Beijing (VNA) – Vietnam’s grand celebration of the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the south and national reunification helps the nation usher in a new era ahead of the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), said former chief representative of China’s Xinhua News Agency in Hanoi Ling Dequan.

The event also reinforces solidarity and motivation in achieving its goals set for the centenaries of the Party's and nation’s founding, Ling told a Vietnam News Agency (VNA) correspondent in Beijing.

Ling, who witnessed and reported on Vietnam’s resistance war against the US as a Xinhua reporter, recalled that 50 years ago, under the CPV leadership, the Vietnamese people and army launched the historic Ho Chi Minh campaign, culminating in the landmark victory of April 30, 1975.

This event was a monumental victory, a historical landmark for the Vietnamese people, and became breaking news across global media at the time, he said.

The past five decades have seen Vietnam undergoing a fundamental transformation, Ling said. A pivotal turning point came in 1986, when the 6th National Party Congress launched the country on a path of economic reform and development. Vietnam gradually shifted from a centrally planned economy to a socialist-oriented market economy, with reforms extending beyond the economic sphere.

Now a middle-income country, Vietnam has set ambitious growth targets, aiming for 8% GDP growth this year and double-digit annual growth over the following five years. The 13th National Party Congress set a bold objective for the nation to become a high-income developed one by 2045.

Under the current leadership of Party General Secretary To Lam, the country is preparing for the 14th National Party Congress, Ling said, suggesting that drawing lessons from the past and charting a clear path forward will be essential in opening Vietnam’s new era of national rise.

The key to the country’s historic victory, Ling stressed, lay in the wise leadership of the CPV, the unity of the Vietnamese people, and a strategic blend of political, military, and diplomatic efforts.

Over nearly four decades of Doi moi (renewal), Vietnam’s foreign policy has also undergone remarkable evolution, he said. Its guiding principle in the new era is to maintain a peaceful and stable international environment, with a focus on economic development. The country pursues a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation and development, multilateralism and diversification of international relations, with the aim of becoming a friend and a reliable partner of the international community.

Vietnam considers the will for self-reliance and resilience to be the fundamental and long-term determining factor, while external support, assistance, and resources are of vital importance, Ling noted.

He further assessed that despite global instability and internal challenges, Vietnam is seen as a country full of aspiration and confidence in its development vision. Ling cited the World Bank forecasts that Vietnam's GDP will surpass 1 trillion USD by 2030, solidifying its status as an economic powerhouse in Southeast Asia.

Ling concluded by noting that Vietnam’s friends and partners across the globe share high hopes for the country’s “new era” and look forward to expanded opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation./.