Contributing to the draft documents for the 14th National Congress of the Party, Deputy Chair of the National Assembly’s Committee on Culture and Society, Nguyen Thi Mai Hoa, proposed the inclusion of a “happiness index” in the Political Report. The Party’s ultimate goal has always been independence for the nation and freedom, happiness for the people.
Deputy Chair of the National Assembly’s Committee on Culture and Society, Nguyen Thi Mai Hoa. (Photo: quochoi.vn)
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Vietnam’s happiness index has seen remarkable achievements over the years. From 2020 to 2025, we climbed 37 ranks, with a significant increase in recent years. Compared to regional countries, Vietnam ranks second in happiness, just behind Singapore
,” said Ms. Hoa.
The delegate noted that the draft Political Report has mentioned the happiness index and set the goal for the next term as:
“Promoting rapid and sustainable national development, enhancing the well-being and happiness of the people.”
The development objectives also include:
“For a peaceful, independent, democratic, prosperous, civilized, and happy Vietnam.”
However, the Deputy Chair of the Committee on Culture and Society assessed that the goals, targets, task groups, and solutions remain general, lacking clear criteria to determine happiness levels and the happiness index for individuals, communities, and families.
Therefore, Nguyen Thi Mai Hoa requested the Editorial Team of the Documents to further clarify tasks and solutions for building a happy life for the people.
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Accordingly, we should focus on providing specific indices for satisfaction levels—satisfaction with oneself, one’s family, and the community: villages, communes, neighborhoods, and workplaces. When these indices show that people are satisfied in their relationships, we will have a happy nation
,” the delegate stated.
Beyond individual happiness, Ms. Hoa emphasized the importance of building happy families. While income may rise and living amenities become more abundant, if relationships within families and communities are unsatisfactory, true happiness remains elusive.
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Happy schools, for instance, require attention to issues like school violence and the culture of interaction between teachers and students, parents and educators…
We need to focus on creating safe, happy environments. Happiness in the workplace is also crucial. If organizations set clear goals for a happy work environment, it will greatly motivate employees to unite, care for one another, and contribute more
,” Ms. Hoa added.
Developing Primary Healthcare as the Foundation
Joining the discussion, National Assembly Deputy Tran Khanh Thu (Hung Yen Province) noted that the draft Political Report sets a goal for the 2026-2030 period to achieve a Human Development Index (HDI) of approximately 0.78.
The draft also emphasizes building an equitable, high-quality, efficient, and sustainable healthcare system; focusing on improving disease prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and effective epidemic control; and implementing the National Target Program on Healthcare, Population, and Development. It aims to enhance the quality and efficiency of the healthcare service network from central to local levels to meet evolving health trends.
National Assembly Deputy Tran Khanh Thu. (Photo: quochoi.vn)
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Over the past term, the development of culture, people, and society has achieved significant results, with notable progress, especially in social welfare and improved living standards. The healthcare system and public health services have seen positive developments, with enhanced quality and effective epidemic control
,” Ms. Thu assessed.
To implement the policy of providing free annual health check-ups for all citizens by 2026 and moving toward basic free healthcare under health insurance benefits by 2030, Ms. Thu believes that developing primary healthcare is the cornerstone. Therefore, investment in primary healthcare must be focused and prioritized, particularly for health stations and basic multidisciplinary hospitals.
Ms. Tran Khanh Thu suggested that health stations need investment and strengthened infrastructure to better serve as the primary hubs for initial health management and care for the population. This includes ensuring proactive disease prevention and free treatment services.
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I propose that the draft Documents explicitly clarify this content. Specifically, we need to consolidate the primary healthcare system and standardize health station models across localities following administrative reorganizations.
Health stations must be equipped to provide screening health check-ups for local residents and ensure sufficient state budget resources to fulfill this task by 2026
,” Ms. Thu concluded.
