The Address by Le Manh Hung, Secretary of the Party Committee and Acting Minister of Industry and Trade, at the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam

Distinguished members of the Presidium,

Distinguished delegates,

On behalf of the Party Committee of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, I would like to express my strong agreement with the Political Report and the documents submitted to the Congress by the 13th Central Committee of the Party.

With the permission of the Presidium, I would like to present this policy statement on the theme: “Developing an Autonomous, Connected, Modernized Vietnamese Industry and Trade Sector with Green and Digital Transformation, and Effective Integration into Global Production and Supply Chains.”

Distinguished Congress,

During the 2021 - 2025 term, our economy has demonstrated resilience, weathered significant challenges, and achieved highly important and comprehensive results, with many notable highlights as outlined in the Political Report.

Within these overall national achievements, the Industry and Trade sector has made active and meaningful contributions in its role as a strategic pillar, one of the key drivers of socio-economic development, steering the country toward autonomy, connectivity, modernization, green transformation, digital transformation, and deep, effective international integration. Key highlights include:

(1) Industrial production has recovered clearly, achieving relatively strong growth (averaging 6.1% per year), with the manufacturing and processing sector growing by an average of 6.9% per year. This has served as a key engine and leading force for growth, promoting national industrialization and modernization. The localization rate has improved, and several spearhead industries have successfully integrated into and affirmed their positions within global value chains.

Le Manh Hung, Party Committee Secretary and Acting Minister of Industry and Trade, delivers a policy statement entitled “Developing an Autonomous, Connected and Modernized Vietnamese Industry and Trade Sector, with Green and Digital Transformation, and Effective Integration into Global Production and Supply Chains.”

(2) The energy sector has developed robustly, rising to become the largest power system in Southeast Asia. National energy security has been ensured, basically meeting the requirements of socio-economic development and the people’s livelihoods.

(3) Import and export activities have consistently been a bright spot, recording impressive growth with an average annual rate of 10.9%. Trade surpluses have been maintained at high levels, contributing to foreign exchange reserves and helping stabilize key macroeconomic indicators.

(4) The domestic market has developed positively, with an average growth rate of 7.7% per year, serving as a “shock absorber” that has helped the economy remain resilient and recover quickly from external shocks. E-commerce has grown strongly, with an average annual growth rate of over 20%, providing momentum for the development of the digital economy and leading digital transformation within enterprises.

(5) International economic integration has been implemented in a synchronized and effective manner. Access to preferential export markets through 17 free trade agreements has helped boost exports, attract foreign investment, enhance competitiveness, and promote economic restructuring toward a more modern model.

Alongside these achievements, Vietnam’s industry and trade sector still faces a number of difficulties and shortcomings that need to be addressed, as identified in the Political Report. Specifically:
(i) Technological autonomy, value added, and labor productivity in industry remain low; the development of foundational industries and core technologies is still limited; and the transition to green and smart production has been slow.
(ii) Energy infrastructure has not kept pace with the rapid development of renewable energy sources; the regional structure of power supply remains imbalanced, and the development of baseload power has been sluggish.
(iii) Export activities lack diversification, generate low value added, and remain heavily dependent on imported inputs and the foreign-invested sector.
(iv) Commercial and logistics infrastructure is not yet synchronized, and costs remain high.
These shortcomings stem from both objective and subjective causes, arising from global developments as well as domestic factors.

Distinguished Congress,

Our country is entering a new era, an era defined by science and technology, innovation, green transformation, digital transformation, and deep international integration. In this context, to further promote the development of industry and trade, contribute to the comprehensive and successful implementation of the Resolution of the 14th National Congress of the Party, and make commensurate contributions to national development in this new era, the Party Committee of the Ministry of Industry and Trade is determined to focus on effectively carrying out the following key tasks:

First, improving institutions and policies. Institutionalize the Party’s guidelines on socio-economic development and the acceleration of industrialization and modernization into synchronized, feasible policies, and organize their effective implementation. Strongly promote the “dual transition” combining green transformation with the safeguarding of national energy security, alongside digital transformation, as a strategic breakthrough to create a favorable investment and business environment, remove bottlenecks, mobilize resources, leverage traditional growth drivers, and create new ones.

Le Manh Hung, Acting Minister of Industry and Trade.

Second, restructuring industry and trade in close linkage with science, technology, and innovation. Renew thinking and accelerate the restructuring of the industry and trade sectors toward higher productivity, quality, efficiency, and competitiveness, with the goal of raising the share of manufacturing and processing industries to 28 - 30%. Science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, and green transformation will serve as the primary driving forces. Priority will be given to mastering emerging industries and building a number of large domestic enterprises capable of leading key sectors with competitive advantages, serving as nuclei for industrialization and modernization. Energy, industrial, commercial, and logistics infrastructure will be developed in a synchronized and modern manner, oriented toward green and smart development.

To successfully implement these key tasks, the Party Committee of the Ministry of Industry and Trade proposes the following solutions for the sector’s development in the coming period:

First, continue to provide leadership and direction to refine and elevate major policies on national industrial and trade development toward autonomy, modernization, green transformation, and digital transformation; clearly identify manufacturing and processing industries and energy as the critical material foundations of an independent, self-reliant economy.

Second, strongly renew thinking in the formulation and enforcement of laws toward a development-enabling approach. Implement controlled pilot mechanisms to promptly remove bottlenecks and unlock resources, and on that basis, review and scale up appropriate models.

Third, concentrate state resources while mobilizing social capital to develop synchronized and modern energy, industrial, logistics, and commercial infrastructure; create conditions for the private sector to participate in investing in and operating key infrastructure segments, while ensuring system security, safety, and national interests.

Fourth, steadfastly pursue the policy of enhancing the capacity of domestic enterprises through comprehensive solutions, viewing this as a strategic requirement for strengthening the economy’s self-reliance.

Fifth, promote international economic integration in a proactive, substantive, and effective manner, closely linking integration with the enhancement of economic autonomy while giving due attention to the sustainability of growth.

The Industry and Trade sector commits to transforming its mindset from “management” to “enabling,” standing alongside enterprises, proactively unlocking resources, and turning challenges arising from green and digital trends into opportunities for breakthrough development, thereby contributing to the country’s overall progress.

I wish the Presidium and all distinguished delegates good health and happiness.

Wishing the Congress great success.