Vietnam President To Lam Announces Human‑Centred Development Model

Party General Secretary and State President To Lam outlined a new development blueprint for Vietnam, directing that people be the goal, engine and primary stakeholder of growth. In a working session with the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Policies and Strategies, he said every policy must raise citizens’ material and spiritual living standards, foster digital skills, creativity, lifelong learning and responsible digital citizenship, and ensure fair access to the benefits of expansion.

Experts cited the shift from an “extensive” model based on low‑cost labour, resource extraction and investment grants to a productivity‑driven, knowledge‑based economy. They highlighted the need to evaluate policies by their impact on job quality, real incomes, education, health, housing, social protection and digital ethics. The State is urged to expand retraining programmes, support career transitions and build a modern welfare system that can absorb rapid labour‑market changes. Recent initiatives such as housing projects, public health check‑ups and tuition‑free education were noted as steps toward greater public confidence.