The opening ceremony of the 12th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) was held in capital Hanoi on Thursday morning.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, who is a member of the Presidium of the 12th National Party Congress, chaired the opening session.

Addressing the opening ceremony, President Truong Tan Sang, member of the 11th CPVCC's Politburo, emphasized the significance of the 12th National Party Congress.

The 12th congress will guide and encourage the whole party, nation and army to strengthen the building of a pure and strong party, foster national unity, simultaneously and comprehensively boost reform, resolutely defend the nation and maintain peace and stability, while striving to soon turn Vietnam into a modern industrialized country, Sang said.

The congress will focus on reviewing the five-year implementation of the 11th national party congress resolution (2011-2015) and the 30 years of the reform cause, map out directions and tasks for the national development during 2016-2020 period, among others.

Sang also noted that the 12th congress is a congress of "Solidarity-Democracy-Discipline-Renovation", reflecting the strong will and determination of the nation as a whole to build Vietnam into a strong country with prosperous people, democratic, fair and civilized society, advancing firmly to socialism.

Following Sang's opening speech, General Secretary of the 11th CPVCC Nguyen Phu Trong delivered the 11th CPVCC's report on documents submitted to the 12th Party Congress.

11th CPVCC's Politburo member and permanent member of the 11th CPVCC's Secretariat Le Hong Anh then presented a report reviewing the leadership of the 11th CPVCC.

Earlier On Wednesday, the 12th National Party Congress held a preparatory session to adopt the working regulations of the congress, and elected the Presidium, the Secretariat, and the Delegate Eligibility Appraisal Board of the 12th National Party Congress.

They also adopted the working agenda and election regulations at the 12th National Party Congress, and reports on examining the eligibility of the delegates.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong was elected as Chairman of a 17-member Presidium of the 12th National Party Congress.

The 12th National Party Congress is set to produce a new Politburo and Secretariat of the CPV Central Committee, which will pave way for the election of the country's new leadership.

As many as 1,510 delegates representing over 4.5 million Vietnamese communist party members attend the congress, which is scheduled to last till Jan. 28.