The International Meeting on Solidarity, Friendship and Cooperation with Vietnam. Hanoi, September 1st, 2005

The International Meeting on Solidarity, Friendship and Cooperation with Vietnam

Hanoi, September 1st, 2005


The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations
105ª, Quan Thanh Str., Hanoi, Vietnam
Tel: +84-4-845 6303 / Fax:+84-4-733 0201
E-mail:vufocid@fpt.vn; vnmeeting2005@yahoo.com

WELCOMING AND OPENING SPEECH


By Mr. Vu Xuan Hong, President of VUFO

Mr. Pham The Duyet, President of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front.
Mme. Nguyen Thi Binh, former Vice President of the S.R. Vietnam, President of the Vietnam Peace and Development Foundation,
Distinguished guests, Internacional and Vietnamese Friends,

First of all, allow me on behalf of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations to extend our warmest greetings to all distinguished guests ans international friends coming to the International Meeting for Friendship, Solidarity and Cooperation with Vietnam.

We would like to extend our welcome to you as constant friends of the Vietnamese people. You are those who have been providing solidarity with and support for our struggle for national liberation, construction and defense, and are here with us today to share our joy and extend solidarity with us on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. We express our sincere thanks for your presence.

Comrades and friends,

Over the past years, since the early days of the Vietnamese revolution, the Communist Party of Vietnam, President Ho Chi Minh and generations of our leaders that followed have always been attaching great importance to international solidarity and the combination of national strength with that of the times, turning the Vietnamese revolution into a significant part of the common cause of the world people that has become an important factor contributing to the great victories of the Vietnamese revolution.

We remember that during the struggle against the French colonialists’ reoccupation of Vietnam, the front of friends in France and the whole world protesting the unjust war of the French colonialists made important contributions to the victories won in the battlefields, especially in Dien Bien Phu, forcing the French to cease the Indochina war, and the world recognized Vietnam’s independence, unification and territorial integrity with the signing of the Geneva Agreements in 1954.

We are reminded that during the nti-US struggle for National Salvation in the spirit “nothing is more precious than independence and freedom”, peace and justice loving people formed a world-wide front to extend solidarity with Vietnam in protest against the US war of aggression against Vietnam, and the anti-war movement spread throughout the United States. Not only was it a source of encouragement, motivation and invaluable support for our people’s struggle, but also became an extremely forceful political pressure on the political circle in the US and its allies. Solidarity with and support of Vietnam became conscience of the times, constituted a force in contribution to political, military and diplomatic victories of Vietnam, bringing the United States to the table of negotiations which resulted in the Paris agreement to restore peace in Vietnam. During those glorious days, thousands, tens of thousands and millions of international friends, whose names were not fully known to us, formed into the world-wide “Ho Chi Minh generation” in the world that harmoniously coordinated and cooperated with each other in every campaign for solidarity with Vietnam. Our people will always bear in mind the feelings of solidarity and invaluable support extended to us by international friends from all the five continents, contributing significantly to the complete liberation of South Vietnam and reunification of our beloved country.

Comrades and friends,

In the years that followed the end of the war, due to certain objective reasons, foreign media rarely provided coverage of Vietnam, or if any, it was one-sided and insufficient. Taking this oportunity, I would like to brief you on the situation of Vietnam over the last 30 years, especially the Doi Moi, renewal process being carried out by our people under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

Before the war, Vietnam was a poor country, whose economy was mainly agricultural. The was left our country with extremely tremendous consequences. The infrastructure, economy, environment of Vietnam was heavily destroyed. In the second Indochina war alone, in an attempt to bring “Vietnam back to the Stone Age”, the US armed forces utilized twice the tonnage of the bombs and shells used by all warring parties in the Second World War to kill and destroy our country. They poured onto Vietnam 80 million liters of toxic chemicals, including over 45 million liters of Agent Orange that contained enough dioxin to kill the entire Mankind on Earth. The war took 3 million lives, injured 4 million and exposed about 4 million people to orange agent/dioxin. Until today, 30 years after the end of the war, millions are still suffering from the pains due to injuries and diseases, hundreds of thousands of children suffer from birth deformities and defects, some 300.000 cases of Vietnamese Mias have not been accounted for, landmines and unexploted ordnances continue taking lives and threatening to kill peasants and children in many villages in Vietnam.

After the war, Vietnam desperately needed facilities and conditions to overcome the war legacy and to invest in economic development for national reconstruction and improvement of the people living-standards. Unfortunately, during the following 20 years, the US and the West imposed an economic embargo and siege on our country. When Vietnam helped the people of Cambodia overturn the genocidal regime of Khmer Rouge, many countries used this issue to isolate and weaken Vietnam.

Our economy was plunged into stagnation. The centrally planning mechanism, which proved to be effective during the war time, ensuring social equality, yet became unsuitable during the peace time to the conditions of the agricultural production. Productivity was very low. Living in an agricultural country, however, we always suffer from food shortage. In addition, we suffered from shortage of other basic necessities. The overwhelming majority of our people were plunged into hunger and poverty. Inflation in the mid 1980s galloped up to over 700%. At that time, we were actually faced with a serious socio-economic crisis.

Amidst such circumstance, in the mid 1980s, the Communist Party of Vietnam advocated the Doi moi – renewal policy. Let me to thoroughly go into the renewal process we have been implementing over the last 20 years.

In terms of economy, this policy includes the following:

Development of a market economy along socialist orientation. We make use of the market mechanism to enhace the efficiency of the economy corresponding to Vietnam’s level of development to build the economy and increase people’s living standards. We consider market a necessary tool, yet it is the user’s purpose that defines the orientation of market development. Market itself can promote economic growth, but can not lead to social progress. Therefore, the socialist oriented market must be placed under the management of the socialist state. The state with sound policies facilitates sound development of the economy, limits negative aspects, and directs economic activities in service of social needs. Oue major policy in this regard is that economic growth must be accompanied by social development.

Diversification of economic sectors to liberate production forces, mobilize all potentials and resources for development. Meanwhile, the state-owned economic sector continues playing leading role in the multi-sector economy. The state holds the monopoly in areas important to national security, state-owned economy plays a leading role in such important domains as natural resources, railway, aviation, public transportation, electricity, water supply, information and communication, banking...The work of state-owned enterprises is an important factor to bring state policies into life in a socialist-orientes market economy.

Promotion of economic cooperation and enhancement of international integration. We view proper mobilization of the entire domestic resources and potentials as the pre-condition to expand effective international economic cooperation. The fundamental guideline is to ensure national economic sovereignty and cooperation expansion on the basis of mutual benefit.

These policies brought about tangible positive changes of the economy. GDP has been growing continuously at relatively high rates for years, with annual average growth rate of 7%, and 7.7% in 2004 alone. Average income per capita doubled after 10 years. From a country that suffered from shortage o food, with annual imports of about 1 million tons of rice, Vietnam has been able to rapidly increase food production from 17.5 million tons in 1987 up to 39 million tons in 2004. At present, Vietnam is a country with firm food securiry, being the world’s second largest rice exporter, and one among the world’s biggest exporter of agricultural products. Our industry has also been growing rapidly, from 8% growth rate in the 1980s to 12-13% in the 1990s and 13-15% in the early years of the 21st century. Industrial production increased from 29% of GDP in 1986 to 40.5% in 2003. Exports increased by 20-25% anually, 29% in 2004 alone. More foreign direct investment has been flowing in, with current registered capital stock of USD 46 billion and disbursement stock of USD 30 billion. The number of tourists to Vietnam keeps going up annually, by 20.5% in 2004.

In terms of social affairs, the renewal policy includes mainly the following:

People-centered development, economic development facilitating the implementation of social policies and vice versa, the implementation of social policies will promote economic development. Realization of social equity and progress should go paralleled with economic development.

Creating favorable conditions for our people to bring into full play their strength and capability; encouraging people to get rich in a legal manner; meanwhile, the state leading the whole society to concentrate on hunger elimination and poverty reduction, support of the disabled and the disadvantaged.

Considering education, training, science and technology development a priority state policy to develop human resources and a main lever to promote social advancement and sustainable development.

At present, Vietnamese population is 81 million people, among whom 75% live in rural area. Economic development has helped our country to get rid of the socio-economic crisis of the 1980s and improve our people’s life significantly. Human development index rose from 0.498 in 1991 to 0.688 in 2000 and 0.691 in 2002.

Although per capita GDP remains low, which was USD 540 in 2004, the Government reserves 24 to 25% of the state budget for social programs.

Hunger elimination and poverty reduction constitute the primary goal of socio-economic development strategy. The poverty rate according to international standards fell from 75% in 1986 to 58% in 1993, 37% in 1998, 28% in 2002 and 25% in 2004, which is an average decrease of 310.000 poor people annually. In 1991-2000, Vietnam accomplished the millennium goal set by the United Nationas for 2015, which is to reduce the number of poor people by half.

The state continues playing the leading role in the fields of health and education. Vietnam achieved universalization of primary education in 2000. At present, universalization of junior secondary education has been recorded in 30 out of 64 cities and provinces and will be accomplished nation-wide in the next 5 years. School attendants increased from 14.9 million in 1994-1995 to 20.8 million in 2002-2003. At the same time, the number of college and university students rose from 203,000to 1,020,000. Literacy rate in Vietnam is 94%.

Former common epidemics have been successfully controlled. For the past 10 years, the malnutrition rate in children has dropped from 50% to 28%. The infant mortality rate decreased from 44% in 1990 to 29.8% in 2004. Average life expectancy increased from 65 years in 1993 to 71 in 2004.

In terms of laws, Vietnam is in the process of building a socialist law-governed state of the people, by the people and for the people. The National Assembly is the highest legislative body elected every five years by direct and secret ballot. All citizens from 18 and older are eligible to vote and stand for election at all levels. Though we do not have compulsory ballo, the voting rate usually reaches 90%. The Communist Party – the political party leading the country – constantly consolidates a close link with the people. There exists 300 people organizations at the central level and thousands of them nation-wide. Via these organizations, people from all walks of life take part in the political life and the socio-economic development process. 600 central and local newspapers provide the people with news coverage. All people enjoy religious freedom and practice. Women’s role has been more and more increased in our society. Nowadays, 27.3% members of our National Assembly are women. The government pays adequate attention to ethnic minority groups. About 17% seats in Congress are held by minority people.

Together with the administrative reform enhancement for better service of the all rounded reform and socio-economic development, the implementation of the Regulation on grass-root democracy over the past years has facilitated the people to directly master their own life and to participate in state and society management.

Vietnam’s foreign policy of openness, independence and sovereignty has helped bring about a favorable international environment for national construction, development and defense. Today, Vietnam has established diplomatic relations with 170 countries and is an active and responsible member of ASEA, APEC, ARF, Franco-phonie, and ASEM, etc. We attach great importance to consolidation of relations with neighboring countries, time-honoures friends, socio-economic centers and on opening relations with all countries in the world in the spirit that Vietnam is willing to be a friend and a reliable partner of all countries in the international community striving for peace, national independence and development. The principle of relations is respect for independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, solution of conflicts through peaceful means, equality and mutual benefit. In the present world context, that foreign policy has contributed to ensuring peace, stability, and national independence for our development.

Dear friends,

The achievement of our renewal process for years have created new strength and put the country in a better position with new advantages in the way ahead, yet we are still faced with many difficulties and challenges. Vietnam remains a poor developing country with a low per capita income and quality of life as compared with countries in the region and the world. The war consequences still remain heavy. Economic development in the context of an open market economy has give rise to quite a few burning social problems that need to be resolved.

In the international context, the process of globalization has placed great challenges to Vietnam. Unfair international economic order and trade have exerted negative impact on the benefit of millions of Vietnamese workers and farmers. Meanwhile, there exist external forces attempting to sabotage independent and reunified Vietnam and the path our people have chosen. Those forces, under different pretexts which can be very flowery, seek to cause instability to our political system, deeply interfere in our international affairs, nurture plots and elements with an attempt to divide, separate and undermine our great national unity, territorial integrity, and even to overthrow our system.

Those are in ni way small challenges.

However, the path of national independence and socialism charted out by President Ho Chi Minh is in the interest of the basic and long-term benefit of the people from all walks of life and is also the chice of our people. We are strongly convinced that under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, with the strength of the great national unity, we will attain the goal of “wealthy people, a strong country, an equitable, democratic and civilized society, and will successfully build the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

This is also or new struggle. In this struggle, we need solidarity, cooperation and support of international friends all over the world.

Our successes and achievements for the last 60 years are inseparable from the solidarity, cooperaton and support of our international friends. On this occasion, we would like, once again, to express our heartfelt gratitude to all peace and justice-loving people all over the world, your fellow country people, organizations and individuals that have always supported and assisted the Vietnamese people. Thank you very much.

Comrades and friends,

Our meeting today is an oportunity for the Vietnamese people to show our gratitude to international friends, to look back on our history and take a look at Vietnam today. This is also an opportunity for us to exchange ideas and put forward recommendations for the continuation of stregthening of solidarity, frienship and cooperation between us in the time to come.

In this spirit, I hereby declare open the International Meeting for solidarity, friendship and cooperation with Vietnam.

Thank you for your attention!