Leaving Behind ‘Eradicating Hunger and Poverty’, It’s Time for the Nation to Race Towards Prosperity

At the National Conference to propagate and implement Resolutions 66 and 68 of the Politburo on May 18, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh announced that the Government has directed the Ministry of Home Affairs to prepare to launch a movement for the entire population to strive to get rich, contributing to the construction and defense of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

Getting Rich Faster and More Efficiently

Commenting on this issue, Dr. Le Dang Doanh, former Director of the Central Institute for Economic Management, said that this is the first time in nearly 40 years of renovation that a Party and State leader has announced to officials, party members, and the entire population that we will “compete to get rich.”

Recalling the socio-economic development process over the years, Dr. Doanh said that along with the great achievements, the issue of rich-poor polarization has become more apparent since Vietnam transitioned from a subsidized economy to a market-oriented goods economy.

While a section of the population has become wealthy quickly due to advantages in land, capital, health, and intelligence, another section has fallen into poverty due to disadvantages in life.

From this reality, a movement of “self-help” to eradicate hunger and reduce poverty was launched by socio-political organizations in Ho Chi Minh City in the early 1990s.

By the end of 1992, the Ho Chi Minh City Poverty Reduction Program (initially called the “Program to strive to narrow and gradually eliminate poor households”) emerged from the poverty reduction movement, and quickly became a national program that has been maintained and developed continuously until today. Poverty reduction is a large-scale national program that has lasted for many years.

Based on the practical socio-economic development of the country, Dr. Doanh said that from 2012 up to now, the Government has issued decisions approving the National Target Program on Sustainable Poverty Reduction for the periods 2012-2015, 2016-2020, and 2021-2025. These programs are organized with the aim of reducing poverty in difficult areas and regions.

“This consistent process, along with the Prime Minister’s statement today, is a welcome development. Basically, we have gradually moved out of the ‘poverty eradication’ phase and can now move on to a higher stage of development, which is to get rich and encourage the whole population to participate in a legitimate race to get rich, within the framework of the law, getting rich faster and more efficiently,” Dr. Doanh emphasized.

Sharing this view, Prof. Dr. Tran Dinh Thien, a member of the Prime Minister’s Advisory Council for Administrative Procedure Reform, said that at this time, the Government and the Prime Minister’s decision to launch a movement for the entire population to strive to get rich is entirely appropriate.

“I think the Government’s objective in launching this movement is to ‘untie the knots’ so that people can maximize their capacity and unleash the spirit of competition and development in the whole population,” said Prof. Thien.

Pointing out the inherent competitive nature of the market and the need to sustain this dynamic with tenacity and continuity, Prof. Thien noted that when designing the movement, it should be practical and synchronous to create more competition in the market and avoid a “big head, small tail” situation.

Richness is Not Just About Money and Income

Dr. Vo Tri Thanh, Director of the Institute for Brand and Competition Strategy, said that the “declaration” of the Government leader today reminds him of President Ho Chi Minh’s desire for Vietnam to “stand side by side with the powerful countries of the five continents.”

“When our nation was still very poor, still had to learn to read and write, and eradicate illiteracy… Uncle Ho already had that great aspiration. Now that we have something to eat and something to keep, and have become more prosperous after 40 years of renovation, we are even more determined to realize that grand aspiration. The whole population striving to get rich is also a way to realize the aspiration to stand side by side with the powerful countries of the five continents,” emphasized Dr. Thanh.

According to Dr. Thanh, the aspiration to get rich has been mentioned a lot in documents, books, and radio and television programs for decades. But at this point, that aspiration is being emphasized and expressed more strongly because it is associated with two stories.

First, we have set very specific and clear goals for the next phase, such as striving to become an industrialized modern developing country with high middle income by 2030, belonging to the group of the 30 largest economies in the world, creating a solid foundation for Vietnam to become a developed, high-income, prosperous, civilized, and happy country by 2045.

Second, the issuance of Resolution 68 by the Politburo on the development of the private economy. Essentially, this resolution is about the private sector, but behind it is the aspiration of the people, policymakers, and the nation to rise.

“Being rich is not just about being rich in money and income, and it is linked to the story of high growth. That is important but not enough. Being rich must be associated with sustainable development, inclusive development, and being rich in spirit and culture,” said the Director of the Institute for Brand and Competition Strategy.

Prof. Dr. Vo Dai Luoc, former Director of the Institute of World Economics and Politics, said that when we have more billionaires, they will use part of their wealth to support cultural, social, educational, and medical issues.

According to Prof. Luoc, in the US, many public universities are supported by billionaires, and there are even universities where only 40% of the budget comes from the state, and the rest comes from private enterprises.

“Therefore, Resolution 68 issued by the Politburo is very timely and appropriate to encourage private enterprises to get rich. And when the movement to strive to get rich mentioned by the Prime Minister is implemented, it will create a driving force for the whole population to get rich. Then those billionaires will contribute and support the country and society to develop,” said Prof. Dr. Vo Dai Luoc.