Hanoi (VNA) – Party GeneralSecretary Nguyen Phu Trong has highlighted Vietnam’s achievements in 2022 andtheir impacts on the country's growth in 2023.

He made the remark in an interview to the Vietnam NewsAgency on the occasion of the Lunar New Year Festival 2023 and the 93rdanniversary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) (February 3).

Pointing out unexpected difficulties in 2022, hesaid the world has witnessed fast, complicated, unpredictable, andunprecedented developments. Vietnam has had to step up socio-economicdevelopment and recovery and deal with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic,seasonal diseases, and natural disasters.

In that context, with the entire politicalsystem’s consensus and determination, the country has achieved and surpassed 14of its 15 targets. Its GDP growth has reached about 8%, higher than the targetof 6-6.5%. The main sectors of the economy have recovered and developedstrongly. State budget revenue increased 20% from 2021 while total investmentin society rose 12.5%, with 22 billion USD in foreign direct investment (FDI)disbursed, up 16%. Total export and import value went up 10% year on year tohit a record of 740 billion USD, helping the country remain one of the top 25economies in terms of trade. Besides, many big cultural, sports, andentertainment events, especially the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games31), have been held successfully.

The Party leader emphasised that Vietnam has graduallysurmounted difficulties and challenges to successfully and comprehensivelycarry its duties. This is a huge impetus for the country to enter the year 2023with new trust, new morale, and new determination to continue developingrapidly and sustainably.

He affirmed that thanks to the good implementationof the Party and political system building and rectification, as well as theenhanced fight against corruption and negative phenomena, Vietnam has firmlymaintained political and social stability, boosted socio-economic recovery anddevelopment, expanded external relations, and strengthened the people andinternational friends’ trust.

With its activeness and high sense ofresponsibility, the country has served in many international positions,including non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council and membership ofthe UN Human Rights Council. It has also deployed hundreds of officers to UNpeacekeeping missions.

In addition, Vietnam has taken part in the settlementof many important international issues. Its voice, initiatives, and sensiblesettlement measures based on equality, friendship, humanity, and internationallaw have won support from the international community, General Secretary Trongnoted.

He went on to say that the recent official visitto China by the high-ranking CPV delegation was not only an event of specialimportance to Vietnam and China, but also drew great public attention.

Party and State leaders’ visits to other countriesand participation in regional and international forums such as the Associationof Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the ASEAN Inter-ParliamentaryAssembly (AIPA), the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), the Asia-Pacific EconomicCooperation (APEC), and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), as well asincoming visits by foreign leaders reflected a vibrant picture in the externalrelations front, and a big step forward in the implementation of the Party’sexternal policy in both bilateral and multilateral aspects, creating a favourableinternational environment for speeding up industrialisation,modernisation and socio-economic development.

The Party General Secretary asserted that therewill be more difficulties and challenges in the time to come, requiring thecountry to be vigilant, continue to effectively control the COVID-19 pandemicand emerging epidemics, and focus resources on socio-economic recovery anddevelopment.

Particularly, he stressed the need to continue maintainingmacro-economic stability, reining in inflation and ensuring major balances ofthe economy. At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen the prevention ofand fight against corruption and negative phenomena, along with consolidatingdefence and security, firmly safeguarding national independence, sovereignty,unity and territorial integrity, and ensuring political security and socialorder and safety. The leader also underlined the need to actively promotecomprehensive and intensive international integration and improve theefficiency of external affairs.

The Party chief emphasised that amidst rapid andunpredictable changes in the world, although facing many difficulties, Vietnam,with great consensus and solidarity and high determination of the wholeParty, people and armed forces, will be sure to successfully implement theResolution of the 13th National Party Congress, making the countrystronger and more prosperous, being on a par with world powers as President HoChi Minh once wished.

On the occasion of the New Year – the Year of theCat, and the 93rd founding anniversary of the CPV, General Secretary Trong, on behalfof Party and State leaders, wished all people, soldiers and overseas Vietnameseas well as international friends a year of good health, happiness, andsuccess./.