Hanoi (VNA)ไ – The 12th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam is to commence officially at the National Convention Centre in Hanoi on January 21.

The congress will be attended by 1,510 delegates representing over 4.5 million Party members. The participants include 197 official and alternate members of the 11th Party Central Committee. Meanwhile, 1,300 delegates were elected at congresses of the centrally-run Party organisations, and 13 others were appointed. Among them, 194 are women and 174 are ethnic minority people. Ten people hold the titles of Hero of the People’s Armed Forces or Hero of Labour, and 20 others own the titles of the People’s Teacher or Meritorious Teacher. Fifteen are bestowed with the People’s Doctor or Meritorious Doctor titles, while one is a Meritorious Artist title holder. Fifty-five delegates are professors, associate professors or academicians, 241 have doctorate degrees, 511 hold master’s degrees, and 757 have bachelor’s degrees. Regarding political theory standard, 1,501 participants hold bachelor’s or higher-level political theory degrees. Two of the delegates are under 30 years old, 65 are aged between 31 and 40, and 384 people between 41 and 50. The majority 992 participants are aged between 51 and 60, and 64 between 61 and 70. The Congress is themed “Promoting the building of a spotless and strong Party, while putting into play the strength of the entire nation and socialist democracy, stepping up reform comprehensively and synchronously, firmly safeguarding the Fatherland and maintaining a peaceful and stable environment, and striving to turn Vietnam into a modernity-oriented industrialised country”. It will focus on reviewing the implementation of the Resolution of the 11th National Party Congress and the three decades of Doi Moi (Reform); and setting up orientations, goals, missions and measures for national development and defence through to 2020. The delegates are to discuss and approve important documents: the 11th Party Central Committee’s political report, and a report evaluating the outcomes of the socio-economic development missions implemented between 2011 and 2015 and defining the socio-economic development directions and tasks from 2016 to 2020. Other submissions that will also come under consideration for approval consist of a report reviewing the leadership of the 11th Party Central Committee, a report summarising the implementation of the Party statutes in the 11th tenure, and another on the implementation of the Resolution on “Urgent matters on current Party building” issued at the fourth meeting of the 11th Party Central Committee. The 12th National Party Congress will elect the 12th Party Central Committee - the Party’s supreme leading body between two congresses. On January 20, the delegates convened a preparatory session during which they approved the Congress’s working regulations and elected the Presidium, Secretariat, and Delegate Eligibility Appraisal Board. They also adopted the working agenda and election regulations for the Congress and a report examining the eligibility of the delegates. Prior to the preparatory session, the Party, State leaders and delegates laid a wreath and paid tribute to late President Ho Chi Minh, who founded and nurtured the Party, at his mausoleum. They also offered incense at the Monument to Heroic Martyrs, to commemorate those who laid down their lives for the nation’s independence and freedom.-VNA