Various experts from different sectors made their assessments and forecasts on the nation’s forthcoming development path amid the ongoing 13th National Party Congress, an event which is running from January 25 to February 2.

Gregory B. Poling, a senior fellow for Southeast Asia and director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said that the 13th Party Congress will conduct a thorough review of economic and diplomatic policies over the past decade. In addition, those participating in the event will put forward adjustments for the following five years.

The general target will continue to be turning the nation into a high-income country in 2045, Poling stated, adding that the country enjoyed an average growth rate of 6% over the past five years. Indeed, last year saw the Vietnamese economy grow by 2.9%, despite being seriously impacted by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

According to Poling, the Vietnamese Government has achieved a stunning success due to its total containment of the pandemic, whilst simultaneously reducing its impact on the local economy.

Furthermore, expert Le Hong Hiep of Singapore’s Institute of Southeast Asian Studies stated that the nation will continue to pursue a strategy of extensive economic integration and expansion, alongside multilateralisation and modernisation in terms of international relations.

Having new competent and experienced leaders will be essential for the country in responding to future challenges. This includes maintaining economic growth in an unstable context caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, ongoing anti-corruption work, and difficulties caused by increasing trade tensions between the United States and China, Hiep stated.