State President Vo Van Thuong delivers inauguration speech

New State President Vo Van Thuong delivered his inauguration speech after he was elected by the 15th National Assembly (NA) on March 2 morning.

He thanked the NA, the Party Central Committee, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, and other Party and State leaders for entrusting him with this position, calling this as both a great honour and an extremely heavy responsibility to him.

Expressing his gratitude to late President Ho Chi Minh and generations of leaders, cadres, Party members, soldiers, and patriotic Vietnamese people, Thuong said he is deeply aware of the importance of loyalty and steadfastness in the goal, the ideal, and the path chosen by the Party, President Ho Chi Minh, and the people.

He pledged to unceasingly improve himself and strive to fulfill the tasks of the State President as stipulated in the Constitution, and join the entire Party, people, and army in doing their utmost for the sake of prosperous people and a strong, democratic, equal, and civilised country taking firm steps towards socialism.

The newly elected leader vowed to work tirelessly to build up and bring into play the strength of the great national solidarity; pay sincere heed to opinions from all patriotic Vietnamese people; adamantly fight corruption and other negative phenomena; perfect regulations for sustainable development; build a clean and strong State apparatus; and encourage the spirit of dynamism, creativity, daring to think, and daring to act for the sake of the people and the country.

Thuong also pledged to respect and support the aspiration to move forwards of each people, create an environment for all people, especially the young, to gain equal and transparent access to development opportunities and dedicate themselves to the country; persistently and resolutely safeguard the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, maintain a peaceful and stable environment for national development, build comprehensively strong armed forces and solid people-based defence and security; and actively contribute to peace, friendship, cooperation, and development in the region and the world in the spirit that Vietnam is a friend, a trustworthy partner, and an active and responsible member of the international community.

Earlier, with 487 "yes" votes from the 488 NA deputies, the NA adopted a resolution electing Vo Van Thuong, Politburo member, Permanent member of the 13th Party Central Committee’s Secretariat, and deputy of the 15th NA, as the President of Vietnam.