The current digital era stands out as an era of unprecedented changes, characterized by rapid technological advancement, intense competition in the market economy, and social transformations. The time when innovation is most needed is when a nation faces market changes, competitive pressures, or needs to optimize processes in order to survive and develop.

In the digital era, technology and fierce competition make innovation a vital condition for every nation. (Illustrative photo)

Globally, innovation, especially high-quality ideas, plays a key role in long-term development, leading to the 2025 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences being awarded to the “creative destruction” innovation model as a driver of economic growth for all nations. In today’s increasingly competitive world, to reflect the philosophy of strategic thinking, foresight, and seizing opportunities instead of merely reacting to what has already happened, economic managers often cite the famous quote of Canadian hockey legend Wayne Gretzky: “I always skate to where the puck is going, not where it has been.” Therefore, macro-level innovation depends on human vision, particularly leaders who dare to think and dare to act.

In Vietnam, the path of reform bears very distinctive features of a poor and backward country after years of prolonged war. Before Doi Moi, there were nearly 100 “breakthrough” economic reform initiatives nationwide, with notable cases in the country’s two largest port cities. In Ho Chi Minh City, as the centrally planned subsidy mechanism increasingly revealed stagnation, Party Secretary Vo Van Kiet chose to take action, quietly removing obstacles one by one: lifting the ban on free circulation of goods, abolishing the strict coupon system, and allowing the trading of production materials.

After just one year, Ho Chi Minh City’s direct export turnover surged from USD 500,000 (in 1980) to USD 22 million (in 1981), a figure significant enough for the central authorities to reassess. Meanwhile, “fence-breaking” ideas and pilot contracting of farmland in Phu Tho (formerly Vinh Phuc) were expanded by Hai Phong City Chairman Doan Duy Thanh and the city’s leadership into a major social resource within the Party’s new economic institutional framework through Resolution No. 24 in 1980 of the Standing Committee of the Hai Phong Party Committee on agricultural output contracting. Hai Phong successfully implemented this breakthrough economic model, and not long afterward, the Secretariat issued Directive No. 100 in 1981, recognizing output contracting and laying the groundwork for “Contract 10,” creating the legal foundation for the development of the country’s agriculture sector.

In this first wave of economic reform, Vietnam not only escaped poverty and gradually ensured food security but also quickly became one of the world’s leading exporters of agricultural products. The breakthrough and success of the agricultural production sector spread to other sectors toward an export-oriented market economy…, forming the foundation for both theoretical and practical development of human and social resources as well as international economic integration nationwide…

From those forward-looking visions bearing the imprints of specific individuals and practical experimentation, Vietnam gradually shaped a bottom-up reform path that was cautious yet effective, laying the groundwork for Doi Moi and subsequent economic transformation.

Under the leadership of former Hai Phong City Chairman Doan Duy Thanh, the city pioneered agricultural output contracting, contributing to paving the way for Contract 10 and the nationwide economic reform process. (Photo: Vu Dung)

Today, after 40 years of Doi Moi, Vietnam has not only achieved impressive economic accomplishments but has also significantly enhanced its capacity and international standing. The country enters the spring of Binh Ngo 2026 with a positive vision. Along with the Political Report submitted to the 14th National Party Congress, the Report reviewing several theoretical and practical issues of Vietnam’s 40-year Doi Moi process by the 13th Party Central Committee carries particularly important significance, not only reviewing the country’s development path since 1986 but also outlining the nation’s development orientation.

The documents affirm that human beings play a central role, serving not only as the objective but also as the decisive resource determining the success or failure of national development. In particular, human resources, with the pioneering role of leadership cadres at all levels who possess vision and practical action, will play an active role in creatively integrating and developing socio-economic resources in comprehensive reform for the country’s future. Through innovation by individuals and collectives, imprints of a lifetime will be created, measured not by the number of years lived but by the values, legacies, and profound memories left behind, as the measure of life lies in what they contribute to society.

All people are equal before the natural cycle of “birth, aging, illness, and death.” However, the imprint of a lifetime can only be achieved when individuals leave behind products of “truth, goodness, and beauty” for society. The historical practice of Vietnam’s national construction and development has proven that human beings are a vital resource, and the quality of innovation is one of the core elements of national soft power.

The 14th National Party Congress marks a milestone opening a new development phase for the country in the era of AI and Industry 4.0, in which General Secretary To Lam has pointed out the strong qualities of human resources: aspiration – breakthrough – action as the mandate for the nation’s future. Therefore, a macro institutional framework that is facilitative and lays the foundation for innovation will create many immortal imprints of human lives in the new era and simultaneously serve as a practical indicator of the success of the national vision toward 2050.