Investments

Secretary-General: Rejecting ‘Term-Based Thinking’ and ‘Clinging to Local Interests’

Emphasizing the rejection of 'term-limited thinking,' 'clinging to parochial interests,' and the lack of courage to think, act, or innovate, General Secretary Tô Lâm stated: "Those who fall into these conditions without rectifying them must be promptly replaced."

Administrator

19 October, 2025

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On October 15th, at the Central Party Headquarters, the Standing Committee of the Central Steering Committee for Science, Technology, Innovation, and Digital Transformation held its Q3 meeting. General Secretary Tô Lâm, Head of the Steering Committee, chaired the session.

The meeting was conducted both in-person and online with local representatives to evaluate the progress of Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW issued by the Politburo on breakthroughs in science, technology, innovation, and national digital transformation over the past nine months.

General Secretary Tô Lâm emphasized that implementing Resolution No. 57 is crucial, serving as the primary driver for achieving strategic breakthroughs, transitioning the country’s development model, and establishing a new growth framework in line with the 13th National Party Congress’s directives.

General Secretary Tô Lâm. Photo: Nhân Dân

Breaking Down ‘Silo Mentality’

The General Secretary mandated adherence to the new governance principle adopted by the 13th National Party Congress: “Discipline First – Resources Alongside – Results as the Measure.” This principle must guide all activities consistently.

Discipline entails strict compliance with directives, meeting deadlines, avoiding delays or evasion, and resolving overdue tasks promptly. Resources must be allocated efficiently, accurately, and without waste.

Progress must be measured by tangible, quantifiable outcomes, not superficial reports.

The General Secretary prioritized removing institutional bottlenecks and leveraging data to eliminate “silo mentality.”

He also highlighted the need for intellectual property frameworks, research commercialization, and public-private partnerships to mobilize societal resources.

Crucially, mechanisms must protect officials who take bold, accountable actions for the greater good.

Additionally, the General Secretary called for fostering an ecosystem centered on businesses, shifting from a “State-led” to a “State-enabled” model to maximize private-sector involvement in science, technology, and innovation.

He stressed, “Where the private sector can operate effectively without state dominance, enable and encourage their participation.”

Only when businesses lead will the “Three Houses” model (State-School-Enterprise) become meaningful, he added.

The General Secretary urged using citizen and business satisfaction as the ultimate metric, emphasizing full-scale digitization and integrated “one-stop, one-declaration” public services.

To realize these goals, he outlined a clear action mantra: “Three Focuses – Three Transparencies – One Measure,” as directed by the 13th National Party Congress.

The Three Focuses are: Rapidly institutionalizing Steering Committee directives; executing with concrete deliverables; and monitoring to address challenges promptly.

The Three Transparencies involve: Publicizing progress, responsibilities, and outcomes for societal oversight.

The One Measure is citizens’ living standards and trust.

Less Talk, More Action, Decisiveness, Efficiency

The General Secretary also directed institutionalizing and scaling the “Breakthrough Implementation Governance Model” for complex, cross-sector tasks.

He urged all agencies, especially leaders, to exemplify accountability to the Party, State, and people, ensuring timely, impactful task completion.

Leaders—ministers, provincial chiefs, and department heads—must deeply internalize their role in national science, technology, and digital transformation.

They must reject “term-limited thinking,” “sectoral interests,” and inaction, he warned, adding, “Those failing to adapt must be replaced to avoid hindering progress.”

He called for a “less talk, more action” approach, urging officials to propose cross-sector solutions benefiting the nation.

General Secretary Tô Lâm directed Party committees at all levels to implement digital transformation plans effectively, adhering to set timelines.

The Government Party Committee must resolve pending legal guidelines, ensuring 100% of decrees and circulars for new science, technology, and innovation laws are enacted by March 31, 2026.

The National Assembly Party Committee should focus oversight on: National database progress; budget utilization; and commercialization of science-technology products under the “Three Houses” model.

The Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee must digitize operations and independently monitor science quality, public services, and database implementation impacting citizens.

NGUYỄN THẢO

– 15:40 15/10/2025