It is an inspiration for generations of Hanoians as remembering the city’s glorious and heroic victory each year. The spirit of solidarity and the will to make the victory 67 years ago (October 10, 1954 - October 10, 2021) will be always a strong motivation for Hanoi to overcome all difficulties and challenges and build a more civilized and modern capital worthy of the trust and love of the whole country.

Secretary of the Party Committee of Hanoi Dinh Tien Dung. Photo: The Hanoi Times

From the depths of heroic history…

Since King Ly Thai To issued the “Edict on the Transfer of the Capital”, moving the capital from Hoa Lu (now in the northern province of Ninh Binh) to Thang Long (today's Hanoi), the land of Thang Long - Hanoi has experienced many ups and downs. The army and people of Hanoi, the next generation following in the footsteps of the previous generation, have united in one heart to gain victories, including the capital’s Liberation Day.

The liberation of Hanoi marked the complete defeat of the French colonialists in Vietnam. Opening the resistance war was 60 days and nights of fighting with the spirit of “Monument Determined to Brave Death for the Survival of the Fatherland” in 1946, which ended when the last French soldiers withdrew via Long Bien Bridge. Then on the morning of October 10, 1954, the capital city’s army and people divided into many large groups to participate in a historic march in Hanoi. Tens of thousands of people in the capital city were excited in the forest of red flags with yellow stars to welcome the victorious soldiers.

After the triumph, the whole city immediately embarked on reconstruction, in which the army and people continued to promote the spirit of solidarity, helping the city take the lead in the socialist building in the North while providing aid for the southern front line.

A corner of Hanoi. Photo: the Hanoi Times

In 1972, Hanoi air defense grids and all across North Vietnam defended their skies with bravery in an aerial raid, known as “Dien Bien Phu in the Air”, making an important contribution to forcing the US imperialists to sign the Paris Agreement to withdrew its troops, weapons, and war means from our country, paving the way for the national reunification in the Spring of 1975.

Entering the period of building a unified country, imbued with the teachings of President Ho Chi Minh and guidelines of the Party, National Assembly, and Government, Hanoi continues to lead emulation movements, making great contributions to the historic achievements of the doi moi (renewal) process and raising the country’s position and prestige in the international arena. The year 2008 is a remarkable year as Hanoi expanded administrative boundaries to its neighboring province of Ha Tay province, Me Linh district of Vinh Phuc Province, and four communes of Luong Son District in Hoa Binh Province - marking a great stature for its strong development.

Over the past 67 years, from an urban area severely damaged by the war with a population of about 43.7 thousand people, Hanoi has constantly strived to grow and become stronger. Today, although accounting for only 1% of the country’s area, 8.5% of the country's population, the capital city annually contributes over 16% of GDP, 18.5% of budget revenue, 20% of domestic revenue, 8.6% of total export and import turnover. These rates are increasing.

The role and position of Hanoi have been increasingly affirmed via its diplomatic relations with more than 100 cities and capitals of countries around the world. It deserves to be the heart of the whole country, and a major trading hub of the region and the world.

... To powerful resources

Looking at the past from the present, the more difficult the situation is, the more efforts Hanoi promotes solidarity and will. This is a powerful resource that helps Hanoi not to falter in the face of all difficulties, including the current Covid-19 pandemic.

When the fourth outbreak occurred at the end of April this year, Hanoi was the highest-risk area in the country. Faced with such a dangerous situation, the whole political system from the city to the grassroots got involved, in which the army and the people of the capital have been unanimous in fighting the outbreak.

Hanoi has established a strict pandemic prevention and control system, with many layers covering all the way to alleys and streets. In order to prevent the spread of the pandemic, the city has applied strong measures from the beginning. Despite the difficulties and inconveniences caused by strict social distancing rules, Hanoians are always united and working together in the fight.

Secretary of the Party Committee of Hanoi Dinh Tien Dung and municipal leaders talk with authorities of Bac Tu Liem District during a visit to inspect local work on pandemic prevention and control. Photo: Viet Thanh

The implementation of four consecutive periods of social distancing in 60 days was extremely difficult, but the local army and people, under the leadership of the Party, have gained success in pushing back the pandemic. Through each period, the number of cases, especially those in the community, decreased. Thanks to the rapid campaign of vaccination, large-scale testing, and screening, the city has basically controlled the pandemic and gradually restore economic development. By October 9, in more than 150 days of the fourth outbreak, the whole city recorded just over 4,037 positive cases for SARS-CoV-2, many of them have recovered while some are being treated in hospitals.

Facing such a difficult period, Hanoi still maintained economic growth with the city's gross domestic product (GRDP) increased by 6.61% in the second quarter of 2021, up 5.17% compared with that of the first quarter of this year, contributing to the 6-month growth rate of 5.91%, higher than the national average of 5.64%. The city's 9-month GRDP growth reached 1.28%.

With the motto “No one left behind”, the city has timely supported 12 target groups according to the Government’s Resolution No. 68/NQ-CP and promulgated specific policies to support other disadvantaged groups. As of early October, more than 3.2 million people area has benefited from the city with a total budget of more than VND1.38 trillion.

Hanoi has actively provided aid to other localities. For the fourth outbreak alone, the capital city has supported Ho Chi Minh City with 5,000 tons of rice (worthVND75 billion), Binh Duong Province 1,000 tons of rice, and 18 southern provinces and cities VND3 billion each, not including the support in terms of healthcare forces, medical supplies, and testing machines. The city also sent a delegation of medical staff to help the provinces of Bac Ninh and Bac Giang in testing and tracing, zoning, and isolation.

At the most stressful times of the pandemic, the Hanoians did not lose to the pandemic thanks to their tradition of solidarity and unyielding will.

Spirit of the 13th Party Central Committee

People are vaccinated at Trinh Hoai Duc Sports Halls. Photo: Huy Nguyen

In the coming time, the city will still face many difficulties and challenges, especially the complicated and unpredictable developments of the Covid-19 pandemic. All branches, troops, and people of the capital city are required to work together, concentrate on wisdom, creativeness, and innovation, and raise the sense of responsibility to achieve the set goals.

The city will immediately realize the direction of the Central Party Committee and General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong at the 13th Party Central Committee’s fourth session, which just closed on October 7. In the last months of this year, the city from the grassroots will urgently develop and organize the implementation of specific plans and scenarios, which must be closer to the reality of the current situation, with a priority in preventing and controlling the pandemic as well as overcoming its impacts.

The capital city will focus on conducting practical and effective support mechanisms, policies, and solutions for people, employees, and businesses improving resilience, overcoming difficulties and challenges, stabilize life, and restoring production and trade.

Hanoi will make every effort to maintain its achievements of the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic and gradually establish a state of safe and flexible adaptation and effective control of the pandemic under six principles proposed by the Prime Minister, which include:

- Health is the mainstay, the center.

- Economy is the basis, the foundation.

- Science - technology data is the key.

- Socio-political stability is important and permanent.

- Vaccines, medicines, and people's awareness are prerequisites.

- Production must be safe.

Hanoi will propose to the Government and the Ministry of Health to facilitate the distribution of vaccines in order to receive the second injection in October 2021.

For socio-economic recovery and development, from now until the end of the year, the city will focus on important tasks, including speeding up the disbursement to basic constructions projects, collecting and spending budget effectively, stepping up administrative reform, strengthening dialogue, and removing difficulties for production and businesses.

To reach its ambitious plan, Hanoi must be determined to implement its strategic projects effectivy, creating a new stature and strengths as well as solvung urgent problems.

In this spirit, the Hanoi’s Party Committee has issued a policy on investment in building the Ring Road 4 project and set up a steering committee for renovating old apartment buildings, which has been approved by the city’s People’s Council recently.

The Ring Road 4 project has been identified as one of the important tasks that need to be prioritized. As completed, the road will not only contribute to reducing traffic congestion and expanding the city’s space for development, but also enhancing connectivity, creating momentum and inter-regional spillover effects to promote socio-economic development of provinces and cities in the capital region, the Red River Delta, and the northern key economic zone.

As for the renovation of old apartment buildings, Hanoi currently has more than 1,500 old apartment buildings, most of which have degraded. This task is big, difficult, and complicated because it is directly related to people's lives. For many years, the local authorities have identified this as an important and urgent task, however, due to many problems, especially in terms of mechanisms and policies, the number of renovated apartments has been moderate. 

Soldiers help people make Chung, a traditional cake of Vietnam, in Hanoi. Photo: Nguyen Van Hai

The city is now determined to direct and make a breakthrough in the renovation of old apartment buildings, that will ensure the safety, life, and property of people and improve the living quality of many Hanoians. The city’s initial efforts have partially removed the difficulty of the mechanism and some projects will be carried out in the soonest time.

On the journey to the future, Hanoi clearly defines culture as the foundation of society, goals, motivations, and resources for sustainable development. Culture must be put on an equal footing with the economy, politics, and society. In order to develop the capital's culture worthy of the thousand-year tradition of civilization, Hanoi will focus on building a human personality with a beautiful lifestyle and basic characteristics such as patriotism, benevolence, affection, honesty, solidarity, industriousness, creativity, civilization, elegance.

The goals and tasks set out are great, with many difficulties and challenges, but with glorious achievements both in the past and in the present, Hanoi will constantly strive to be exemplary in building a clean and strong Party Committee and political system, promote innovation and international integration and construct a rich, beautiful, civilized and modern capital city that is coincided with the spirit of the Hanoi’s 17th Party Congress of Hà Nội (2020-2025 term).

The two students salute the national flag when they take part in an online new school-year ceremony in Hanoi. Many schools in the capital city have applied online training for months due to social distancing rules. Photo: Viet Tung