire people to continue renovation, boost national industrialization and modernization, build socialist Viet Nam and take it to a better future. The ninth congress of the CPV is a congress of "wisdom, democracy, unity, and renovation", reflecting the staunch will and the great hope of the entire Vietnamese people for a prosperous people, a strong country, an equitable, democratic and civilized society.

Over the past six months, draft documents to be submitted to the congress were made public by the CPV Central Committee. Party committees at all levels discussed and gave comments to those documents. Two months ago, the CPV Central Committee publicized the draft Political Report by the CPV Central Committee, eighth tenure, to be presented to the ninth congress to ask for comments and suggestions from the entire Vietnamese people living at home and abroad. The collection of comments and suggestions made by the people was conducted in a careful, respectful and democratic way and became a wide political movement, receiving warm response from the people.

The Party Central Committee has received millions of opinions from revolutionary veterans, Party members at grassroots levels, officials, members of the armed forces and people of all nationalities from the plains to mountain, border and island areas. This reflects the close relationship between the Party and the people who consider the cause of the Party as their own.

Mass media agencies have published or broadcast thousands of these opinions. The Party Central Committee's Document Compilation Board has collected these opinions and supplemented many of them to the Political Report before submitting it to the Party Central Committee for approval at the last two sessions. As a result, the Political Report to be presented at the coming National Party Congress reflects the intellect of the entire Party and people as well as their unified will before the destiny of the nation.

The Ninth Party Congress will consider and decide a number of issues relating to amendments and supplements to the Party Statute, including the formation of the Party Central Committee's Secretariat, the abandonment of the Standing Board of the Party Central Committee's Political Bureau, and the process of selecting Party Central Committee personnel.

The Ninth Party Congress will elect a new Party Central Committee comprising members with the best political quality and revolutionary virtue and the best qualifications and ability to implement the Congress resolutions.--VNA