The conference was attended by President Luong Cuong, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man, and Standing member of the Secretariat Tran Cam Tu. Also attending the conference were Politburo members, Party Central Committee Secretaries, and Party Central Committee Executive Committee members.

Attending the conference on behalf of Thai Binh province was comrade Nguyen Khac Than, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee.

General Secretary To Lam delivered a closing speech at the conference.

Delegates attending the closing session of the conference.

Comrade Nguyen Khac Than, Provincial Party Secretary attended the conference.

Historic conference discusses historic decisions

In his closing speech at the Conference, General Secretary To Lam said that the Central Committee members had democratically discussed, listened to, and frankly exchanged many new and important issues and reached a high consensus on important and core contents. The Central Executive Committee voted to pass the Conference Resolution with an absolute majority. This is a historic Conference, discussing historic decisions in the new revolutionary period of our country. The Central Executive Committee reached a high consensus on policies on the organization of two-level local governments: the number of provincial-level administrative units after the merger is 34 provinces and cities (28 provinces, 6 centrally-run cities) with names and administrative-political centers determined according to the principles stated in the submissions and projects; ending the operation of district-level administrative units after the National Assembly resolved to amend and supplement a number of articles of the 2013 Constitution and the Law on Organization of Local Government 2025 (amended); Merging commune-level administrative units ensures that the country reduces the current number of commune-level administrative units by about 60-70%.

The General Secretary said that he agreed on the policy of arranging, streamlining and merging the Vietnam Fatherland Front, socio-political organizations, and mass organizations assigned by the Party and the State at the central, provincial and communal levels as stated in the report and project of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Party Committee and central organizations; the policy of ending the activities of civil servant unions and armed forces unions, and reducing the level of union dues paid by cadres, civil servants, public employees and workers. The Central Committee agreed on the policy of continuing to arrange and streamline the People's Court and People's Procuracy apparatus; ending the activities of the People's Court and People's Procuracy at the high and district levels; establishing a system of People's Courts and People's Procuracies with 3 levels: the People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuracy; People's Courts and People's Procuracies at the provincial, centrally-run city and regional levels (the system of military courts and procuracies remains the same as the current model).

The Central Executive Committee agreed on the policy of amending and supplementing the Constitution and laws of the State related to regulations on local governments to serve the organization and apparatus of the political system; regulations on the Vietnam Fatherland Front and socio-political organizations; ensuring completion before June 30, 2025; effective from July 1, 2025; stipulating a transition period to ensure smooth, uninterrupted operations, in accordance with the plan and roadmap for the expected arrangement and merger.

The General Secretary emphasized that the Central Committee requires the National Assembly, the Government and relevant agencies to closely and effectively coordinate in implementing tasks on institutional improvement. Focus highly on performing these tasks well, strongly innovate thinking and working methods, strive to thoroughly remove institutional barriers, difficulties and obstacles in 2025 to create a legal corridor, create a foundation for development, especially issues related to bidding, budget, public investment, private economy, science and technology, innovation, digital transformation; create a solid and favorable foundation for the revolution in arranging and streamlining the apparatus of the political system; clear bottlenecks and resources; promote thorough decentralization associated with streamlining the apparatus, effective and efficient operations; create new development space for localities and the whole country. The development and promulgation of laws and policies must closely follow the Party's leadership, closely follow the practical situation and the specificity of the revolution in organizational structure, not allowing the situation of waiting for laws and mechanisms to lead to delays and lost opportunities; creating an open, transparent, safe, low-cost business environment; thoroughly handling institutional "bottlenecks" to turn them into resources and competitive advantages, making Vietnam one of the leading countries in administrative reform and creative startups to be able to catch up, go along with, and surpass the leading countries.

Overview of the closing session of the Conference.

Continue to contribute to perfecting the documents of the 14th National Party Congress

Regarding the draft documents serving the 14th National Party Congress, the General Secretary said that the Central Committee unanimously assessed that the drafts this time were edited briefly and concisely (reduced by about 30% - 35%), but the content was quite complete and profound, ensuring both the document nature and comprehensiveness while ensuring high actionability, which can help with immediate implementation, updating and supplementing many major issues, and is a model for the document building of Party organizations. The subcommittees were requested to continue reviewing the Central Committee's opinions, fully supplementing the difficulties and objective challenges that must be faced, the shortcomings and limitations that have lasted for many terms and have not been overcome, the tasks and solutions to adapt to the new situation, new opportunities and challenges with new thinking, new revolutionary ways of doing things, surpassing oneself to ensure proactive, autonomous, fast and sustainable development; At the same time, it requires party committees in the process of preparing and organizing the congress to focus on thoroughly discussing tasks and solutions to continue contributing to perfecting the documents of the 14th National Party Congress and the documents of their own congresses...

Regarding the work of organizing the development and implementation of the Party Charter, the General Secretary stated that the Central Executive Committee discussed, gave opinions and basically agreed to approve the draft direction for personnel work of the 14th Party Central Executive Committee; supplementing personnel planning for the 14th Party Central Executive Committee; contents of amendments and supplements to the Central Executive Committee's Regulations on the implementation of the Party Charter; Regulations on the Party's inspection, supervision and discipline work; contents of amendments and supplements to Directive No. 35-CT/TW dated June 14, 2024 and Conclusion No. 118-KL/TW dated January 18, 2025 of the Politburo on party congresses at all levels towards the 14th National Congress of the Party; Direction for the election of deputies to the 16th National Assembly and People's Councils at all levels for the 2026-2031 term. The Central Committee requests that the Politburo, Party committees, Party organizations, and relevant agencies urgently implement the contents agreed upon and approved by the Central Committee.

Regarding the immediate tasks, the Central Executive Committee requested that, immediately after the Conference, Party committees, Party organizations, agencies, units, localities and leaders immediately deploy the work. Regarding the organization of congresses at all levels in merged and consolidated localities, the General Secretary noted that regarding documents: Provincial levels must promptly supplement and complete the documents of their congresses on the basis of the new draft documents of the Central Committee. For provinces that are merged and consolidated, the Standing Committees must discuss with each other to develop the documents of the new Provincial Congress. Documents must be developed in the spirit of "open development space" of the new province.

The Central Committee requested the sub-committees preparing for the 14th Congress to promptly receive additional comments and suggestions, complete the draft documents to be sent to the Party Congresses at all levels for discussion and comments, continue to complete the draft documents, and report to the Central Executive Committee at the 12th Central Conference for cadres, Party members and people to discuss and give opinions.

The work ahead is very complicated, the reality of life is urgent, the people and party members are waiting, the tasks ahead are very heavy and difficult, the General Secretary stated clearly, the Party Central Committee believes that, promoting the tradition of solidarity, resilience and indomitability of the nation, under the talented and wise leadership of the Party, the joint efforts, consensus and struggles of the entire Party, the entire people and the entire army, we will definitely overcome all difficulties and challenges, and excellently complete the set goals, targets and tasks.

Nguyen Hinh

(synthetic)