Party General Secretary and President To Lam (third from left) presents the Ho Chi Minh Orders to former Party and State leaders. Photo: VNA  

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam on August 18 affirmed that the most meaningful tribute to previous generations is the responsibility and concrete actions of today’s generation to build a stronger and more prosperous Vietnam.

He made the statement at a meeting with former members of the Party Central Committee's Politburo and Secretariat in different terms, as well as members of the 13th-tenure Party Central Committee who are not continuing their positions in the 14th tenure, and to present Ho Chi Minh and Independence Orders and Party membership badges on the occasion of the 81st anniversary of the August Revolution (August 19) and National Day (September 2).

At the event, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung presented a report on the country's socio-economic situation and Party building work in the first half of 2026, as well as key tasks for the second half of the year and the coming period.

Participants offered candid and profound opinions, highlighting risks and shortcomings that should not be underestimated and proposing practical solutions to strengthen solidarity, better the Party building work and the State apparatus, promote national development and improve people's lives.

General Secretary and President Lam expressed his deep respect and gratitude for major contributions of former Party and State leaders. Across different positions and periods, they helped shape development policies, safeguard revolutionary achievements, advance the renewal process and international integration, and lay important foundations for the country's present development.

He stressed that looking back on the past 81 years, particularly four decades of the Doi moi (Renewal) process, Vietnam has every reason to be proud of the stature and potential built by the Party, late President Ho Chi Minh and the Vietnamese people. From a war-ravaged country once under blockade and embargo, Vietnam has become a upper-middle-income, developing country, which is deeply integrated into the world, and has strengthened national defence and security and an increasingly enhanced international position.

These achievements are the result of the Party's leadership and the strength of national unity, as well as the intelligence, efforts and sacrifices of generations of Vietnamese people, including former Party and State leaders, he noted.

The top leader emphasised that the tasks ahead do not allow complacency or hesitation. In implementing the Resolution of the 14th National Party Congress, Vietnam must shift strongly from policymaking to action, from organisational restructuring to improving operational quality, and from political determination to tangible results that people can see, feel and benefit from.

He called for continued efforts to strengthen the Party's comprehensive leadership, improve its leadership and governance capacity, uphold national independence and socialism, and maintain solidarity based on the Party principles, Political Platform and Statutes, and national interests. Officials, particularly those holding senior positions, must set examples, uphold integrity, take responsibility and act for the common good.

General Secretary and President Lam also stressed the need to build a streamlined, strong and effective State apparatus, with every task clearly defining its objectives, responsibilities, deadlines, resources and expected results. Development must increasingly rely on productivity, knowledge, science and technology, innovation, digital transformation and human resources, while ensuring rapid growth goes hand in hand with sustainability, resilience, technology mastery, and improved position of Vietnam in the global value chain.

The General Secretary and President underscored that people must remain at the centre of all policies and that national development must serve their legitimate interests and ensure they fairly benefit from the country's achievements.

He also called for greater care for people who rendered service to the nation and intensified efforts to search for, collect and identify the remains of fallen soldiers. National independence and self-reliance in the new era must also encompass strategic autonomy in the economy, technology, data, energy, food, water resources and human resources, the leader noted.

Concluding his remarks, General Secretary and President Lam said the most worthy tribute to previous generations is the responsibility and action of today's generation, while the greatest responsibility toward future generations is to create solid foundations and better conditions for the country's continued advancement.

At the meeting, the top leader presented the Ho Chi Minh Orders to five former Politburo members: former President Luong Cuong; former Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh; former Secretary of the Party Central Committee and former Chairman of its Commission for Internal Affairs Phan Dinh Trac; former Standing Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh; and former Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen, in recognition of their great and particularly outstanding contributions to the revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation.

On the occasion, Party and State leaders also presented the first- and second-class Independence Orders to former members of the Party Central Committee in recognition of their prominent achievements during their service, contributing to the cause of socialism building and national defence.

Also at the event, General Secretary and President Lam and other Party and State leaders presented 60-year, 45-year, 40-year, and 35-year Party membership badges to incumbent and former Party and State leaders./.