General Secretary and President To Lam call for ending campaign-driven investment and resisting subjective planning

General Secretary and President To Lam stressed that, in planning, it is not possible to build today in a way that will be outdated tomorrow, be unsynchronized, hard to connect, and difficult to exploit. The national conference to study, learn, and implement the Resolution of the second plenary session of the 14th Party Central Committee, organized by the Politburo and the Secretariat, took place this morning (April 13). Overcome the mindset of local administrative boundaries, departmental silos, and short-term, term-based thinking. Speaking at the conference, General Secretary and President To Lam emphasized that every party cell and organization, every cadre and member must understand correctly, comprehend deeply, and strictly implement the Party’s regulations, considering it a direct political responsibility. He cautioned, “do not understand differently, act differently, and certainly do not apply rules in a way that advantages oneself.” All regulations must be implemented uniformly, synchronously, and consistently from top to bottom, tied to rigorous inspection and supervision, and sanctions for violations; at the same time, commend good, creative practices in line with regulations. The conference included a discussion on shifting away from a development mindset centered on local boundaries and short-term administrative interests. The state should transition from the role of direct investor to that of designer and creator of an environment in which all social resources are mobilized and allocated according to market signals within a transparent, stable institutional framework. On that basis, the roles of various capital sources should be redefined within a new development structure where capital does not exist in isolation but interacts, amplifies, and steers other flows. State capital must be correctly positioned as seed capital and catalytic capital to shape development space, reduce initial risks, and subsequently mobilize and activate private and foreign capital. Capital from the private sector and foreign direct investment should be directed toward high value-added manufacturing, creative and innovative projects, and knowledge-based value chains. Foreign borrowing should be used according to strategic selectivity, linked to absorptive capacity and long-term debt servicing ability, prioritizing key infrastructure and sectors with high spillover potential. Notably, the General Secretary and President underscored the importance of unlocking people’s capital as a strategic breakthrough in the new development phase. When activated effectively, this resource can transform into a powerful domestic growth driver, enhancing the economy’s self-reliance. The General Secretary and President called for eliminating provincial, sectoral, and tenure-based thinking in planning. Planning must be spatially integrated with a multi-target, long-term perspective. If planning is conducted in a closed, siloed, or fragmented manner, it will not open up new development space, may create conflicts, waste resources, disrupt linkages, and hinder overall development. The master plan must reflect a long-term vision such as “eastward orientation opening to the sea” and “north-south spine as the backbone,” while energy planning should be given heightened attention. Without adequate, stable, and affordable energy, industrial modernization and sustained high growth are unattainable. The Chief Leader urged ending investment by campaign, by subjective desires, and by superficial, ex ante approvals. Any project must be evaluated within a coherent master plan and undergo clear, stringent review. Projects should be governed by common standards, potentially in cooperation with other nations, but must form Vietnam’s own standardization framework. “Development cannot be driven by the scale of capital alone or by the number of projects, nor can it rely on rapid disbursement without long-term efficiency,” he asserted. He called for freeing productive capacity and mobilizing social resources so that every person and business can become a driver of growth. Real growth must come from both top-down and bottom-up processes, across every link in the economy—from households and small businesses to enterprises. Trần Thường Vietnamnet