Lesson 3: Foundation for the Age of Growth

Under the leadership of the Party, our country has overcome difficulties and challenges, making its mark with outstanding achievements in the renovation process. Continuing the achievements to look to the future, Vietnam has been creating a solid foundation for the country and people to enter an era of growth.

A corner of the western urban area of Hanoi . (Photo: DUY LINH)

Think deep, do big

Taking 1986 as the turning point of the country, Ho Chi Minh City is considered the "address" of that transformation. In 1991, when the Council of Ministers (now the Government) advocated the establishment of an export processing zone, Ho Chi Minh City was also chosen as the pilot locality with the successful establishment of Tan Thuan Export Processing Zone, from which it was expanded nationwide, attracting foreign direct investment (FDI)...

Since the 1990s, Ho Chi Minh City has entered a period of strong urbanization, but the eastern and western districts of the city are still separated due to limited traffic. To overcome this bottleneck, the city has chosen a bold plan: "Building the Thu Thiem tunnel, the most modern river tunnel in Southeast Asia with a length of 1.49 km, including 4 tunnel segments sunk deep under the riverbed".

After nearly 30 years of planning, from a wasteland along the river, Thu Thiem now wears a new coat with parks, cultural centers...

Dr. Ray Brindle, an urban planning expert from Australia, commented: The choice to build a tunnel instead of a bridge shows that Ho Chi Minh City has a long-term development mindset. This is a strategy that many large cities in the world such as Sydney or Tokyo have applied to optimize urban space.

In 1992, the country was facing difficulties but a bold decision was approved by the Central Government, which was to build a 500 kV north-south transmission line to solve the problem of the north having excess electricity while the central and southern regions lacked electricity, much to the skepticism of many people and experts around the world.

However, the Prime Minister at that time, comrade Vo Van Kiet, showed great determination when he firmly decided: Just do it, if I fail, I will not wait to be dismissed, I will proactively resign. After 782 days and nights of non-stop work, the 500kV line, more than 1,400km long, was completed. At exactly 19:16 on May 27, 1994, the 500kV power transmission system was officially connected to the grid at the 500kV Da Nang transformer station, connecting the two regions of the North and the South.

Continuing the experience and determination to overcome difficulties to develop the country, at the end of April 2025, the North-South Expressway component project, Bai Vot-Ham Nghi and Ham Nghi-Vung Ang sections, was opened to traffic and put into operation, the final "piece" in the investment and construction process of the North-South Expressway project, phase 1. With this milestone, the total length of expressways nationwide put into operation has reached more than 2,000km.

This is a breakthrough achievement considering that in the past 20 years, the whole country has only completed more than 1,000km. Chairing the conference to review the first 6 months of 2025 of the State Steering Committee for important national projects and key transport projects, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized the goal of completing 3,000km of expressway by the end of 2025, which is the goal set by the 13th National Party Congress.

With that important meaning, we must consider this as a command of the heart, the highest sense of responsibility with the spirit and enthusiasm towards the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution, having made a determination, we must be more determined, making an effort, we must make a greater effort, having been effective, we must be even more effective; the relevant subjects focus on doing, the spirit of "only discussing doing, not discussing back", doing better.

Time and opportunity wait for no one.

On the occasion of the New Year 2025, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh wrote an article titled "Innovation, creativity, acceleration, breakthrough, bringing the country firmly into the era of national growth, development, wealth, civilization, and prosperity".

The Prime Minister emphasized that the important, comprehensive and outstanding results in the context of more difficulties and challenges than opportunities and advantages in 2024 affirm the outstanding efforts, strong will and iron determination to continue to comprehensively promote the cause of innovation of the entire Party, people and army; thereby consolidating the foundation and creating a strong driving force to strive to successfully implement the 2025 Socio-Economic Development Plan, contributing to the highest completion of the goals and tasks of the 2021-2025 period, bringing the country firmly into a new era - the era of striving to develop richly, civilized and prosperous of the Vietnamese people.

From July 1, 2025, a new page in the history of our country's administrative organization has opened, with the spirit of building and organizing the implementation throughout the political system of a comprehensive model of a streamlined, strong, efficient, effective and efficient political system apparatus.

In a short time, with a lot of work, we have completed the arrangement of administrative units, streamlining the focal points from ministerial agencies to local authorities. After the merger, a large space has opened up for new provinces and cities...

As General Secretary To Lam pointed out: The new era with the Party's major strategic orientations, creating outstanding development, breakthroughs, and acceleration in all fields, realizing the aspiration to successfully build a socialist Vietnam, a rich people, strong country, democracy, fairness, civilization, on par with the world powers; all people have a prosperous and happy life, are supported to develop and get rich; contribute more and more to the peace, stability, development of the world, the happiness of humanity and global civilization.

In August 2025, from this historic milestone, comrades and compatriots across the country look forward to the great festival of the Party, which is also the festival of the entire people: Party Congresses at all levels leading up to the 14th National Party Congress, which will be held in early 2026. The 14th National Congress will decide on strategic issues to ensure stability, development and improve people's lives.

The very high requirements in the coming period are "high-quality development and sustainable development", "proactive and autonomous in development"; determination to "establish a new growth model" taking science, technology, innovation and national digital transformation as the main driving force, the private economy is the most important driving force; "building a modern national education system, on par with the region and the world".

According to Nguyen Huy Cuong, Deputy Head of the Hanoi Party Committee’s Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Department, Hanoi has applied historical lessons from the August Revolution to solve contemporary issues of urban development through many specific strategies and policies. Hanoi has applied historical lessons on organization and management to develop reasonable plans; the city has also improved the quality of planning and developed new urban areas.

Regarding Ho Chi Minh City, comrade Nguyen Thanh Nghi, Standing Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee said: Always accompanying the construction, development and development of the country and with the experience of developing the city in recent times, the Standing Committee of the City Party Committee has synthesized and improved theoretical research, contributed to summarizing a number of theoretical and practical issues over 40 years of national renovation, contributing to continuing to clarify and perfect the Party's renovation policy, the theory of socialism, the path to socialism and preparing to build documents for the 14th National Party Congress.

The orientations, policies and decisions of the Party and State in the new context are the creative and flexible application of lessons learned from the August Revolution and the process of nation building over the past 80 years.

All for the goal of entering a new era - the era of the nation's rise to build our country more beautiful and dignified as beloved Uncle Ho wished.

(Continued and End) (★)

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Source: https://nhandan.vn/bai-3-nen-tang-cho-ky-nguyen-vuon-minh-post901567.html