進入英語學習論壇下載音頻 去聽寫專區一展身手

The Communist Party of Vietnam's (CPV) 11th congress, which ended on Wednesday, has "brought new hope" to the country, said the newly elected party leader, a remark widely regarded as setting the tone for sustained socioeconomic reform in the coming decade.

Nguyen Phu Trong, former chairman of the National Assembly, was elected as the general secretary of the CPV Central Committee. The eight-day congress, from Jan 12 to 19, also elected a 14-member politburo.

"The congress brought new hope to the party and the nation. I will contribute my experience and strong belief to serve the country, the party, the people and the nation, helping create new strength to realize the goals and tasks that the 11th CPV congress has set," Trong said at the end of the meeting.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung was reappointed to the CPV politburo, paving the way for him to serve a second term.

Apart from electing its new leadership, the congress set out the country's development strategy for the 2011-2020 period, and explored ways to tackle emerging challenges resulting from economic transformation, analysts said.

Since the 1980s, Vietnam has embraced a market economy and become one of Asia's fastest growing countries. Its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) hit nearly $94 billion in 2009, averaging 7.2 percent growth over the past decade.

The attainment of WTO membership in 2007 has further provided Hanoi an anchor to the global market and reinforced the domestic economic reform process. For instance, agriculture's share of economic output continued to shrink from around 25 percent in 2000 to around 21 percent in 2009.

But the country is still below the average level considering annual per capita GDP, about $3,100 based on purchasing power parity, ranking 168th worldwide.

In addition, the financial crisis dampened Vietnam's export-oriented economy. In 2009 exports fell nearly 10 percent year-on-year, prompting the government to consider tariff adjustments to limit the trade deficit.

The new leadership will enter into further coordination with China in terms of trade and macroeconomic policies. China became its largest trading partner three years ago.

去聽寫專區一展身手

（中國日報網英語點津 Helen 編輯）

About the broadcaster:

Lee Hannon is Chief Editor at China Daily with 15-years experience in print and broadcast journalism. Born in England, Lee has traveled extensively around the world as a journalist including four years as a senior editor in Los Angeles. He now lives in Beijing and is happy to move to China and join the China Daily team.