Vietnam’s 14th National Party Congress expected to create turning point for development: S.Korean expert

In an interview with the Vietnam News Agency last Saturday, Prof. Park, an authority on Vietnamese studies, said the congress, set for January 19-25, will define Vietnam’s strategic direction through 2030 and lay the foundation for its long-term goals toward 2045.

He stressed that the most important strategic orientation that needs to be set by the congress is a qualitative transformation of Vietnam’s growth model.

“Vietnam needs to move gradually beyond a model overly reliant on foreign investment and exports, toward one driven by productivity, technology, and the domestic capabilities of local enterprises,” Park said.

“This shift will strengthen the country’s role in both regional and global value chains.”

Amid escalating strategic competition among major powers and a rapidly shifting international economic landscape, Park stressed the need to strengthen supply chain resilience in key sectors such as industry, energy, food, and technology.

He said that Vietnam should keep maintaining an open-door policy which must be paired with greater national strategic autonomy to avoid overreliance on any single market or partner.

Park also pointed out that infrastructure and implementation capacity remain major growth constraints.

Road networks, seaports, and logistics systems often lack long-term planning, creating structural challenges for citizens’ livelihoods and overall economic efficiency.

He called for a fundamental overhaul of the country’s development space, transport, and logistics, describing it as a vital material foundation for Vietnam’s long-term strategic ambitions.

Beyond economic concerns, Park stressed the need for socio-cultural reforms, including raising public awareness of law compliance, civic responsibility, safety, and environmental protection, essential foundations for sustainable development in the coming years.

On foreign policy, he noted that Vietnam will continue pursuing independence, self-reliance, multilateralization, and diversification in its international relations.

However, the 14th National Party Congress could signal a shift toward a more proactive, strategic approach.

Rather than merely balancing relations among major powers, Vietnam may adopt differentiated, sector- and issue-specific strategies that place national interests and development priorities at the center, helping to manage risks and enhance strategic autonomy.

Regionally, Vietnam is expected to play a more active role within ASEAN, particularly in shaping norms and frameworks for emerging priorities such as Mekong subregional development, digital transformation, green growth, and non-traditional security.

In this context, South Korea stands out as a key strategic partner, closely aligned with Vietnam’s industrial upgrading ambitions.

Park said that after the congress, bilateral cooperation is likely to evolve beyond traditional investment and trade toward structural partnerships in areas such as supply chain stability, technology transfer, and high-quality workforce development.

He added that the congress could mark a milestone, shifting Vietnam–South Korea ties from a phase of expansion to deeper, more strategic engagement.

Future collaboration is expected to focus on semiconductors, batteries, digital industries, energy transition, supply chain resilience, and workforce training—directly supporting Vietnam’s industrial modernization and strengthening the foundation for sustainable growth.