Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Newly re-elected President Tran Duc Luong has vowed to work closely with the National Assembly and the government to make Vietnam's internal and external policies a success.

"In my position, I pledge to uphold my sense of responsibility and work together with the National Assembly's Standing Committee, the government and other agencies and organisations to carry out successfully the country's internal and external policies as well as to ensure national defence and security in line with the Party's guidelines, meeting the people's aspiration."

Mr Luong made the pledge in an address to the National Assembly after he was re-elected as president of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on July 24.

The president described national construction and economic development as the central task and called for greater efforts to make full use of internal strengths, keep the economic growth at a high rate and ensure sustainable development in line with national industrialisation and modernisation.

He also called for concerted efforts to help the country avoid being further left behind economically by promoting active international economic integration and the gradual building of a socialist-oriented and independent economy.

"Economic growth must be linked with the comprehensive development of social life in order to ensure social equity, create more jobs for people, promote poverty reduction, increase health care for people, better carry out the policy of social welfare towards those who have rendered great services to the nation, ensure environmental protection and pay more attention to the rural regions, especially mountainous, off-shore, isolated and remote areas," Mr Luong said.

"All policies of social development must ensure that people of all walks of life throughout the country benefit from the fruits of our current national renovation process," he stressed.

The president said that cultural, educational, training, scientific and technological development must be regarded as the objective of, and the fundamental momentum for, development, reflecting the nature of Vietnam's socialist-oriented political system.

"Education-training and science-technology must become the top priority of Vietnam's policy," he emphasised, adding that the government and people must do their utmost to make sure that national identity is not lost during the process of cultural modernisation.

Mr Luong also touched on national construction and defence which, he said, are "two intertwined strategic tasks."

"Entering the 21st century, many complicated and unpredictable developments have been seen in the international and regional situation. Therefore, our government and people must stay vigilant and consequently enhance our national defence and preserve political stability, public security and social order in favour of national construction and development.

During the current context of globalisation and economic integration, he pointed out that the Vietnamese State and people are determined to persistently pursue a foreign policy of independence, sovereignty, openness, multilateralisation and diversification of international ties. Vietnam wants to befriend and be a reliable partner of all countries in the international community, striving for peace, co-operation and development.

The Vietnamese State will take part with an active and constructive sense of responsibility in activities of international and regional organisations and forums of which Vietnam is a member. Vietnam attaches special importance to developing relations with neighbouring countries, traditional friends and countries playing a significant role in international and regional issues, Mr Luong said.

He went on to say that the resolutions of the Ninth National Party Congress, the resolutions of the Party Central Committee and the National Assembly have time and again put stress on the task that is both urgent and significantly decisive: building a socialist State of law of the people, by the people and for the people.

"Our State must exercise the people's right to mastery under the Party's leadership, and it must perform this most important function well," Mr Luong stressed.

Reality is requiring that judicial reform be carried out immediately, Mr Luong further said. This reform must be implemented in a uniform manner, combining the renovation efforts with the upgrading of quality and effectiveness of the operations of judicial agencies at all working stages, from investigation, prosecution to trial, as well as of judicially supporting agencies and organisations.

The judicial reform is aimed at highlighting legal institutions and building a judicial system that is equitable, democratic and transparent for the people, he continued, adding that in order to avoid letting criminals go unpunished and causing injustice to the people, it is a must to build up a contingent of honest and righteous judicial cadres, to reward those who merit it, and give due punishment to those who are corrupt and break the law.

"If we create such strong changes in renewing legislative operation, in administrative and judicial reform's key areas as mentioned above, we will certainly make important contributions to increasing the effectiveness and flexibility of our State, effectively fight social evils including red-tape, corruption, lack of responsibility and the wasteful and luxurious lifestyle that are worrying the people in the country," Mr Luong said.

Ending his speech, Mr Luong called on the entire compatriots and soldiers in the country, as well as overseas Vietnamese, to promote the tradition of patriotism, national pride, intelligence and courage, to increase the invincible strength of the people's solidarity and to push up the patriotic emulation movement in order to successfully carry out the national industrialisation and modernisation and firmly defend the Vietnam Fatherland. (VNA)