Mr Manh emphasized the important role of the VFF at its 7^th national congress which opened in Hanoi on September 28. The event brought together 989 delegates from all social sections, including ethnic groups, religious organisations, the business community, intellectuals and overseas Vietnamese. 

He said that in the next five years the organisation should continue to follow Ho Chi Minh’s thoughts and Party guidelines on Vietnam’s great national unity.

It is essential for the VFF to encourage people to take an active part in exemplary role model movements to speed up the industrialisation and modernisation process and lift Vietnam out of its underdeveloped nation status, said Mr Manh. 

He asked the VFF to improve the efficiency of people-to-people diplomacy, strengthen friendship and actively integrate into the world to create a favourable environment for national development and defence.

To this end, he said the VFF should increase its operational efficiency at grassroots level, diversify ways of mobilising the masses and making full use of all recourses, including from Vietnamese nationals living overseas.

The VFF’s work is for the whole of society, in which full-time staff form the core, said Mr Manh.

He called on the entire Party, people and the army to study and follow late President Ho Chi Minh’s moral examples to meet the president’s desire to build a strong, prosperous, democratic, independent, unified and peaceful Vietnamese nation.

In his report, Huynh Dam, President of the VFF Central Committee, confirmed that over the past 5 years the VFF has accomplished its tasks approved at the 6^th congress. Together with the Party and the State, the organisation has mobilised people from all social sections to overcome difficulties, seize opportunities and speed up the Doi Moi (Renewal) process.  

On behalf of the Party Central Committee, Party leader Nong Duc Manh presented the VFF a hanging which reads “Strengthening great national unity and accelerating the Renewal process for the ultimate goal of a rich people, a strong country and an equitable, democratic and civilised society”.

The congress will close on September 30.