Communist Review - In the modern regime, regardless of any State and society, it is led by a definite class through a political party representing that class. A monoparty in power, or a duoparty or a multiparty in changing hands to hold power, is due to the correlation of political force stipulated in each country. The Communist Party of Vietnam is the single political party in power, leading the State and society, due to the correlation of force stipulated in Vietnam, selected by history, trusted by the people and assigned with the important tasks provided by the Constitution and affirmed by abilities and effectiveness of leadership.

In the umpteen systematic sobotaging activities of the hostile forces, the distortion and denial of the leading role and the ruling responsibilities of the Communist Party of Vietnam have always been the key point, undertaken in a frantical and violent manner. They have deliberately “ignored”, “evaded” the chosen facts of the national history towards the genuine and vanguard revolutionary party which is fully capable of leading and naturally eliminating the worthless organizations that have berayed the national interests and run counter to the people’s aspirations. They have distorted a homogeneous only ruling party as “totalitarianism”, “undemocracy” to applaud the pluralism, multi-party, sparing no efforts to deny the democratic facts within the Party and the mechanism to promote the democratic strength of the entire society of the Communist Party of Vietnam. They have launched attacks on the clauses stipulated by the Constitution, affirming the ruling status and the leading role of the Communist Party of Vietnam in conformity with the Constitution and the law; slandered and distorted the Communist Party of Vietnam as “standing above the law”, deliberately “forgetting” the principle that every Party organization and member must operate within the framework of the Constitution and the law, practicing the power in accordance with the law.

This writing has contributed to making clearer that the Communist Party of Vietnam’s social and State leadership is an objective inevitability, reflecting the legitimacy of the Constitution-stipulated power selected by history, entrusted by the people with the important tasks and absolutely followed by the people, particularly it has been checked in fact by its abilities, prestige, capacities and ethics of a genuine revolutionary Party which has implemented its leading mission and ruling responsibilities for the benefits of the country-nation, for the people’s prosperity, freedom and happiness.

1. In eary 20^th Century, in face of the challenge posed by history being the national liberation in close association with the class liberation, social liberation and human liberation, a lot of forces and organizations with different ideologies had risen up for national salvation and national liberation, but all were ended in failures. These failures had posed an inevitable demand that there must be a political party fully capable of charting the correct and creative line and revolutionary method, having capacity and prestige to gather together the national forces and international solidarity, then it could be able to shoulder the important responsibility of leading the revolution. The Communist Party of Vietnam that came into being on February 03, 1930 had responded well the historical requirements, overcome the mistakes and shortcomings of the previous patriotic movements. The Commnist Party of Vietnam had come to the political arena, held the mission of leading the nation, attracted a lot of progressive patriots who had given up their class standpoint and volunteered to shift to the working class standpoint, striving to stand in the rank of the Party after having been educated and been conscious of the Party’s revolutionary ideal. Other political forces were either disheartened or degenerated, or even betrayed the interests of the nationa and country, compromised and surrendered the colonialists and imperialists, resulting in not only losing their political presitge, but also avoided by the people; only the Communist Party of Vietnam was the only political force that had sufficient leading abilities and qualities and was absolutely trusted and followed by the people to make revolution for self-liberation. Since its birth, the Party’s leading abilities and prestige have been affirmed all through the revolutionary process. The Communist Party of Vietnam’s coming into being and its role of leading the people to struggle for national liberation, construction and defence of the socialist Fatherland are the objective inevitability, meeting the historical demands of the revolution. The facts have affirmed that the Party’s correct leadership is the decisive element for all victories of the Vietnamese revolution.

A Party with 15 years of age, with only 5,000 Party members, had led the people to make the August Revolution in 1945, “breaking the shackles of 80-year-slavery of the colonialist regime, doing away with the thousand-of-year long feudal regime, setting up the Democratic Republic of Vietnam – the first People’s Democratic State in Southeast Asia, ushering in the most rediant new epoch in the glorious history of the nation” (1). The successful August Revolution, the power belonging to the people, but in face of the frienzied opposition of the internal and the external enemies, the Party released the Declaration “To dissolve to its own accord” (November 11, 1945) (2), in essence, it had withdrawn into secret operation. In the condition that it was impossible to operate openly, the solid maintenance of the Party’s leading role towards the State had been of ever more important significance, particularly institutionalizing the Party’s line into the 1946 Constitution, bringing into full play the role and prestige of leader Ho Chi Minh in a capacity of the national President, enhancing  the vanguard, example and prestige of the communists in the State apparatus. The Party’s leading role was affirmed by the prestige and sacrifices of so many Party members in the prisons of the colonialist and imperialists; by the abilities and intellects, daring to face and resolve effectively the challenges threatening the existence of the country-nation; by the examination in the coalition government with many parties with the trenchant theories and the convincing practical basis. This fact had convinced not only the non-Party members and accepted the Party’s leading role, but also the opponent political forces (Viet quoc, Viet cach) did not dare to oppose openly the Party’s lines and policies which won the hearts of the people, for the interests of the country-nation.

Having entered the resistance war agains the French colonialists and the US imperialists for national salvation, while the anti-communist forces followed to act as the henchmen for the foreign aggressors, the traitors to the country to seek honours, other political forces, though having the national spirit, lacked abilities  3and prestige and were eliminated naturally, the Communist Party of Vietnam continued to affirm its abilities, intellect, capacities, qualities and prestige to lead the nation and the people. The people continued to recognize, obsolutely trusted the Party’s leading role and volunteered to stand under the Party’s banner; the Party’s leading role was also affirmed by the correct and creative revolutionary lines and methods; by the involvement and sacrifices of the Party members and communists on the most difficult fronts; by the realities of the do-or-die revolutionary fight that none of the other political forces could be able to replace; by the bravery to admit the mistakes and shortcomings before the people so as to constantly perfect and lead the revolution to advance forward. The victories of he two resistance wars for national liberation and the war to defend the Southwestern border, to defend the Northern border of the Fatherland are the vivid practical evidences affirming the abilities and constitution of the Communist Party of Vietnam in the revolutionary leadership. In the war conditions, even though the Party had directly led it in various aspects, it had always attached importance to promoting the role and strength of the State to organize the economic, cultural and social development, to build the national defence and security and expand the foreign relations potentials; to building the great rear of the North and directly running the war resistance on the Southern battle field; promoting the domestic strength and the international strength; coordinating the military fight with the diplomatic struggle.

Having entered the socialist construction on the nationwide scale right after the national reunification day, the Communist Party of Vietnam’s leadership has been institutionalized in the Constitutions. When having stood before the mistakes and shortcomings caused by the subjective and voluntary diseases, the Party has bravely “looked squarely at the truth, pointed out the truth” and initiated the comprehensive national renovation. The Party’s comprehensive national renovation line has met the people’s legitimate requirements and aspirations, conformed to the epochal trend, for a Vietnam of “a rich people, powerful, democratic, equal and civilized country”.

Building a socialist rule-of-law State has got an extremely important role to defend and promote the human rights, the civil rights, and enhance the Party’s leading role in the new conditions. Leading through the State has become the primary important mode, affirming the Party’s ruling status when the political power has been legitimized I the public power, the Party’s line has been institutionalized, the State’s resources and strength have been used to render the effective services to the construction and defence of the socialist Fatherland.

The realities of the revolutionary struggle and the construction and defence of the socialist Fatherland have affirmed that the Communist Party of Vietnam’s correct leadership is the primary element deciding all the successes of the Vietnamese revolution. When the Communist Party of Vietnam is in power, it has all the more conditions to use the State’s strength to struggle against all the forces that have run counter to the interests of the State and the people, and materialized its fine goals and ideals. The Party’s leading role towards the State and society has been affirmed through the national realities that it has conformed to the people’s aspirations and willpower and has been stipulated by the Constitution. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Vietnam from a semi-feudalist, colonialist country has become an independent and free country, developing on the socialist road; the people from the slaves’ status have become the masters of the country, of the society; the country has got rid of the state of an underdeveloped,  backward and poor country to have entered the ranks of the middle-income countries with its status being improved ever higher in the region and the world. Never has our nation had such a career, status, potential and prestige as today.

2. The Communist Party of Vietnam has led the State and society with the role and position of a sole Party in power, operating within the framework of the Constitution and the law, under the supervision of the people and bearing the responsibility before the people concerning its decision. The essence of the ruling Party is to lead the administration and thus it has ensured that the State power belongs to the people; the people are the masters of the State and society. The essential issue for a ruling communist party is to rule in a scientific, democratic way and abide by the law on the basis of keeping solidly the purity and the strength of the Party organizations, of the cadres and Party members and the flesh and blood ties between the Party and the people (3). The rulling Party has led the State, but without the homogeneity of the Party’s power with the State’s power. The Party’s power is the political power, reflecting in the abilities and intellect with the correct and clear-sighted program, line and instructions having been mapped and institutionalized into the Constitution and the law; selects and introduces the excellent prestigious Party members so that the people vote them to the organs of the State power, and through which materializes the Party’s willpower by all the strength of the State apparatus. The State’s power is formally the public power, but in essence it is the political power, because any political force that wants to carry out its targets and ideals shall also have to look for ways to seize the power, use the State’s strength to serve its political goals. This stipulates that the State has the function of political rule and the social function (public authority), ensures that the uniformity between these two functions as the basis to solidly maintain the revolutionary nature of the State and constantly promote democracy in society, and ensures that the State is of the peoole, by the people and for the people.

That one party, dual-party or multi-party exists in each country is provided by the historical-concrete conditions and by the correlation of political forces without having a common pattern for all countries. In Vietnam, before 1988, apart from the Communist Party of Vietnam that led the administration, there were also two other parties taking part in state affairs: The Democratic Party of Vietnam and the Social Party of Vietnam. These two parties were set up through the mobilization of the Communist Party of Vietnam, and they admitted the leading role of the Communist Party of Vietnam and they were not the opposition parties. In 1988, the two parties declared to be dissolved after having had completed their historical missions.

In the political-legal documents in Vietnam, the term that the Party leads the State and society is used popularly and officially. The concept of the Party that leads the administration and the Party that is in power, even though the connotation is different, have the close and complementary relations, particularly in the condition that the only party is in power and leads the State and society. When seizing the power, the Party could not be able to complete its leading mission without through the State apparatus, without being able to implement satisfactorily its ruling responsibilities, without fully using its public authority and the State’s strength to serve its fine goals and ideals. The Programme of national construction in the transitional period towards socialism (added and developed in 2011) affirmed: “The Communist Party of Vietnam is the ruling Party and leads the State and society” (4).

The Communist Party of Vietnam’s ruling position stipulated by the Constitution reflects the content of power and responsibility of the Party in the political system, in the relationship between the Party and the political institutions and the political-social institutions: the State, the Patriotic Front, the people’s organizations and the entire society. The Party’s ruling content has been manifested in the fields of social life, in the important mission of the Party towards the country-nation, to protect the revolutionary fruits, in the economic, social and cultural development for the freedom and development of each person.

In the condition of a sole Party in power to lead the State and society, the Party must be strong in politics, ideal, organization and morality, constantly renew and revamp itself, try its best to improve its intellect level, political abilities, leading quality and capacity and ruling capacity.

The Party’s inevitability as the only ruling Party has been affirmed in the sense that the Party represents the interests of not only the working class, but also of the laboring people and the entire nation. This is completely different from the political party in the multi-party institution that it only represents a definite interests group, and in many cases, the party’s local interests contradict and conflict with the common interests of society. As for the Communist Party of Vietnam, any person, irrespective of their origin, when they are conscious of the revolutionary ideal and volunteer to stand with the standpoint of the working class to strive for the Party’s goal and ideal and implement the Party’s Programme and Rules, is fostered and admitted into the Party. The Party has no other interests except for the interests of the class, the nation and the people; the Party has resolutely struggled against any manifestation of factionalism, “group interests”, which not only is the danger of internal division, but also the reduction of the representative capacity for the interests of the working class, the laboring people and the nation.

The Communist Party of Vietnam’s inevitability as the only ruling Party to lead the State and society has been affirmed as being emblematic of the Party’s intellect and ruling capacity. The intellect and the ruling capacity have been manifested in making the correct and clear-sighted line and revolutionary method, bringing about independence to the nation and freedom and happiness to the people. Having the correct and clear-sighted line and leading method thanks to the fact that the Party has always applied creatively and developed Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh thought and closely followed the realities and the epochal trend. The democratic leading method has been paid attention to by the Party, from the democratic promotion within the Party to the expansion of social democracy. Regarless of any situation, the Party has always followed the realities, respected the objective law, received the extensive ideas of the people of all strata to complete its line and leading method. The Party has always thought highly of reviewing the realities, inclining towards the grass-roots, listening to the people’s opinions to make the Party’s line always reflect the people’s requirements and aspirations and conform to the subjective law…. As the only Party in power, but the Party has not fallen into  the state of “monologue” as the hostile forces have distorted; on the contrary, the Party has always respected and listened to the people’s debate opinions without having a prejudice against any opposite opinions of constructive and responsible character in the interests of the country-nation. This has reflected clearly when building the Programme, lines, instructions and great policy, particularly when preparing the Party Congress, the discussion and contribution of opinions to build the Party documents have become a lively, intensive and extensive political activity in the entire Party and people; all the contributed opinions have been generalized, sorted out and accepted to the maximum, thus making the Party’s documents really become the intellectual product of the entire Party and peole, promoting to the highest degree the people’s role in participating in the Party building.

The Communist Party of Vietnam’s inevitability as the only ruling Party leading the State and society has also reflected in the ruling ethics. The Party’s correct and clear-sighted line is not only because of its scientific method and its respect for the objective law, but also its morality and conscience, stemming from the interests of the Fatherland and of the people, “anything that is beneficial for the people will be carried out with the greatest efforts, anything that is detrimental to the peole will be avoided at all costs”. When standing before the mistakes and shortcomings, the Party has not hidden; on the contrary, it is brave to admit them before the people and is determined to correct and overcome them so as to advance forwards. Whenever facing the challenges and dangers, all the Party organizations and Party members have always been exemplary and at the forefront, even accepted the difficulties and sufferings. In the market economic conditions, in face of the danger of degeneration of quality, morality and life style, there will be ever stricter requirements for all Party members to heighten their responsibilities, set the good examples, particularly to foster and train their revolutionary morality, resist against all temptations, constantly practise self-criticism and self-correction, constantly perfect themselves, keep their oaths before the Party, and respond to the people’s confidence. Building the Party in terms of morality is determined as one of the four contents of the Party building work in the new time.

Being the only ruling Party, but the Party does not allow anyone to stand above the law; all the Party organizations and Party members have to operate within the framework of the Constitution and the law. The Party’s leadership is expressed in its consistent line in protecting and ensuring the human rights and the civil rights, in perfecting the law system, building the equal relationship between the State and citizens; implementing democracy and enhancing the socialist legislation. Together with the principle of the Party as the leader, the State apparatus is organized and operated on the basis of other basic principles, such as democratic concentration, socialist legislation and especially the principle of the State power is uniform with the distribution, coordination and supervision among the State agencies in implementing the legislative, executive and justice rights. Exercising the power in accordance with the law, the Party points out that the Party’s discipline cannot replace the State’s administrative discipline. Party members who breach the law shall be tried severely, without any exception, particularly the great corruption trials when discovered, prosecuted and tried in recent time show that the Party has always placed itself in the framework of the Constitution and the law. From the early tenure of the 12^th Party Congress to 2019, the Party Committees and the investigation committees at different levels had disciplined 1,111 Party organizations, 18,265 Party Committee members at all levels and 54,573 Party members, in which the Party Central Committee, the Political Bureau and the Secretariat had disciplined 8 Party organizations, 45 Party members; the Investigation of the Party Central Committee had disciplined 111 Party members, in which 92 cadres under the management of the Party Central Committee (2 Politburo members, 21 Party Central Committees members and former members, 38 officers in the public police force and the army (23 of them were the generals) (5).

3. The Communist Party of Vietnam’s role towards the State and society stipulated by the Constitution is an objective requirement of the building of the socialist rule-of-law State. Even though the 1946 Constitution did not stipulate the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the Party’s role had always been expressed throughout the content of the Constitution and in the revolutionary realities.

The 1959 Constitution affirmed the leading role of the Party in its preamble: “Since 1930, under the leadership of the Indochinese Communist Party, now the Labour Party of Vietnam, the Vietnamese revolution had advanced in a new stage”; “Under the clear-sighted leadership of the Labour Party of Vietnam, the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and President Ho Chi Minh, the entire people united largely in the Unified National Front will win the glorious victories in the socialist building in the North and in implementing the national reunification”.

Article 4 in the 1980 Constitution stipulates: “The Communist Party of Vietnam, the vanguard army and the fighting staff of the working class of Vietnam, armed with the Marxist-Leninist theory, is the only force to lead the State, to lead the society; is the factor that decides all victories of the Vietnamese revolution. The Party exists and strives for the benefits of the working class and the Vietnamese people. The Party organizations operates within the framework of the Constitution”.

The 1992 Constitution, amended and added in 2001 (called in short as the 1992 Constitution), institutionalized the renovation line of the entire Party, inheriting the 1980 Constitution on the Constitution stipulation of the Party’s leading rule. Article 4 of the 1992 Constitution stipulates: “The Communist Party of Vietnam, the vanguard force of the working class, the loyal representative of the interests of the working class, the laboring people and of the entire nation, following Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh thought, is the leading force of the Sate and society. All the organizations of the Party operate within the framework of the Constitution and the law”.

Inheriting the 1980 Constitution and the 1992 Constitution, the 2013 Constitution continues to affirm: The Communist Party of Vietnam is the leading force of the State and society. Article 4 of the 2013 Constitution together with the affirmation of the Party’s leading role adds and developes the important contents on the position and role of the Communist Party of Vietnam; affirms and makes it clearer and fuller the essence and the leading role of the Party: “The Communist Party of Vietnam – the vanguard of the working class, at the same time the pioneer of the laboring people and the nation of Vietnam, the representative loyal to the interests of the working class, the laboring people and of the entire nation, taking Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh thought as the ideological foundation and is the leading force of the State and society”. Clause 2, Article 4 of the 2013 Constitution adds a new content, expressing clearer the Party’s role and responsibility toward the people: “The Communist Party of Vietnam has closely bound with the People, served the People, is under the People’s supervision and is responsible before the People for its decisions”. These additional stipulations not only continue to affirm the revolutionary essence, the vanguard role of the Party, but it is also the first time it has institutionalized legally the Party’s political and legal responsibilities to serve the people; the Party is under the people’s supervision and is responsible before the peole for its decisions. Both the two ways of relationship: the Party with the people and the people with the Party have been defined dialectically and in essence, it resolves the relationship between the ruling force and its social basis.

The people is the social base, the source of the powerful strength of the Party; that is why, serving the people is the reason for the Party’s existence. All of the Party’s instructions and lines, the State’s policies and laws must win the hearts of the people, stemming from the people’s legitimate interests and aspirations, the Party’s ideas must be connected with the people’s hearts. Article 9 of the 2013 Constitution has institutionalized the role of the Vietnam Fatherland Front as the political basis of the people’s administration; the Front undertakes the supervision and social debate and takes part in the building of the Party and the State. President Ho Chi Minh affirms: “Anything that is beneficial for the people will be carried out with the greatest efforts, anything that is detrimental to the people will be avoided at all costs” (6); “If we want to be loved by the people, if we want to win the people’s hearts, first of all we have to love the people, we have to place the people’s interests above all else” (7). In His Will, He wrote: “Our Party is a ruling Party”, the Communist Party of Vietnam’s leadership is the element that decides the victory of the Vietnamese revolution. President Ho Chi Minh considers the Communist Party of Vietnam’s leadership of the State and society as a principle expressing the Party’s ruling role and responsibility. The reason why the Communist Party of Vietnam has an honour to hold that great important responsibility because “the Communist Party of Vietnam is organized to lead the laboring masses to struggle to eliminate the capitalists and imperialists and implement a communist society” (8). So, “The Party is not an organization to make mandarins and to make rich. It has to fulfill its duties of national liberation, making the Fatherland rich and powerful and the people happy” (9); “Apart from the interests of the nation, of the Fatherland, the Party has no other interests” (10).

The stipulations that the Party must be under the people’s supervision and the people take part in the Party building are of significance in both “build” and “opposition”. The people exercise their right to social supervision through promoting the supervisory function of the people-elected bodies towards the State, first of all, towards the Party members joining the State apparatus, using the power and resources of the Dtate in effective service of the people. The people undertake the supervision and social debate through the Vietnam Fatherland Front, the political and social organizations and carry out the direct criticism and contribute opinions to the cadres and Party members. The Communist Party of Vietnam is the only Party in power, therefore, this stipulation makes a contribution to implementing the examination of the political power and the State power.

In the condition that the Party became the ruling party, President Ho Chi Minh stressed that the Party building and revamping had to be regarded as the Party’s constant work. He was clearly conscious of two aspects of power: power had the great strength, if it was correctly used with ethics, it would have positive effect in transforming the old things and building the new things; on the contrary, power had also a very terribly destructive strength when a man with a post and power became degenerated, using their immoral power and the public authority for their private interests, usurping their power and abusing their privileges and advantages. Before He passed away, He advised the whole Party: “The things to be done first of all is to revamp the Party, making each Party member, each Youth Union member and each Party cell strive to fulfill the tasks assigned by the Party and to serve the people wholeheartedly” (11).

4. The Party leads the State and society by the scientific leading method, first of all, it leads through the State and rules by the law. The correct leading method both ensures the enhancement of the Party’s leading capacity, brings into full play the function of the State, promotes the socialist democracy and expresses the Party’s ruling legitimacy.

The Programme of national construction in the transitional period to advance to socialism (added and developed in 2011) determines that the fundamental contents of the Party’s leading method comprises: (i) The Party leads with its Programme, strategies, the orientations in terms of the great policies and instructions; (ii) the Party leads by the propaganda, persuasiveness, mobilization, organization, examnination and by the exemplary actions of the Party members; (iii) The Party unifies the leadership of the personnel work and the management of the contingent of cadres, introduces the outstanding Party members with good abilities and qualities to work in the leading agencies of the political system; (iv) The Party leads through the Party organizations and the Party members operate in the organizations of the political system, enhances the personal responsibility regime, particularly the leader, and constantly improves the ruling capacity and the leading effectiveness.; (v) The Party takes the lead in the political system, at the same time is part of that system. The Party is closely associated with the people, under the people’s supervision and operates within the framework of the Constitution and the law (12).

The basic constituent of the Party’s leading method comprises: the leading instruments; the system of the relations and the relation mechanism between the Party and the society, the State and the political system; the system of the accessing methods and the leading style. The basis of the leading mode stems from the status and role of the Communist Party of Vietnam in a capacity as a ruling Party, having an important responsibility to the national development. The Communist Party of Vietnam’s leading and ruling role is not in its owns interests, but it is stipulated by the historical mission, the Party’s responsibility for the nation and the people; is the people’s requirements of assessment and evaluation of the abilities and prestige of the leading force that is tasked to take the nation to development. Fully aware of this issue is of extremely important significance for each party organization and Party member when they determines their personality, responsibility and obligation in each leading position in terms of the marco aspect as well as in each locality and grass-root, thus making a contribution to guarding against and limiting the abuse of assigned power to pursue their personal interests, causing harm to the Party’s prestige and image which have been made and recognized throughout the historical process. Aware fully and correctly of the leading role and the ruling responsibility of the Communist Party of Vietnam is one of the ways to guard and combat against subjectivisim and authoritarianism in the leadership and in the guidance, particularly the state of taking upon themselves the function of the State.

In each historical period, due to the demand of the revolutionary tasks and the change of environment, the situation and the leading mode of the Party should be renewed to adapt to them. In the stage of international integration and the building of the socialist rule-of-law State, the Party’s leadership starts from the requirements of bringing into fuller play the State’s function in terms of management and development. Only on he basis of ensuring the Party’s leadership can the State be able to solidly hold its revolutionary essence, promote democracy, organize and operate in accordance with the law, respond the requirements, aspirations, the people’s legitimate and legal rights and interests. Its nature is really the mechanism “The Party is the leader, the State is the manager and the people are the masters” which is institutionalized in combination with the responsibility of each subject, each member of the political system in all the relations. The Party’s leading mode towards the State is stipulated by the objective characteristics and the fundamental function of the State organizational system and the character of the Party’s leadership towards the State; reflects the relationship between the goal and means, the condition to reach the goal or in a broader sense of the word, it is the relationship between the function of the system and the mechanism of implementation.

Enhancing the Party’s leadership is aimed to ensure that the State operates in accordance with the Constitution and the law, carries out much better the protection of the legitimate and legal rights and interests of all organizations and individuals, for freedom and happiness of human beings and the sustainable development of the country. The yardstick of measuring the correctness and prestige of the Party’s leadership in the end of the day should be expressed in the efficiency and effectiveness of the State’s operation. Abilities, effectiveness of operaion, social prestige of the State are judged not only by the party organizations, but also based on the open and democratic assessment of the people, community and society. The Party’s leadership towards the State is not at the central level, but aso at the loca level, manifested in the relationship  between the Party bodies and organizations with the State’s bodies and organizations at all levels. To implement the Programme and strategy of the economic and social development, the Party excercises its leadership of the State and other institutions in the political system. This is the great orientations for the economic, cultural and social development,  the fundamental viewpoints of the policies on the domestic and foreign affairs. The Programme, strategy, correct, scientific and epochally suitable line are the basic conditions for the Party to bring into full play its leading role towards the State and society. This is the Party’s role, responsibility, status, political power and legitimacy.

The State’s responsibility is to institutionalize in time the Party’s instructions and lines into the policies and the laws and to organize the implementation of these policies and laws in a timely and thorough manner. The leadership of institutionalization is an important content, manifesting the ruling by law and the Party’s willpower is expressed by the strength of the law. The Party’s leadership toward the institutionalization guarantees that the law is implemented with equality without bias, reflecting correctly the will, rights and legal interests of the people; eliminates all manifestations of “group interests”, possibly “being planted” in law and policy making, particularly in the condition that “the interest group” have the complicated mobilizations, often finding ways to bend the policies to seek profits, causing damage to the common interests.

The leading method of the Communist Party of Vietnam is the democratic, educational, persuading method and with the prestige of the Party members. The Party does not use order and force. This is the difference between the Party’s leading method and the State’s managerial method.

The leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam towards the State and society has been determined by the Constitution. This is the Constitutional stipulation of the relationship between the Party and the State and society: The Party leads the State and society. The Party organizations and Party members operate withint the framework of the Constitution and law (13).

The leading style of the Communist Pary of Vietnam is expressed in the form of propaganda, persuasion, mobilization and by the exemplary activities of the Party members. The Party leads in accordance with the democratic concentration, the collective unit leads, the individual takes charge of; it encourages the good deeds, redress the mistakes, promote the proactive, creative and responsible spirit of individuals.

The Party’s leading method occupies the great position and role in the mechanism of materializing the Party’s leading goals. The Party’s leading method starts from the national and epochal practicalities, from the realities of the Party building work in our country; it reviews and adds frequently so as to develop theory and settle well the problems posed by the realities (14).

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The leading effectiveness of the Communist Party of Vietnam is the vivid evidence refuting all the allegations of the hostile forces that have slandered and denied the Party’s leading role and ruling responsibility; affirms the inevitability that the Vietnamese nation and the Vietnamese people need the Party’s leadership to protect solidly the national independence, sovereignty, reunification and territorial integrity and strategic interests, to implement the aspirations of national self-strengthening and build successfully socialism. In the current situation, the renewal of the Party’s leadership towards the State and society is of special importance which is urgent more than ever in combination with the demand for the building of the socialist rule-of-law State. The renewal of the Party’s leadership is aimed at improving the Party’s leading capacity and ruling responsibility, strengthening more the effectiveness and efficiency of the State’s management, making the socialist democracy promote ever fuller, particularly the mobilization and attraction of the people to participate in the Party building and the State management, implementing better the protection of the legitimate and legal rights and interests of the people, taking the country to the fast and sustainable development./.

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(1) Nguyen Phu Trong (2020), To continue to follow the glorious path of President Ho Chi Minh; the entire Party, entire people and entire army pledge to inherit loyally and outstandingly His career ,Communist Review, No. 943, June 2020.

(2) Until the second Party Congress (February 1951), when there was a favorable condition, the Party operated openly, taking the name of the Labour Party of Vietnam.

(3) The Party Central Committee’s Organizational Commission: A number of issues concerning the ruling party and the Party building work in the new situation (The document used to foster for the promotion exams of senior specialists in the Party block and the mass organizations in 2011), Hanoi, 2011, pp. 1-2

(4) The Document of the 11^th National Party Congress, The National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2011, p. 88

(5) The national conference reviewing the examination, supervision and discipline of the Party in 2019, The Party Building e-magazine, http://www.xaydungdang.org.vn/Home/thoisu/ 2020/13503/Hoi-nghi-toan-quoc-tong-ket-cong-tac-kiem-tra-giam-sat.aspx

(6), (7) Ho Chi Minh, Complete works, ibid, Vol. 4, p. 51, 52

(8) Ho Chi Minh, Complete works, ibid, Vol. 3, p. 5

(9), (10) Ho Chi Minh, Complete works, ibid, Vol. 5, p. 249, 250

(11) Ho Chi Minh, Complete works, ibid, Vol. 15, p. 616

(12) The Document of the 11^th National Party Congress, ibid, p. 88, 89

(13) The Constitution of Socialist Republic of Vietnam, The National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2013, pp. 9 - 10

(14) Pham Ngoc Quang: Renovation, Perfection of the leading mode of the Communist Party of Vietnam, The National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2008, p. 32

The Communist Review, online version (July 3^rd, 2020)