Corruption prevention is an important work that needs to be conducted regularly, continuously, resolutely and patiently, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong affirmed at a national conference of the Central Steering Committee on Anti-Corruption on June 25.
All officials and Party members, especially leaders, should be exemplary, have high consensus on will and action in the fight against corruption, and not dare to lose prestige or do demerits, stated Trong, who is also head of the committee.
He stressed the need for officials and Party members to rely on the public and listen to them through doing what the public applaud and support, and stop doing what they do not approve, and even hate and oppose.
Together with strict punishment of violations, it is necessary to have a mechanism to protect and encourage those who dare to think, dare to do and dare to take responsibility and lead the way in reform for the country’s development, he noted.
The Party chief called for intensified efforts to fight wrong points of view and distorted allegations of hostile forces who want to take advantage of anti-corruption combat to smear the Vietnamese Party, State and regime.
He emphasised the importance of fostering and increasing the efficiency of disseminations on anti-corruption work to make the public know that Party rectification and punishment of violated officials and Party members do not slow down development, but purify the political apparatus and officials, and consolidate confidence of people.
The press and mass media should encourage and back the involvement of the entire political system and people in the fight against corruption, he suggested.
He also suggested making and improving the Party’s regulations and the State’s policies and laws on anti-corruption towards the formation of a close preventive mechanism which provides no room for corruption, wastefulness and bureaucracy to take shelter.
The Party leader also called for efforts to improve the building of the Party and the political system, and combat individualism, selfishness and group benefits.
Party members in any positions, if violating law, will be punished strictly without exceptions, Trong said, noting that it is essential to address weaknesses in personnel work, and supervise and control power to prevent corruption.
According to him, power is always at risk of being “depraved”. Therefore, it is crucial to establish a mechanism controlling the exercise of power for leaders following a principle that all power is controlled closely and bound to responsibility.
Inspections must be intensified to ensure power runs publicly, transparently, and incorruptly, he stated.
“Leaders at all levels should remember that no one has absolute power beyond the law, anyone who use power must serve the public, take responsibility in front of the public and be supervised by the public,” he said.
Everything officials or Party members do should originate from the people and be for the people, Trong stressed, stressing that even one penny of public property is not allowed to be spent recklessly.
The Party chief also emphasised the need to improve the efficiency of detecting and addressing corruption cases, particularly in localities and grassroots level, and revoking corrupted assets, and speed up the investigation on economic corruption cases, especially those attracting public attention.
Violations must be punished strictly based on the Party’s regulations and the State’s law without restricted area, privilege or exceptions, Trong said.
According to a report delivered at the conference by Phan Dinh Trac, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, head of the CPV Central Committee’s Commission for Internal Affairs and deputy head of the Central Steering Committee on Anti-Corruption, since 2014, disciplinary measures have been applied on 840 Party organisations and 58,120 Party members, of whom, 2,720 violated anti-corruption regulations.
Since the beginning of 2016, 490 Party organisations and 35,000 Party members have been punished, including 1,300 Party members involved in corruption.
Notably, 50 centrally-managed officials, including nine members or former members of the Party Central Committee, received disciplinary measures. Among them, Dinh La Thang, a member of the Party Central Committee and former member of the Politburo, was expelled from the Party.
Over the years, many serious corruption and economic cases were brought to light and handled in accordance with the law without any exceptions.
Prime Minister Le Minh Hung emphasised the need to further improve institutions and policy frameworks, develop digital infrastructure and data resources, and create the necessary conditions for science, technology, innovation and digital transformation to become new drivers of economic growth.
Prof. Huang Rihan of Huaqiao University in China’s Fujian province said the Vietnamese leader’s address highlighted three major crises currently facing the world - the crisis of the international order, the crisis of development models, and the crisis of strategic trust.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence General Phan Van Giang said that alongside the robust growth of relations between the two countries, defence cooperation has continued to develop extensively and intensively, becoming increasingly practical and effective.
Adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 24, 2024, and opened for signature in Hanoi in October 2025, the convention is the first global multilateral treaty dedicated to combating cybercrime.
The visits also took place at a time when the Philippines is serving as ASEAN Chair in 2026, Singapore is preparing to assume the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2027, and Vietnam is set to host the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in 2027.
Ngo Phuong Ly, spouse of Party General Secretary and State President To Lam, expressed her emotion at seeing the children’s optimism despite difficult circumstances, noting that both Vietnam and the Philippines place children at the centre of their development policies, from education, health care to child protection.
Party General Secretary and State President To Lam, his spouse and a high-level Vietnamese delegation departed Manila on June 1, concluding a successful state visit to the Republic of the Philippines from May 31 to June 1 at the invitation of Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. and his spouse.
Participants reviewed rental housing demand in each area, considering different market segments and target groups. They also examined the gap between supply and demand, and pinpointed issues in policy frameworks.
Vietnam and the Philippines have agreed to elevate their relationship to an Enhanced Strategic Partnership, opening a new phase of cooperation in politics, defence and security, economic ties and other key areas.
Vietnam and the Philippines on June 1 issued a Joint Statement on the Enhanced Strategic Partnership during General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and State President To Lam’s state visit to the Philippines.
Economic cooperation between Vietnam and the Philippines should move to a new level, with greater emphasis on quality, depth and substance, as the two countries seek to maximise opportunities under their newly upgraded Enhanced Strategic Partnership.
Party General Secretary and State President To Lam and his spouse are paying state visit to the Philippines from May 31 to June 1 at the invitation of President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. and his spouse.
General Secretary and President To Lam encouraged the Vietnamese in the Philippines to remain united, abide by local laws, contribute practically to the homeland and continue fostering friendship and cooperation between the two countries.
By moving from crisis response to proactive risk reduction, Vietnam has positioned itself as a responsible and mature “architect” of regional peace, said a Malaysia-based expert.
The President Ho Chi Minh monument in the ASEAN Garden holds profound historical, cultural, and diplomatic significance, reflecting the friendship between Vietnam and the Philippines, as well as the solidarity within the ASEAN community.
The trip demonstrates Vietnam's high regard for its friendship and cooperation with the Philippines, as well as with ASEAN and the Southeast Asian region.
General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and State President To Lam on May 30 met with leaders of major Singaporean corporations, technology companies, financial institutions and banks with long-standing investments and business operations in Vietnam.
General Secretary and President Lam expressed his hope that the community will remain united, preserve the Vietnamese language and cultural identity, and strengthen ties with the homeland.
The two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in emerging and high-potential fields, including digital transformation, green economy, clean energy transition, new technologies, innovation, smart finance, supply chain resilience, financial centre development and food security.
At the A*STAR Model Factory, one of Singapore’s flagship research and application facilities for smart industry, innovation and digital transformation in production, General Secretary and President Lam expressed his impression of Singapore’s approach in creating conditions for enterprises to directly test technologies before making large-scale investments.