The 12th International Forum on Socialism held in Hanoi, Vietnam
On November 17, 2025, the 12th International Forum on Socialism, organized by the Institute of Marxism Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS), and the Lao Academy of Social and Economic Sciences (LASES), was successfully held in Hanoi, Vietnam. The theme of this year's forum was "Socialist State Governance in the Context of the New Era." Opening remarks were delivered by Dang Xuan Thanh, Vice President of VASS; Luo Wendong, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Institute of Marxism Studies at CASS; and Saisamone Phanouvong, Vice President of LASES. Vu Thi Kieu Phuong, Deputy Director of the Institute of Philosophy at VASS, provided introductory remarks. Nearly one hundred experts, scholars, government officials, and diplomats from China, Vietnam, Laos, and other countries engaged in exchanges and discussions on topics such as "Universal Issues in Socialist State Governance" and "Modern and Efficient Socialist State Governance in the New Context of the Current Era."
The 12th International Forum on Socialism Convenes at the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences
Address by Dang Xuan Thanh, Vice President of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences
In his address, Dang Xuan Thanh pointed out that this forum is held at a time when the global landscape is undergoing profound, multifaceted, unprecedented, complex, and unpredictable changes. These changes span the economic, political, cultural, social, and technological fields. The Fourth Industrial Revolution, the deepening of globalization and digital transformation, climate change, geopolitical conflicts, successive global trade wars, and complex social unrest have all placed new demands on the concepts and models of socialist state governance.
He noted that the forum theme, "Socialist State Governance in the Context of the New Era," is endowed with particularly important theoretical significance and practical value. It fully reflects the common concerns of Vietnam, China, and Laos in advancing the modernization of state governance systems and developmental processes along the socialist road. Socialist state governance concerns not only the organization and operation of state organs but also embodies the ability of the ruling party to lead the direction of development and to mobilize and allocate social resources to serve the people and promote social progress. In socialist countries such as Vietnam, China, and Laos, state governance is always closely linked to the goals of socialist construction in each nation.
Address by Saysongkham Manodham, Vice President of the Lao Academy of Social and Economic Sciences
In his address, Saysongkham Manodham noted that this forum aims to systematically summarize the theoretical achievements and practical experiences gained during the process of socialist construction in various countries. It serves to conduct in-depth exchanges on key issues regarding national development paths and to jointly promote the continuous development and innovative progress of the socialist cause. Laos attaches great importance to advancing modernized, efficient, and high-quality state and social governance. To this end, it has formulated a series of guidelines and policies aimed at effectively easing the burden on the masses, guaranteeing the people's right to be masters of the country [1], and promoting broader democratic participation of the people. Laos has recently summarized the specific achievements, existing problems, challenges, and relevant experiences in the process of consolidating state and social governance, and looks forward to utilizing the platform of the International Forum on Socialism to carry out exchanges and sharing of theory and practical experience.
Address by Luo Wendong, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Institute of Marxism Studies, CASS
In his address, Luo Wendong pointed out that this forum, centered on academic exchange and the sharing of practical experience regarding socialist state governance, is of great significance for summarizing the governance experiences of various countries and drawing useful lessons for their respective construction and development. General Secretary Xi Jinping clearly proposed the major proposition of "modernizing the state governance system and governance capacity" [2] at the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee. The Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee made specific deployments for upholding and improving the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and advancing the modernization of the state governance system and governance capacity. The Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee made important arrangements for reforms in various fields of socialism with Chinese characteristics, further deepening the understanding of the laws governing the modernization of the state governance system and governance capacity. The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee formulated the strategic deployment for the "15th Five-Year Plan," which occupies an important position in linking the past and the future in the process of basically achieving socialist modernization. At such a time, it is of great significance for socialist countries to discuss state governance together. The Institute of Marxism Studies of CASS is willing to further strengthen dialogue and exchange with the theoretical circles of socialist countries such as Vietnam and Laos, basing ourselves on the world situation and national conditions, grasping the pulse of the times, and constantly enriching and developing 21st-century Marxism. This will allow Marxism to demonstrate even greater power of truth in the process of joining hands to build a community with a shared future for humanity.
Introductory Remarks by Vu Thi Kieu Phuong, Deputy Director of the Institute of Philosophy, VASS
In her introductory remarks, Vu Thi Kieu Phuong noted that the International Forum on Socialism has always upheld Marxism-Leninism and socialist ideals and convictions. Through continuous collective development and normalized operation, it has become an important platform serving the parties and governments of the three countries. The purpose of this forum is to exchange experiences and research results on the following core topics: the theoretical and practical characteristics of socialist state governance models in the New Era; the leading role of the Communist Party in the political system and state governance; the adaptive capacity of socialist states in responding to digital transformation, the knowledge economy, and international integration; solutions for enhancing public governance efficiency, advancing administrative reform, improving the rule of law, preventing and combating corruption, and implementing the people's right to be masters of the country; and practical experience in the formulation, execution, and supervision of economic and social development policies. This seminar will surely stimulate heated discussions, facilitate deep academic exchanges, and yield fruitful results, thereby making substantive contributions to the cause of socialist state construction and development in various countries at the levels of theoretical research and policy consultation.
Plenary Presentation by Yu Haiqing, Vice President of the Institute of Marxism Studies, CASS
In a plenary presentation titled "Digital Technology Empowering the Governance of a Century-Old Grand Party," Yu Haiqing pointed out that the self-governance of a political party is not only a political issue but also an issue of capacity. It requires both political reflection and technical consideration, necessitating the seizure of opportunities brought by emerging digital technologies while strengthening the political consciousness of self-revolution. In recent years, the Communist Party of China has attached great importance to solving the unique challenges of a large party [3] through digital technology. This involves: increasing the density of large-party governance to ensure the spirit of remaining true to the original aspiration and founding mission and the spirit of entrepreneurship; expanding the span of large-party governance to better unify thought, will, and action; elevating the height of large-party governance to improve governing capacity and leadership levels; accelerating the speed of large-party governance to promptly discover and solve internal problems; and upgrading the intensity of large-party governance to maintain a clean and upright political ecosystem. This ensures that the Communist Party of China always remains the vanguard of the times and the backbone of the nation in comprehensively building a modern socialist country and comprehensively realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Plenary Presentation by Keovichith Kaykhamphithoune, Director of the Institute of Political Science, LASES
In a plenary presentation titled "Efficient Organizational Models of State Governance in Laos: Experiences and Enlightenments," Keovichith Kaykhamphithoune pointed out that the organizational model of state governance concerns the organizational structure and operational paradigm established by state organs to exercise state power and serve the people. During the reform process of the state governance system in Laos over the past 50 years, the government has consistently followed the Party's line and policies. Based on the level of economic and social development and the actual conditions of various stages, it has established a complete organizational system covering from the central to the grassroots levels. By flexibly adopting adjustment methods such as creation, merger, separation, and dissolution based on actual conditions—and through several institutional adjustments combining large-scale and local changes—the organizational structure has remained basically stable across different periods. This has effectively guaranteed the stable operation of various components in the Lao people's democratic political system and achieved the continuous consolidation and improvement of state governance capacity.
Plenary Presentation by Nguyen Anh Hong Minh, Institute of Philosophy, VASS
In a plenary presentation titled "Constraint of Power in Vietnam’s Socialist State Governance," Nguyen Anh Hong Minh pointed out that against the backdrop of the Party and government vigorously promoting the construction of a socialist law-governed state [4], improving the state governance system in the spirit of the 2013 Constitution, and implementing policies for power constraint and anti-corruption, it is particularly urgent to conduct in-depth research and discussion on the relationship between power constraint and socialist state governance. This research has both theoretical and practical significance, ensuring that state governance is transparent, efficient, and serves the people, thereby consolidating public trust and providing momentum for the rapid and sustainable development of the country.
Plenary Presentation by Zhang Jianyun, Director of the Department of Marxist Philosophy, Institute of Marxism Studies, CASS
In a plenary presentation titled "Digital-Intelligent Technology and the Transformation of the Mode of Spiritual-Cultural Production," Zhang Jianyun pointed out that in the current era, information technologies such as big data, the internet, blockchain, and artificial intelligence are deeply integrated. The digital-intelligent technology system has a huge impact on the transformation of the mode of spiritual-cultural production. In the reality of digital cultural production and its transformation, many difficult problems need to be solved, and there is an urgent need to strengthen corresponding institutional construction and comprehensive governance.
Plenary Presentation by Vilayvone Phommachanh, Director of the Institute of History and Archaeology, LASES
In a plenary presentation titled "Summary of Experience Regarding the Organization of Local Government Institutions in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic," Vilayvone Phommachanh pointed out that the adjustment of organizational institutions is a concrete practice of implementing the organizational principle of being "streamlined, connected, efficient, and strong." Its essence is to achieve resource conservation and highly efficient utilization through the optimization of institutional management, reaching the goals of maximizing benefits and ensuring sustainable operation. This process will make institutional settings more streamlined and rational, enhance organizational resilience and execution, achieve scientific allocation of posts, reduce the size of the civil service establishment, and establish a mechanism for the selective flow of central cadres to the grassroots, thereby strengthening the practical working ability of the frontline leadership. The organization of local government institutions in the Lao People's Democratic Republic has undergone an important transformation process, making positive contributions to national development. The implementation of the hierarchical management policy has been a key step in granting local governments greater autonomy.
Plenary Presentation by Nguyen Tuan Anh, Institute of Philosophy, VASS
In a plenary presentation titled "New Issues in Contemporary Vietnamese State Governance," Nguyen Tuan Anh pointed out that in the process of social development, governance has become an indispensable and key field of activity within human communities, social organizations, and states. Vietnam’s state governance possesses a unique character: a state composed of the people, where the people are masters of the country, and which serves the people. At the current stage, Vietnam’s state governance is in a period of transformation, facing issues such as digital transformation, the coordination of state governance with the construction of a law-governed state, and state governance in the context of merging and perfecting government institutions at all levels. It is necessary to lead the country into a new era of modernization, efficiency, and sustainable development through the formulation and implementation of various decisions and development goals.
Plenary Presentation by Tran Anh Tuyet, Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, VASS
In a plenary presentation titled "Advancing the Modernization of the Socialist State Governance System and Governance Capacity in the New Era: Perspectives Based on Chinese Practice," Tran Anh Tuyet pointed out that since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, China has continued to comprehensively deepen reform and coordinately advance various key tasks, achieving remarkable results. China's state governance system has demonstrated unique advantages but still faces many deep-seated challenges. Currently, China is continuing to explore conceptual innovations and path breakthroughs in governance modernization based on its national conditions and practical experience: by deepening institutional and mechanistic reforms, breaking down institutional barriers that restrict the development of productive forces, systematically improving the efficiency of the governance system and the level of governance capacity, and promoting the movement of state governance toward a more scientific, democratic, law-based, and efficient direction. Based on commonalities and differences, Vietnam and China should strengthen exchange and mutual learning, extensively absorbing global governance experiences—including each other's—to construct a socialist governance model that fits their own historical traditions and developmental stages.
Plenary Presentation by Pan Jine, former Director of the Department of International Communist Movement Studies, Institute of Marxism Studies, CASS
In a plenary presentation titled...
In the keynote speech titled "The Socialist Modernization of China, Vietnam, and Laos Radiates Contemporary Vitality," it was noted that achieving modernization is an inevitable trend in the transition of human society from the traditional to the modern, and serves as the fundamental path for socialist countries to achieve national prosperity and people's happiness. As socialist countries, China, Vietnam, and Laos have integrated the basic tenets of Marxism with their respective national realities, rooted themselves in their own historical cultures, stages of development, and basic national conditions, and have embarked on socialist modernization paths with their own distinct characteristics, thereby radiating the contemporary vitality of world socialism.
Ousavanh Thiengthiepvongsa, Director of the Institute of Socio-Economic Policy at the Lao Academy of Social and Economic Sciences (LASES), stated in a keynote speech titled "Solutions for Enhancing the Effectiveness of National Institutional Reform in Laos during the Process of International Integration" that national institutional reform in Laos is an important and challenging process aimed at lifting the country out of its underdevelopment and laying a solid foundation for sustainable development in the era of international integration. Although Laos has made progress in several areas—such as streamlining institutional structures, launching the "Three Builds" [5] policy, and promoting "one-stop" services—it still faces many challenges. These are prominently manifested in the low efficiency of national institutions, poor coordination mechanisms, limited quality of human resources, insufficiently strict policy execution and legal implementation, and other negative phenomena. In response to these issues, he proposed a systematic set of solutions comprising four major categories, covering dimensions ranging from enhancing political resolve, improving the policy and legal system, upgrading administrative management mechanisms, and developing human resources, to transitioning toward digital government, promoting public participation, and resolving economic and financial issues.
Pham Thi Thuy Nga, Director of the Institute of State and Law at the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS), noted in a keynote speech titled "Modern and Efficient Socialist National Governance in Vietnam under the Context of the New Era" that modern and efficient socialist governance is a process of continuous reform requiring the coordinated promotion of innovation in ideological concepts, the improvement of institutional systems, and the building of execution capacity. In the context of digital transformation, green transition, and the reconstruction of the global landscape, Vietnam's national governance model is steadily achieving an organic unity of rule of law construction, social equity, and public participation. In the new stage, Vietnam needs to continue strengthening the comprehensive leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam in institutional reform and the transformation of governance methods.
Yuan Xiuli, Director of the Department of International Communist Movement Studies at the Institute of Marxism Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), pointed out in a keynote speech titled "The Contribution of the Birth of the Socialist System to Human Civilization" that the establishment of the socialist system has guaranteed and promoted the development of human civilization, opening a new epoch in human history. The birth of the socialist system has made outstanding contributions to human civilization: the establishment of the first socialist state opened a new path for the development of civilization; Soviet socialist construction promoted the civilization of human social development; the Communist parties of the Soviet Union and various Asian and European countries defended the achievements of human civilization; the development of socialism from one country to many promoted the progress of human civilization; the socialist camp effectively constrained the barbaric expansion and hegemony of capitalism; and socialism supported and promoted the tide of national liberation.
Participating scholars spoke highly of the fruitful results achieved by this forum, maintaining that strengthening academic exchanges and discussions among socialist countries holds important theoretical value and practical significance for enhancing the modernization of the governance systems and governance capacities of socialist countries.
Dang Xuan Thanh, Vice President of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences; Saisongkham Manodham, Vice President of the Lao Academy of Social and Economic Sciences; and Luo Wendong, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Institute of Marxism Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, delivered concluding remarks for the forum.
(Contribution by Wang Zifeng)