Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong speaks at the event. (Photo: VNA)

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong thanked the Vietnam War Veterans’ Association (VWVA) and all veterans and former soldiers nationwide for their remarkable contributions to national building and safeguarding cause while attending the VWVA’s 7th National Congress in Hanoi on December 30.

Agreeing with a report delivered at the congress, the Party leader affirmed that the Party, State and people believe and put their full faith in the "Loyalty - Solidarity - Exemplariness - Innovation" of associations at all levels with the goals, targets, tasks and operational measures set out for the new term.

He asked associations at all levels to continue protecting the achievements of the revolution, contributing to defeating all conspiracies and expedients of "peaceful evolution", and "depoliticisation of the army" of hostile forces; and remain an active political force that takes the lead in participating in the construction and protection of the Party, State, people and Socialist regime.

These associations should regularly collect opinions on socio-economic development, and defence and security policies, and report them to Party committees and authorities at all levels.

The VWVA should also participate in the fight against corruption and negative phenomena; bring into full play all resources and preferential policies related to veterans; and improve the quality of the movement encouraging veterans to help each other reduce poverty and conduct business effectively, Trong stressed.

Speaking at the congress, Chairman of the sixth-tenure VWVA Sen. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Van Duoc said the association now has more than 3 million members, and includes 8,652 businesses, 1,752 cooperatives and 3,677 cooperative groups. Associations and clubs set up by war veterans have been established in all 63 cities and provinces.

Reviewing major achievements recorded by the association from 2017-2022 despite a range of difficulties and challenges, especially those caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Duoc said that the association’s members have played an active part in refuting wrongful, hostile viewpoints, protecting the Party’s ideological foundation, and combating corruption and other negative phenomena, as well as and crime.

The association has also fulfilled the tasks of building and protecting the Party, the State, people and socialism, contributing to maintaining political stability at a grassroots level.