The Vietnamese nation, stretching from Lung Cu mountain in the north to Ca Mau cape in the south, looks like a ship heading towards the sea. Its captain – the Communist Party of Vietnam – is aware that it will be confronted with numerous difficulties when sailing through the vast waters. From experience over the past 80 years, we are always confident that the Party, the State, the Fatherland Front and other organisations from the central to grassroots levels will steer the ship through the storm no matter how violent it may be.
The ship, fuelled by the internal strength of the socialist-oriented market economy, is gathering speed in the course of industrialisation and modernisation. The ship, like a bloc of great national unity led by the Party and managed by the State, is heading towards socialism in the light of Marxist-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought.
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| The southern cape of Ca Mau |
Vietnam is integrating into the world to affirm itself and to stand shoulder to shoulder with foreign friends. International integration is closely linked to the task of national renewal carried out by its people over more than 20 years. This is the process in which Vietnam has taken part in international cooperation to make full use of internal and external resources to expand relations and create a favourable environment for development, and at the same time, to establish the most appropriate position for itself in the world arena.
There is no denying that international cooperation is a complicated process, requiring nations to cooperate with each other and settle differences at the same time. Each nation and each ruling administration pursues different, even opposing objectives and interests.
Developed capitalist nations led by the US not only seek to make a profit but also try to impose the capitalist mode of production and the values of the US and western countries on the whole world.
Meanwhile, developing and underdeveloped nations want to make the most of globalisation and international integration to better themselves. Nations that have selected or are following the socialist path focus on economic development and active engagement in globalisation and international cooperation to seize opportunities for development.
Before setting sail, the captain has to plan an itinerary for the ship to follow so that it can weather the storm to reach the golden shores of happiness. Similarly, the government has to take into account the pros and cons as well as immediate and long-term effects of the integration process in order to come up with appropriate solutions to run its economy smoothly.
The bottom line is that Vietnam must integrate its socio-economic development strategy into the global economy within the frameworks of bilateral and multilateral cooperation to make its goals and roadmaps more practical, effective and harmonious.
To avoid negative social effects, it is necessary to balance relations between the rights and obligations of the nation and other international institutions, between national socio-economic development tasks and external requirements, and between economics on the one hand and culture, social affairs, security and national defence on the other.
With strong determination and effort, Vietnam will overcome difficulties and meet its goal of building a powerful nation with a rich people and an equitable, democratic and civilised society.