Party General Secretary and State President To Lam called for an overhaul in the methods used to rally the people, aiming to better harness the strength of great national unity as he addressed the 11th National Congress of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) for the 2026-2031 tenure in Hanoi on May 12.
The gathering drew former and incumbent Party, State, Government and National Assembly leaders, senior ministry officials, war veterans, heroic Vietnamese mothers, and 1,136 delegates representing the VFF’s chapters, intellectuals, ethnic and religious groups, the army and overseas Vietnamese.
Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Committee of the VFF and Central Mass Organisations, and President of the 10th-tenure VFF Central Committee Bui Thi Minh Hoai delivered an opening speech. A political report was then presented by Standing Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the VFF and Central Mass Organisations and Vice President and Secretary General of the 10th-tenure VFF Central Committee Ha Thi Nga.
“People are the root” - Guiding principle in Front affairs
In his address, General Secretary and State President Lam stressed that the VFF’s 11th National Congress marks the beginning of its new stage of development, with a new standing, organisational model, tasks and requirements. The congress must clearly define what the VFF should do, and how to do it, so it can continue serving as the convergence point for public trust, a reflector of public aspirations and a protector of people’s legitimate interests, while connecting and unleashing the power of great national unity to deliver development goals through 2030 and a vision to 2045.
In the new era, great national unity is not only a spiritual tradition, but also a national development capacity and a source of strength to unlock resources and creativity, create social consensus, and safeguard the country early and from afar. Unity now means respecting legitimate differences, harmonising interests, taking national interests as common ground, and rallying all patriotic Vietnamese around the aspiration to build a peaceful, independent, democratic, strong, prosperous, civilised, and happy Vietnam, he said.
For the 2026-2031 term, the top leader outlined five key groups of tasks and stressed that the principle “people are the root” must steer all Front activities. Every guideline of the Party, policy and law of the State, and every agenda of the Front, campaign and movement must spring from the needs, aspirations, rights and legitimate interests of the people, with the clear goal of improving their material and spiritual well-being.
Each Front event, movement, and campaign should pivot from broad-based launch to concrete gains, from slogans to measurable results, and from formality to substance. Activities should be easy to understand, remember, and carry out, with clear goals, assigned responsibilities, deadlines, and measurable impact on people’s lives, he added.
Under the new organisational model, the structure may become more streamlined, but its outreach must broaden; administrative layers may shrink, but activities must move closer to the people, the Party General Secretary and State President stressed.
Safeguarding people’s interests, strengthening social consensus from grassroots level
Party General Secretary and President Lam underscored the need for the VFF to improve the quality of social supervision and feedback, as well as participation in Party and State building, describing them as its key functions. Social feedback is not intended to make things difficult for State agencies, but to ensure policies are more practical, transparent, feasible and people-centred, he stressed.
He urged the VFF to better mobilise experts, scientists, legal professionals, intellectuals, entrepreneurs and reputable community figures, while relying more on data, social surveys and grassroots feedback. Mechanisms must also be put in place to ensure that recommendations are dealt with, preventing legitimate public concerns from being overlooked.
The leader highlighted the importance of safeguarding people’s practical interests and building social consensus from the grassroots level, stressing that consensus must be grounded in democracy, dialogue, listening and the protection of legitimate rights, rather than superficial agreement.
He also outlined the vision of building a modern VFF with streamlined operations, people-oriented officials, substantive digital transformation and long-term strategic mindset. Following the introduction of the new organisational model, the Front should proactively review and address bottlenecks in coordination, task allocation and relations with member organisations to ensure smooth, efficient and non-bureaucratic operations.
According to the Party and State leader, front officials must stay close to the people, listen carefully, speak truthfully and follow issues through to resolution instead of relying solely on reports. He stressed the need to effectively operate digital platforms so citizens can submit feedback and recommendations anytime and anywhere, including through a round-the-clock digital front portal, a “month of listening to the people” initiative and a provincial social trust index.
At the same time, the VFF should prioritise theory research and practical reviews on great national unity, socialist democracy and people’s rights, while advising on a national unity strategy through 2035 with a vision to 2045.
Party General Secretary and President Lam called on Party committees, organisations and administrations at all levels to enhance awareness of the VFF’s position and role, genuinely respect and listen to its opinions, and create favourable conditions for it to perform its duties effectively.
He stressed that recommendations from the front’s supervision and consultation activities must be treated as an important channel for improving leadership and governance, with authorities responsible for receiving, explaining and responding clearly to such feedback.
The leader directed that immediately after the congress, the VFF Central Committee, and committees at all levels and member organisations must to swiftly turn the congress's resolution into concrete action plans with clear priorities, responsibilities, timelines and outcomes, ensuring the spirit of the congress reaches every residential area and grassroots movement.
Highlighting the VFF’s nearly century-long tradition of accompanying the nation, Party General Secretary and President Lam expressed his confidence that the Front, with support from the Party, State and people at home and abroad, will continue to grow stronger, more substantive and more effective in the 2026–2031 tenure, serving as the core of the great national unity bloc and a trusted bridge between the Party, State and people.
He called on all Vietnamese people, both at home and abroad, to strengthen solidarity, uphold patriotism and self-reliance, and work together to successfully implement the Resolutions of the 14th National Party Congress and the 11th VFF National Congress, thus building a peaceful, independent, democratic, strong, prosperous, civilised and happy Vietnam that is steadily advancing towards socialism./.
