HANOI, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- The sunlight-saturated Ho Chi Minh National Political Academy in Vietnam's capital, Hanoi city, looks like many local universities with large green grass gardens, ornamental trees and colorful flowers, excepting a slogan of "Proletarians of all oppressed countries and peoples, let's unite!" and a statue of gaunt and goateed late President Ho Chi Minh in front of the building.

    The academy, formerly the central party school founded by Ho Chi Minh in China's Guangzhou city in the 1929-1930 period, which has seen great development in the long-term friendly relations between Vietnam and China, is to train elite bureaucrats of Vietnam's party and state under the viewpoints and directions of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), the Marxism-Leninism, and HoChi Minh thought, its vice director Nguyen Van Sau told Xinhua recently.

    "The academy has trained tens of thousands of cadres to serve the causes of national liberalization and socialism construction since its foundation in 1949. In principle, almost high-level officials of the party and state study here for two years," he said, citing some learners like General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee Nong Duc Manh, former State President Tran Duc Luong, former Prime Minister Phan Van Khai and former Chairman of the National Assembly Nguyen Van An.

    Regarding the study's purposes, he said: "We always consider HoChi Minh's instruction 'Learn to work, to become a good person, to become a good cadre. Learn to serve organizations, to serve classes and people, to serve fatherland and humankind...' the compass for our activities."

    In the current context that Vietnam is actively preparing for its international integration, the academy, which has played an important role in imparting the CPV's viewpoints, is also studying suggestions of former Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan on organizing a number of training courses which offer integration knowledge to learners, he said, adding that the CPV has attached importance on economic development together with party construction and cultural improvement.

    Now, the academy is changing its research programs and curriculum to suit to the country's current situation, Sau said. "We are centering on big scientific research projects which help work out the directions and strategies of Vietnam's party and state."

    The academy will also summarize the actual situations of sectors and localities, then turn the summarization into a theory, he noted.

    "Besides reaffirming important principles of the Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh thought - the base of thoughts and compass for activities of the party and the state, our scholars are studying the Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh thought to bring them into a new height level," he added.

    In addition, the academy, which has 2,200 staff, including nearly 500 doctorate degree holders, is summarizing the theory of the 20-year-renewal (doi moi) policy initiated by the CPV, as well as the activities regarding the studies and learning Ho Chi Minh thought, he said.

    For curriculum renovation, Sau said: "Under a new resolution on improving the quality of the academy's training work and scientific research issued by the Political Bureau in July 2005, we will consider specific situations in Vietnam as well as the world, and learn experiences of the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China to build new training programs which will take less time, and focus on strengthening the practice, improving learners' strategic thinking and increasing their study on party construction and history."

    "We are translating documents and books of the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. New changes in the school's curriculum are very good. We will try to apply them in our academy," he noted.

    Commenting on the ties between Vietnam and China, Sau said: "The two countries' relations are very wonderful. Chinese people have helped Vietnam a lot." The academy's development has always attached with the improvement of the friendly ties between the two countries.

    The academy, which is training some 5,000 learners, including 100 Lao ones, at medium, high and post-graduate levels, has received great assistance from fraternal Chinese people since its establishment, Sau said, adding that its campus from the great hall to the hostel was designed by Chinese architects.

    "The academy's experienced cadres told me that Chinese experts were very responsible for the construction, which took place in the 1955-1956 period," he said.

    Recently, China has funded nearly 3.9 million U.S. dollars to construct a 15-storey building in the campus of the 9-hectare academy, he said, noting that the foreign country is considering to aid more in the construction of the building.

    Besides, China has sent many experts and textbooks to the academy which comprises of five branches in Hanoi, central Da Nangcity, southern Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho city, he said. "At early stage, both our teachers and textbooks were from China and the former Soviet Union."

    In its development process, the academy, which is twined with the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, hopes to receive more assistance in terms of document provision, and exchanges of experts and students, he said.

    Nong Duc Manh is scheduled to pay an official trip to China late this month. Sau said that the high-level visit will help beef up the bilateral relations. "I believed that in this context, our academy, with its efforts and the supports from fraternal Chinese people, will see great development."