In an interview granted to VOVNews on April 13, Mr Dien said the fight against bureaucracy and corruption was intensified during the 9^th Party congress, and those efforts have paid off, helping curb the development of the phenomenon within the Party.

However, Mr Dien admitted that the fight has not lived up to people’s expectations and corruption and waste have not been completely eradicated.

“With the determination of the entire Party and people, alongside our past experience, I believe that the Party building work, particularly the fight against bureaucracy and corruption, will result in encouraging fruits,” said Mr Dien.

To this end, Mr Dien said, Vietnam should finalise the legal system, mechanisms and policies to match the requirements of the new situation.

“We should heighten the efficiency of the “criticism” and “self-criticism” campaign within the Party, and the fight against wrong doings in each Party cell, unit and locality,” said the Politburo member. “We’d better promote the practice of democratic regulations within the Party and people-elected organisations. In addition, all Party members who commit offences must be strictly dealt with according to Party rules and State law.”

Mr Dien proposed that Vietnam build mechanisms to encourage and protect those who dare to uncover violations by ranking officials. He valued the National Assembly’s recent approval of Law on Anti-Corruption and the Law on Thrift Practice and Waste Elimination, but stressed the need to draft regulations to clarify the responsibility of the heads of State agencies when violations occur, and to protect those who uncover the offences.

According to Mr Dien, one of the basic lessons the Party has drawn from revolutionary stages, particularly from the Doi Moi (Renewal) process, is that “the Party must be close to the people and work for the people”. By doing so, he said, the Party will overcome any difficulties and challenges.