Vietnam from the viewpoint of Development Doctrine

The question on development, the orientation of development of a country, a nation shall not be relevantly answered or found out if status quo of the country and that of the world are not identified

     Phan Tân

1. Identification of Vietnam’s status quo

Over the long history of country construction and national sovereign protection, generations and dynasties had made an independent and distinctive Vietnam that defeated thousand years of the Northern feudal domination and its target of identification. It is the culture subconscious base that affirms the longevity of Vietnamese nation.

The tremendous sacrifice of generations’ lives was marked in the protection and construction from the southernmost point called “Mũi Cà Mau” to the “first border landmark” Móng Cái, from the range of mountain Trường Sơn to spacious Paracel and Spratly Islands. The grief caused by the war has made the call of Peace remains up till now as an echo in each of each Vietnamese’s subconsciousness.

In the new era, the era of integration and development, Vietnam has opened its cooperation with European Communities, normalized diplomatic relations with the United States and joined ASEAN, WTO, APEC and TPP in the coming time as well as many economic, political and security institutions.

However, although the institution has set a sound target system and universal values to the development of “wealthy people, strong country, democratic, fair and civilized society”, so far the development has been partly toddling; socio-economy as well as national security and defense and its relations to create the stability and development still perform immaturity.

What is the reason?

The continuous development of science - technological revolution worldwide has made a profound change to material and spiritual production as well as the social life. Globalization has been actively occurring and resulting in multi-line impact to all nations and countries; in addition to the liberalization as main orientation, there have been movements against liberalization; the intertwined development trend of conflict/clash and cooperation/compromise between different development doctrines, different systems of development values, different civilizations. The world geopolitics - economy - finance seems to be restructured; balance of great countries has shifted from multipolar into unipolar and bipolar in a short time. The non-traditional threat of security has developed more and more com-plicated, forcing nations to cooperate for prevention and response.

The “Đổi mới” policy launched by the Communist Party of Vietnam untied certain economic restriction and was thought to be transformed into “dragon” or “tiger”. However, the construction of an economic infrastructure from an inessential, misleading and inferior base in combination with the backdated management have resulted in unobtainable strategic objectives or achievements and results that are not worth the invested time, effort and properties as well as opportunities.

Poor development planning leads to the massive exploitation that causes exhausted natural resources and temptation of instant profit regardless the long-term effectiveness; no adequate consideration to all the aspects related to economic, cultural and environmental efficiency; no consideration to the price that people have to pay for wasting much of what is being used; no stoppage to conserve natural resources.

Achievements of “Innovation” have been intensively and widely propagated; however, in almost 30 years of “Innovation” (1986-2015), per capita GDP has just reached 2,000USD (not to mention 40 years since the country reunification in 1975) while other countries with lower starting point like Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia have already passed us many times. Low income with an increasing gap between the rich and the poor makes it becomes more and more difficult for the dream of a universal society, a society with social inequality at low level as the Nordic countries to come true.

Not only the economic has not been successful but moralities and culture are also severely degraded. Evils are raging in the society come up on the newspapers every day. Discipline and ethics are thought little; social conventions are low; superstitions come to the throne. Human dignity can be offended easily and life of human can be regarded as of little value. The degeneration of many civil servants is revealed through corruption and bribery, lack of example following, and irresponsibility of authorities and leaders. The press and media have not played proper role of social morality oversight. These results in reversed scales of social value. Self-esteem and dignity are overwhelmed by cunning and deceit.

Relationship between the citizen and the state is reversed with the common sense: the government is afraid of the people for the law, the people are afraid of the government for the “law - power”.

Education is regarded as “the first national policy” but lack of the overall strategic vision, determination to pursue an identified philosophy of education, and synchronized plan from organizational structure to the implementation of educational activities, resulting in the more reforms the more backward. The young generation is at risk of deviance development in both intelligence and personality due to obvious classification of education. Health care is not properly focused and paid attention to, increasing rate of morbidity is the price that Vietnam has to pay for the type of unsustainable economic development. Deceitful business practices have caused polluted environment and poisonous food. Teachers and physicians are those traditionally respected by the society but the degradation in morality and “envelop culture” of a group have made this fine tradition be fading away.

Science and technology are in short of a proper strategy; a pathway of science and technology haven’t been identified; significant orientations of great necessity for the country development haven’t been focused to be able to generate meaningful results. These are the reason why most of research findings are “filed on the shelves”.

Internal resources of the country is too weak so that after being globally integrated no or little opportunity is enlisted to develop from but on the contrary dominated by external resources. The country encounters the challenge of historical lag that contemplates conscientious people.

Such situation requires us to take action - we have no way back.

2. Vision - The Road to Development

Historical lessons from thousands of years of feudal dynasties in Vietnam shows that, changing a government or an institution is not difficult, as the government evinces the purpose of oppression, arbitrariness and autocracy, people have the right and duty to change, to build a new administration for them in the future. This state has also taken place in many countries around the world and was also clearly reflected in the Declaration of Independence of the United States (1776).

In the current opportunity, with its forces and existing resources, only the Communist Party of Vietnam will be able to implement a new revolution (2nd, 3rd Innovation). The Party needs to further reform themselves in term of thinking organizations to lead the nation to a new era, the era to reinforce and promote the strength of the entire nation to become a wealthier and autonomic country. Solution for the development of the nation must be identified.

1) Acceptance of all advanced ideas worldwide and quintessential ideas of humankind beside selective elite from Marxist - Leninist doctrine to catch up with the era’s development,. We should neither be bound with a solely ideology nor be far from Hồ Chí Minh’s ideology;

2) Establishment of political regime of democracy - jurisdiction, for the People, not for oneself. Respect for the Constitution, exercise of democracy to assert “Who wins Whom”. Respect for and implementation of fundamental human rights, especially the freedom of press, freedom of speech, and freedom of association, the right to protest within the framework of law, equality before the law that allows by the Constitution. Ensuring the freedom of this people not to violate the rights and freedoms of others;

3) Development of a modern market economy; establishment of new production relations nuclear of which is the ownership of different types of assets. Focus on the balance and harmony of not only economic areas and sectors but on the development of areas and regions to narrow the gap between the rich and the poor, between urban and rural areas, between outstanding development and difficult and slow-developing areas;

4) Promotion of endogenous strength of the culture; preservation of the essence of traditional culture as the foundation for all social activities; acculturation through integration for the development and modernization of social relations in a civilized manner;

5) Democratization and humanization of education so as to scientifically implement and modernize the training process. Respect for the freedom of academy and thought in university as well as in the intellectual, cultural and art activities. Focus on the development of basic research on both natural sciences and social sciences and humanities;

6) Investment and building up of confidence in the rural health care facilities, health care facilities at lower levels; universalization of medical insurance coverage so that people are able to access health care services with low fees;

7) Human development and completion of Vietnamese people’s personality to be kind, able to show shame, and tolerant. Setting of an example and spirit of service, construction of a public mechanism and democratization to elect talented and righteous leaders who are able to meet requirements of the nation, to be trusted by the people and respected by the world. The talented and righteous candidates regardless of being Party members or not should be considered the appointment to important positions.

8) National unity producing synergy with the decisive role for innovation and development. Acceptance of and reconcilement with dissidents of the same development goals, for the request to increased internal resources to develop the country and for the risk of invasion. Acceptance of religious freedom and equal treatment between religions;

9) National sovereignty and interests are supreme and sacred and should be protected in all circumstances, by the strength of great national unity. Vietnam respects the interests and sovereignty of other countries and nations but also firmly protects its legitimate interests and sovereignty;

10)  Diplomatic policy of Vietnam is to be friendly with other countries all over the world. Vietnam would like to be friend with all other countries, is willing to execute bilateral and multilateral cooperation, respect sovereignty of others for the interest of both sides. Vietnam will never be tributary state of others if it is able to utilize the intellect of the entire nation. Vietnamese people go abroad not only for economic or marriage reason as the paramount purpose but to learn and to spread values of the country as well as of the mankind;

11) Sustainable economic development associated with sustainable social and environmental development. Restrict to the minimum use of energy and the raw, and non-renewable resources which has become more and more exhausted that the Earth offers us.

Building democratic polity, protect national independence, territorial integrity and national sovereignty; ensuring people to have the right to freedom and ownership, constructing an economy of prosperity and wealth. Owner cannot be undermined, Sovereignty can not to be deterred, Ideal cannot be faded away, Objectives stay unchanged, the Unchanging and consistent is ensured by the variable which is flexible, strategic, perspicacious and suitable with the changes of Era, growth of the World and the development of Force.

To develop under the laws, in compliance with the people, at the right time - these are vital requirements for the Prosperity of the country, in the condition of the new history - do not create a wallow pond to swim in the immense ocean.