German daily newspaper Junge Welt (Young World) published an article on January 25 featuring the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam’s nine-day working event to devise future policies, with the focus of the congress on innovation and greater efforts to effectively carry out all set goals.

The 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam convenes
its preparatory session in Hanoi on January 25. 

Junge Welt were joined by many other German newspapers in covering the most important event in the nation’s political calendar.

The article highlights the great importance of the Congress as it involves the country's development path being decided and implemented for the following five years.

Most notably, the 1986 Party Congress was one of the most popular congresses due to the adoption of the Doi Moi (renewal) policy, with this move serving to open up the Vietnamese economy to private economic activities.

The article notes that the Congress was attended by 1,587 delegates who will represent 5.1 million Party members. The most important items on the agenda during the event include the Report of the Party Central Committee, along with discussions on medium and long-term socio-economic development, and the election of the new Party Central Committee.

Furthermore, German newspaper Neues Deutschland (New Germany) reported on January 24 that the 13th National Party Congress is taking place following the nation successfully containing the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Following the enforcement of strict anti-pandemic measures, the nation was able to control the number of infections throughout the entirety of last year, recording only 35 deaths as of January 24.

According to the author of the piece, this represents an impressive achievement in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to this success, the local economy was only slightly affected, with official data showing the country enjoyed a growth rate of 2.9% in 2020.

Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) newspaper also ran an article about the Communist Party of Vietnam holding the 13th Congress on January 24, with Vietnam being among the few countries globally to record positive growth in 2020 despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The media outlet also emphasized Vietnamese success against COVID-19 being recognised by experts around the world, with only 1,500 cases and 35 deaths have being confirmed in the nation. This has allowed the Vietnamese economy to recover ahead of other countries, even recording a growth rate of up to 3% last year.

This comes following a number of experts from research institutes, as well as some German newspapers such as DW and FAZ, publishing articles hailing Vietnamese achievements in combating the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as boosting socio-economic development.

The country is becoming increasingly important to a globalised economy and international supply chains, while the nation’s position in terms of external relations is being increasingly affirmed, according to experts.

Moreover, Reuters reported that the 13th National Party Congress convened a preparatory meeting on January 25. This is the first national congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam since 2016 and features the participation of approximately 1,600 delegates nationwide.

The Congress is set to take place over nine days, with contents largely focusing on policies for the next five years and the election of the leadership for a new term.

Reuters also highlighted outstanding Vietnamese achievements in 2020, with the local economy outperforming other Asian nations, in addition to competently controlling the COVID-19 pandemic due to strict social distancing measures, quick testing, and efficient tracking.

Due to these efforts, the country has to date only recorded 1,500 cases of COVID-19 and 35 deaths, much lower than in most other countries. The British news agency added that the nation has set an average GDP growth target of 7% over the next five years.