Hanoi, July 31, 2026 – The Europe Today: General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and State President Tô Lâm has called for a fundamental transition from “simple labour” to “creative labour,” emphasizing that enhancing the quality of the national workforce is the foremost objective of the Politburo’s Resolution 57 in the country’s new phase of development.
Chairing a meeting of the Central Steering Committee for Science, Technology, Innovation Development and Digital Transformation on Thursday, Tô Lâm reviewed progress made to date and outlined key priorities for the coming period.
The Vietnamese leader stressed the need to shift from managing processes to managing outcomes, saying that every task should clearly define the problem to be addressed, the expected final product, target users, responsible agencies, implementation requirements and evaluation criteria.
Highlighting the importance of innovation across all sectors, Tô Lâm said farmers should gradually become digital farmers capable of mastering modern agricultural technologies, workers should be equipped to operate advanced technologies and machinery, entrepreneurs should serve as the driving force of innovation, and public officials should adopt a development-oriented and enabling mindset.
He emphasized that creative labour must become Vietnam’s most valuable national resource, with investments focused on developing competitive products, enterprises and markets. Research activities, he said, should be closely linked to practical applications, commercialization and improving the competitiveness of both the economy and society.
The President called for resources to be concentrated on strategic and foundational projects capable of generating broad national impact, while avoiding fragmented investment that limits the development of strong technological capabilities and innovative products.
Tô Lâm also stressed that businesses should participate throughout the entire innovation process—from identifying challenges and conducting research to testing and commercializing products—while the State should focus on strengthening institutions, commissioning research, sharing risks and creating initial markets for technology-based products.
He urged research institutes and universities to align their work more closely with national development priorities and the needs of industry, with their performance measured by the technologies, products and tangible value they generate.
Calling for innovation to become a nationwide movement, Tô Lâm said every citizen should be empowered to contribute to innovation, every enterprise should regard innovation as essential for growth, every public official should embrace a development-oriented mindset, and every ministry, sector and locality should evolve into an innovation hub within its respective field.
The Vietnamese leader instructed relevant authorities to complete the necessary arrangements to enable the restructured Central Steering Committee to begin work immediately and concentrate on implementing the strategic priorities agreed during the meeting.
He further urged Party committees, government agencies and local authorities to maintain the highest level of responsibility, accelerate implementation, and ensure that every initiative delivers measurable results. He reiterated that Vietnam’s guiding principle should be that commitments are followed by concrete action, promises produce tangible outcomes, and strategic priorities are pursued through to completion.
During the meeting, Central Committee member and Chief of the Party Central Committee Office, Nguyễn Hải Ninh, announced the Politburo’s decision on the restructuring of the Central Steering Committee.
Under the new structure, the committee will comprise 31 members and will be headed by Politburo member, Secretary of the Government’s Party Committee and Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng.
