Of the delegates, 191 are members of the 12th‑tenure Party Central Committee, 1,381 were elected at Party congresses of provinces, centrally-run cities and centrally-run Party organisations, and 15 are from overseas Party organisations, who were assigned by the Politburo.

The 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) officially kicked off in Hanoi on January 26. (Photo: VNA)

There are 1,365 male delegates, or 86.01 percent, and 222 females, or 13.99 percent. The number of ethnic minority delegates stands at 175, or 11.03 percent.

Three delegates are heroes of the people’s armed forces, 13 are eminent teachers, and 15 have been honoured as people’s doctors and eminent doctors.

Former Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh, along with former Politburo members and former Presidents Tran Duc Luong, Nguyen Minh Triet, and Truong Tan Sang, were invited to the congress.

Other guests include former Politburo member and former Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and former Politburo members and former National Assembly Chairpersons Nguyen Van An and Nguyen Sinh Hung.
Also among guests are former Politburo members, former Secretaries of the Party Central Committee, former Presidents of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, former Vice State Presidents, former Vice National Assembly Chairpersons, former Deputy Prime Ministers, former members of the Party Central Committee from the third to seventh tenures, and members of the 12th-tenure Party Central Committee’s Inspection Commission.

The congress also sees the participation of representatives of Heroic Vietnamese Mothers, scholars, writers and artists, and outstanding religious dignitaries, as well as representatives of young Vietnamese.

Foreign ambassadors, chargé d'affaires, and chief representatives of the diplomatic corps and international organisations in Vietnam are also present.

Politburo member and National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, on behalf of the Presidium, presided over the opening session.

Politburo member and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, on behalf of the Presidium, delivered the opening speech.

Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong presented a report from the 12th-tenure Party Central Committee on documents submitted to the 13th National Party Congress.

Nguyen Thanh Hai, member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the provincial Party Committee, head of Thai Nguyen province’s delegation of deputies to the 14th National Assembly, and member of the Secretarial delegation of the congress, read a list of 215 political parties and international organisations and friends who had sent messages of congratulations to the congress as of January 22.

Ngan, on behalf of the Presidium and the entire congress, thanked the well-wishers for their friendship, cooperation, and valuable support to the Vietnamese Party and people.

The CPV will continue with its consistent foreign policy of enhancing friendship and collaboration with other countries, political parties, and international organisations and friends, contributing to peace, national independence, democracy, and social progress in the world, she affirmed.

Tran Quoc Vuong, Politburo member and permanent member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat, presented a report reviewing the leadership of the 12th-tenure Party Central Committee.
In the afternoon of January 26, delegates discussed documents of the congress in groups./.

Source: VNA